Matt Coronato scored to break a third-period tie and added an assist to pace the host Calgary Flames to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Rasmus Andersson also collected one goal and one assist, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary added singles for the Flames, who snapped a two-game skid.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 26 saves, 11 of them in the first period, during an excellent netminding battle.
Yakov Trenin replied for the Wild, who lost in regulation time for the first time in 13 games, stretching back to a Nov. 6 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped 27 shots.
With the score tied 1-1, Coronato gave Calgary its second lead of the game when he was sprung for a partial breakaway by Morgan Frost’s pass and whipped a blocker-side shot from the slot at 3:33 of the third period.
Zary provided a much-needed insurance marker less than three minutes later, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Blake Coleman with a shot through the five-hole.
Minnesota frantically pushed to close the gap and possibly tie the affair, but could not even solve Wolf a second time before Andersson’s empty-net goal with one minute remaining sealed his team’s victory.
The clubs traded second-period goals in the close-checking affair. Following a blanked first period in which the Wild failed to convert on four power plays, Huberdeau opened the scoring at 4:21 of the middle frame. Andersson’s wraparound attempt was denied, but Huberdeau was on the spot for the loose puck and netted his first goal in 15 games.
After needing nearly 14 minutes to register a shot in the second period, the Wild regained some momentum and were rewarded when Trenin tied the clash by deflecting Zach Bogosian’s point shot.
–Field Level Media
