Matt Coronato scored three goals for the Calgary Flames in a 4-1 win against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Adam Klapka scored his first goal of the season and Dustin Wolf made 31 saves for the Flames, who avoided losing three in a row for the first time since a four-game skid Nov. 25-30.
Frank Vatrano scored short-handed for his 300th NHL point and John Gibson made 26 saves for the Ducks, who had won three in a row.
The Flames did not record their first shot on goal until 5:57 of the first period, but they then went on the game’s first power play when Cutter Gauthier was called for hooking MacKenzie Weegar at 10:20.
It was the Ducks who scored during the man advantage, however.
Calgary turned the puck over coming across the Anaheim blue line and Vatrano took possession. He carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the left circle before scoring with a wrist shot at 11:54.
Anaheim had come into the day as the only NHL team without a short-handed goal.
Klapka scored 15 seconds into the second period to tie it 1-1.
Martin Pospisil made a short backhand pass to Klapka at the top of the right circle, and he had room to bring the puck to the front of the net and drag it to his backhand before scoring from in close.
The Flames took their first lead with 44 seconds left in the second period.
The Ducks won the faceoff in their zone and defenseman Jacob Trouba tried to clear the puck through the air, but it hit traffic. The puck landed in the left circle, where Coronato retrieved it and then skated into the high slot before spinning and scoring with a wrist shot for a 2-1 lead.
Calgary stretched the lead to 3-1 at 16:10 of the third period after Gibson’s clearing attempt went off Flames forward Blake Coleman and caromed to Coronato, who made a move on Gibson before scoring from in close.
Coronato completed his first NHL hat trick when he scored into an empty net with 2:33 left for a 4-1 lead.
–Field Level Media
