Mikael Backlund contributed a goal and an assist, and Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves, leading the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. This marks Calgary’s ninth win in their last 13 games.
Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri also scored for the Flames, who completed a 3-0 sweep during their annual “Dad’s Trip,” with their fathers in attendance for all three games—one in Calgary and the last two on the road.
“Everybody’s been energized, and it’s a good time to spend with dads and brothers and all of that,” said Markstrom, who has allowed two or fewer goals in six of his last 10 starts. Since Dec. 18, Markstrom ranks fourth in the league with a 2.02 goals-against average among goalies with at least eight starts.
“We can’t go .500 anymore,” Markstrom said. “We got to try to make up ground and catch teams. We got to string a few together. This was a good trip, and we got to go home and charge the batteries tomorrow and then get back to work.”
Logan Thompson made 23 saves for the Golden Knights, while Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas, breaking an 184:34 drought without a 5-on-5 goal. The defending Stanley Cup champions have lost eight of their last 11 games.
Down two of their top centers, Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, Vegas’ offense has struggled, managing only 16 goals in their last nine games, with an average of just 1.77 goals per game.
“I think the system we play has been good for us; we just have to execute,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who played his 599th career game. “It’s a privilege to play in the NHL, and you must find a way to do your job. You need to take the opportunity in front of you. Right now, we don’t have enough guys that are doing that.”
Calgary struck first on a power play midway through the first period. Coleman gathered a rebound in front of the net and slipped it under Thompson’s pads for his team-high 19th goal of the season and fourth in three games.
The Flames quickly extended their lead, with Kadri scoring in front of the net. Thompson was out of position and unable to recover, with teammate Nic Hague blocking him. Kadri capitalized on the loose puck for his 10th career goal against Vegas.
Vegas showed resilience in the first half of the second period, but Markstrom stayed sharp, making several big stops under pressure.
Calgary rewarded Markstrom with a three-goal lead when Backlund deked around Thompson in the crease before tapping it in for his 10th goal of the season. Andrew Mangiapane earned his 200th career point with an assist.
“It was obviously a huge win for us,” Backlund said. “We had a perfect start, then it got a little tighter throughout the game. It wasn’t our best second and third period, but we found a way, ground it out, and Marky played so well for us tonight. And so yeah, huge win for us.”
UP NEXT
- Flames: Host Arizona on Tuesday night.
- Golden Knights: Host Nashville on Monday night.
