Toffoli’s overtime goal helps Flames beat Hurricanes in comeback win
Tyler Toffoli clinched the winner in overtime, but the game would never have reached overtime without the big night from the Calgary penalty killers.
On the game-clinching goal, defenseman Rasmus Andersson carried the puck up the sideboards and deep into the Hurricanes area before passing into the slot that Toffoli caught once inside the post for his third of the season .
« Ras did a really good job getting wide and using his speed and I was just trying to find some space and he made a great play right in the middle, » said Toffoli, who also had an assist. decisive.
WATCH | Flames’ Toffoli scores OT winner against Hurricanes:
Tyler Toffoli lifts Calgary past Carolina in overtime for a 3-2 victory.
Andersson led both teams in ice time at 27:47 and that included being instrumental in that game-breaking disadvantage with less than seven minutes left in the third after Coleman received a double-minor.
He’s set up the right guy with Toffoli, who also played for Sutter when the Kings won the Stanley Cup and is no stranger to big times.
« He doesn’t need a lot of chances. Tyler’s game is all about checking and skating and when he touches the puck something good usually happens, » Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. , who coached in the No. 1,402 career game, moving him past Ron Wilson and into ninth place on the NHL’s all-time list.
« We seized the momentum »
The Flames allowed just two shots during that extended disadvantage late in the third while generating two shots themselves.
« The penalty kill was unbelievable, » said Jacob Markstrom, who made 25 saves to improve to 3-0-0. « For anyone who was there, I don’t know how many different pairs on striker and D were there for that four-minute kill.
« It was huge for us and after that we took the momentum. »
Nazem Kadri and Brett Ritchie also scored for Calgary (4-1-0) while Sebastian Aho and Calvin de Haan provided offense for Carolina (3-1-1).
I slipped that into the back of the net. pic.twitter.com/938HmIl2X3
Antti Raanta made 29 saves falling to 1-0-1.
In a battle between teams that both opened the season with three straight wins but had just lost, Carolina took an early 2-0 lead with Aho scoring on their first shot of the game at 1:44 and de Haan adding his first of the season at 10:28.
A key moment of the game came at 13:07 of the first period when Carolina center Jordan Staal was taken on a penalty for tripping over Kadri as the Hurricanes were once again buzzing in the offensive zone.
On the next faceoff, Kadri won it to give the Flames possession and they never gave up the puck with the power play needing just 24 seconds to cut the lead in half with Kadri marking his second of the season.
It looked like Carolina had regained the lead in the dying seconds of the second, but Burns’ goal was ruled out after replays showed the Hurricanes were offside just before the goal.
« We had a pretty good first period, except we allowed a PK goal and didn’t take advantage of our power play, » Aho said. « At the end of the day, it was the game tonight. We have a huge opportunity at the end, four minutes on the power play, and we have to make them pay there. The special teams got us. That’s on us. «
That wasted one-man advantage was also what Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour called a key moment.
“We had to connect there. We didn’t look very well. It was tough,” said Brind’Amour, whose club heads to Vancouver after losing both games in Alberta. « It wasn’t our best, but I think we worked really hard. »
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