Minnesota 5, Calgary 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees:
Mitch Dunning, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen:
Caleb Apperson, Bevan Mills
Attendance:
16661
By Field Level Media
Matt Boldy scored twice as part of a three-point game and Kirill Kaprizov recorded one goal and one assist to lead the visiting Minnesota Wild to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Marcus Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for the Wild, who have won four consecutive games since John Hynes took over as coach. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves.
Mats Zuccarello increased his point streak to 10 games with an assist. He has tallied 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) during that span.
Mikael Backlund and Connor Zary scored for the Flames, who have dropped two consecutive games. Starting goalie Dan Vladar stopped 13 of 16 shots before he was pulled early in the second period. Dustin Wolf made 11 saves in relief.
Foligno opened the scoring on his team's first shot 86 seconds into the clash for his goal third of the campaign. He ripped a top-corner shot that went in and out of the net so quickly that play had to be stopped so that the NHL offices could turn to review.
The Flames have surrendered the first goal in 16 of their 25 games this season.
Kaprizov doubled the lead 45 seconds into the second period with his eighth goal of the season. Marco Rossi's shot hit the post and Kaprizov tapped the puck into the yawning cage. Then Boldy scored his first marker of the night 45 seconds after that when his long shot found the mark, which spelled the end for Vladar.
Backlund put the hosts on the board at 6:51 of the second by deflecting MacKenzie Weegar's point shot for his sixth goal of the season, but Boldy's power-play goal at 13:58 of the period, a nifty redirection from the slot, restored Minnesota's three-goal edge.
Zary made it a 4-2 game 97 seconds into the third period, but Eriksson Ek replied just over five minutes later with his 12th goal of the season.
Earlier Tuesday, the Flames announced No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom had suffered a broken finger in Monday's practice and would be out on a week-to-week basis. Wolf, the reigning two-time AHL Goaltender of the Year, was summoned from the minors.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Calgary |
Matt Boldy 3 |
Points |
Mikael Backlund 1 |
Matt Boldy 2 |
Goals |
Mikael Backlund 1 |
Matt Boldy 1 |
Assists |
Rasmus Andersson 1 |
Matt Boldy 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Filip Gustavsson .933 |
Save Percentage |
Dustin Wolf .846 |
Filip Gustavsson 28 |
Saves |
Dan Vladar 13 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Minnesota
|
29 |
5 |
1-3 |
3-3 |
13 |
27 |
Calgary
|
30 |
2 |
0-3 |
2-3 |
13 |
39 |
Upcoming Games
-
Calgary will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Flames have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .467 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Vancouver. The Wild have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .286 after a loss.