Calgary Flames centre Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil prepare for the face-off against the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Flames won 7-4 on Nov. 24, 2023.Jerome Miron/Reuters
Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm scored 29 seconds apart early in a four-goal third period to put the Calgary Flames ahead in their 7-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
“We came out with some good jump and we wanted to dictate right away that we want to get that next goal,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said of that decisive third period. “Everyone chipped in, and all lines and pairs were involved in the scoring and playing well on both ends.”
The Flames got even at 4-4 when Coleman, who is from nearby Plano, Texas, scored 1:53 into the third from beside the net when he knocked in the puck that Stars captain Jamie Benn had deflected with his hand after MacKenzie Weegar’s shot.
Calgary got the go-ahead goal and first lead of the game when Jake Oettinger got his glove on a shot, but didn’t secure the puck and Lindholm was able to knock it under the goalie. Coleman later had a secondary assist on Backlund’s goal that gave the Flames a two-goal lead before Nazem Kadri added an empty-netter late.
Seven different players had goals for the Flames, whose season high was also the most allowed by Dallas. Yegor Sharangovich had a goal and two assists, while A.J. Greer and Adam Ruzicka both added a goal and an assist.
“It’s just a quiet confidence. Guys are making plays and it’s up and down the lineup. It’s not relying on one guy to do the job,” Coleman said. “We know that’s our recipe and we’re sticking with it.”
The Flames are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. All of those are since a 4-3 home loss to Dallas on Nov. 1, in their 10th game of the season when they were 2-7-1.
Wyatt Johnston had two goals for the Stars, with Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov assisting on both of them. Jason Robertson added a goal and an assist, and Joe Pavelski had a power-play goal.
Two days after an overtime loss to Las Vegas in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final, the Stars wrapped up a five-game homestand with a 2-2-1 record.
“We got what we deserved,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. “We’re disappointed in 2-2-1. We’re a better team than that.”
The Stars’ other regulation loss in the homestand was last Saturday, when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Colorado scored six consecutive goals – from six different players – in a 6-3 win.
Calgary goalie Jacob Markstrom had 24 saves. Oettinger stopped 20 shots.
The 20-year-old Johnston has played in all 101 of Dallas’ regular-season games, plus 19 playoff games, since making his NHL debut at the start of last season. It was the second time he scored two goals in the last six games – he had none in the span between those games.
Johnston’s second goal, his ninth of the season, came after he won a faceoff in the defensive end about five minutes into the second period. A few minutes later, the Stars led 4-2 on the ninth goal by Pavelski, the 39-year-old veteran whose family Johnston lives with.
“Once you’re up two goals, you should be able to close those games out,” Johnston said. “Obviously not a great start to the third.”
Up next
Flames: At Colorado on Saturday night, their third set of back-to-back games this season.
Stars: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.