CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Captain Mikael Backlund had a goal and assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a gritty…
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Captain Mikael Backlund had a goal and assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a gritty 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
Jonathan Huberdeau with his team-leading sixth goal and Kevin Rooney, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary.
Trevor Moore scored the lone goal for Los Angeles, which lost in regulation for just the second time in the last seven.
Rookie netminder Dustin Wolf made 28. He was 2:31 away from his first NHL shutout when Moore scored with the goalie pulled.
Darcy Kuemper, who faced 27 shots, was saddled with the loss.
Takeaways
Kings: The forward line of Phillip Danault between Moore and Kevin Fiala entered the game on a roll with Danault and Moore on matching five-game point streaks. They were held off the scoresheet until the end the third period when it was Moore’s shot that, after video review, was ruled to have crossed the line
Flames: Entering Monday, only the San Jose Sharks had a worst first-period goal differential than Calgary, but the home side turned in a much better opening 20 minutes on this night, outshooting Los Angeles 10-7 and generating a bunch of dangerous chances.
Key moment
Scoreless halfway through the game, Backlund finally broke the ice at 10:42 of the second when an errant Kings pass behind their own net popped out into the slot where Backlund pounced on it.
Key stat
Calgary entered the night ranked 27th on the penalty kill and while they were only tested once, that one Los Angeles man advantage came with just over two minutes left. Despite the Kings pulling the goalie to go six skaters against four, they were unable to tie the game.
Up next
The Kings wrap a two-game road trip at Colorado on Wednesday. The Flames visit Vancouver on Tuesday.
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