Flames top Kings 4-2 to stay hot with fourth consecutive victory

Los Angeles Kings goalie Cam Talbot (39) defends the goal from Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman (20) during first period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY -

Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal at 12:09 of the third period as the Calgary Flames earned their fourth straight win, 4-2, over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.

Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman, and Mikael Backlund, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary (29-25-5), while Chris Tanev chipped in a pair of assists. The Flames remain five points back of Nashville for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Jacob Markstrom had 20 stops to improve to 20-15-2.

Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala provided the offence for Los Angeles (29-19-10), which has dropped the first two of its three-game Western Canada road trip. The Kings are tied in points with Nashville, but hold down the first wild-card spot having two games in hand.

Making his first start in four games, former Flame Cam Talbot had 33 saves for the Kings. He fell to 16-14-5.

On the go-ahead score, Sharangovich took a pass from Dryden Hunt, strode over the Los Angeles blue line and ripped a shot inside the goalpost on Talbot's glove side.

Scoreless through the first half of the game, the visitors opened the scoring at 12:08 of the second period when Danault picked the top corner with a slap shot from 40 feet out.

The lead was short-lived, however, with Calgary responding 48 seconds later.

Noah Hanifin's long pass found Mangiapane behind the Kings defence and on the breakaway, he fooled Talbot badly with a backhand-to-forehand deke that left him with an empty net to slam his 12th goal of the season into.

Continuing the sudden rapid fire scoring barrage, 56 seconds after that, the Flames took their first lead with Coleman knocking in a Jonathan Huberdeau rebound at 13:52.

Fiala evened the scored with 1:06 remaining in the middle frame, backhanding in a rebound after Markstrom could not control Anze Kopitar's initial shot.

With the visitors playing the second game in as many nights, Calgary started strong. The Flames outshot the Kings 10-3 in the opening 20 minutes, but the game remained scoreless thanks to a Los Angeles penalty kill that bent, but didn't break.

Calgary sustained pressure against the leagues' top-ranked penalty kill on two first-period opportunities, but couldn't turn that territorial edge into a goal with Talbot shutting the door.

KEMPE OUT

The Kings were without right-winger Adrian Kempe, who returned to Los Angeles for further examination after getting injured on Monday against Edmonton. In adjusting his lines, coach Jim Hiller moved Pierre-Luc Dubois and Quinton Byfield up to the top line to flank Kopitar, while rookie left-winger Alex Laferriere was dropped down to the third line.

MANGIAPANE MILESTONE

Mangiapane played in career game No. 400. Drafted by Calgary in the sixth round (166th overall) of the 2015 draft, he's one of only 13 active players drafted in the sixth round, who has reached 400 games. He's also the first from the sixth round of his draft class to reach that mark.

PLAYMAKER MARKSTROM

With his assist on Mangiapane's goal, Markstrom has five assists on the season. No other NHL goalie has more than two.

UP NEXT

Kings: Wrap up their road trip on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Flames: Play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2024.