'I'm living the dream': Pospisil notches first NHL goal as Flames snap six-game skid with 6-3 win in Seatlle

Calgary snapped a 6-game losing streak in Seattle Saturday night, defeating the Kraken 6-3. (Photo: X@CalgaryFlames)

A couple of Calgary Flames recorded personal firsts Saturday night in Seattle, helping the team snap a six-game losing streak as they defeated the Kraken 6-3.

Yegor Sharangovich and Mikael Backlund scored early in the third period to lift the Flames to a win in a game they dominated after the first period.

Sharangovich broke a 2-2 tie with a tip-in at 1:33, and Backlund scored on a rebound at four minutes after goalie Philipp Grubauer made a sprawling save on A.J. Green's breakaway.

Martin Pospisil and Noah Hanifin also scored for Calgary, and Backlund and Rasmus Andersson had empty-net goals. Dan Vladar made 17 saves.

It was Pospisil's first NHL goal, while defenceman Nick DeSimone, who assisted on Sharangovich's goal, picked up his first NHL point.

"I'm living the dream right now," Pospisil said afterward. "It's something I probably never will forget, especially the first one and I'm really, really happy for it."

Flames coach Ryan Huska said Pospisil showed him a lot.

"He was strong on pucks," Huska said. "There were a lot of puck battles he won. I was impressed. You like to see the speed that he has, I like to see the size that he has and he has a skill set with him too. One thing we haven't seen necessarily from him yet is he's edgy. He's got some edge to him. So for his first game, he was able to score, so we're happy for him."

The goal went a long way toward helping the Flames snap their slump, too.

"Big," Huska said. "That's what we've talked about a few games ago: When momentum shifts, you have to find a way to shift it back. It was important for sure."

After coming out tentatively against a Kraken squad that had won two in a row, the Flames turned up the tempo in the second and dominated play.

"It was important for us because we played the right way," Huska said. "We limited scoring chances against. I thought there were a lot of guys who elevated their play tonight, so (we took a) couple steps in the right direction.

"Now we have to build on it."

Jaden Schwartz, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen scored for Seattle. Grubauer made 25 saves.

The Flames overcame the loss of forward Andrew Mangiapane, who was ejected from the game due to a match penalty at 8:45 of the first period. Mangiapane was given a major for cross-checking and a match penalty for attempt to injure.

Seattle’s Jared McCann was down when Mangiapane cross-checked his head into the ice. After a brief exit, McCann returned to the game.

UP NEXT

Flames: Host Nashville on Tuesday night.

Kraken: At Arizona on Tuesday night.

With files from The Associated Press