The Calgary Flames hosted the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday afternoon at the Saddledome. The Flames had lost two in a row and were looking to move back into the win column. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, were riding a three-game winning streak, the team’s first in two years. That streak came to an end as the Flames beat the Blackhawks 6-4 and stopped them from mounting yet another comeback victory.
Blake Coleman, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Connor Zary each had a goal and an assist, while Connor Bedard had a goal and two assists. Dustin Wolf won his 10th game this season, but Peter Mrazek lost his first game back after recovering from a groin injury.
Game Recap
The first few minutes of the game looked like it would be a fairly even period. Mrazek made an unbelievable save on Zary to keep the game equal at zero. It looked like the Blackhawks would have a chance after that, but the momentum swung heavily in the Flames’ favor. Huberdeau stripped Seth Jones of the puck at the blue line and beat Frank Nazar up the ice to score a shorthanded goal. 1-0 Flames. Then, Nazem Kadri struck just over a minute later, beating Mrazek with a wrist shot off the rush. The Flames led 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
Oh my, what a save by Petr Mrazek. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/vOiCHOvXvu
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 21, 2024
The Flames maintained the momentum generated in the first period. It looked like the Blackhawks might be in the game after Bedard tallied his eighth of the season to make it 2-1. But the Flames answered almost immediately, with Zary and Michael Coronato scoring to increase the lead. Then, with about two minutes left, Coleman tallied a nifty between-the-legs shot to blow the game open even wider at 5-1. The Flames were simply the better team through the first two periods.
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The Blackhawks have made strong pushes when trailing in the third period all season. This game was no different. Tyler Bertuzzi netted two goals and brought the Blackhawks within two goals with five minutes left. Then, with the goalie pulled, Ilya Mikheyev scored to narrow the deficit to 5-4. Ultimately, it was too little too late, as the Flames were able to shut down the comeback when captain Mikael Backlund scored on an empty net, sealing the victory 6-4.
What’s Next?
The Flames now hold a 16-11-7 record with today’s victory. With 39 points, they leapfrogged the Vancouver Canucks and sit in fourth place in the Pacific Division. The Blackhawks fall to 12-20-2 and remain in last place in the Central Division.
The Blackhawks next play the Minnesota Wild on Monday, while the Flames enter a week-long Christmas break before playing the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 28.
