Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - T.J. Brodie buried the game-winner with 2:34
left in overtime, as the Calgary Flames outlasted the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4,
on Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Just prior to the midpoint of the extra session, Brodie picked up a rebound on
the low left side and raced behind the net before stuffing in a wraparound to
send the Flames to their season-high third straight win.
Mikael Backlund lit the lamp twice, Matt Stajan notched a goal and an assist,
and Lance Bouma added a marker for the Flames, who took two of three from
Chicago to claim the season series for the first time since 2002-03.
Karri Ramo recorded the victory, stopping all nine shots he faced after
opening the third period between the pipes in place of starter Reto Berra, who
allowed four goals on 24 shots over 40 minutes.
Marian Hossa scored twice, while Ben Smith and Patrick Kane potted a goal
apiece for the Blackhawks, who dropped to 0-2-2 over their last four games.
Corey Crawford was tagged with the loss, despite stopping 13-of-14 shots in
relief of Antti Raanta, who allowed four goals on 15 shots before being
removed near the midpoint of the second period.
"I didn't like the first couple of goals," Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville
said. "They were going in on him (Raanta). At the same time it was an easy
time to make the decision to pull him."
Backlund's short-handed goal 10:25 into the second stanza staked the Flames to
a 4-2 lead and prompted Raanta's benching.
The goaltending change seemed to energy the visitors, as Chicago found the
back of the net twice over the final seven minutes of the frame to pull even.
Smith made it a one-goal game at 13:12 when his seemingly harmless shot from
the high slot fluttered past Berra's glove and Hossa brought the Blackhawks
even at 17:33 when he buried a rebound from the low left side with Chicago
shorthanded.
"I was not happy with the third and fourth goal," Calgary head coach Bob
Hartley said. "I felt we had worked so hard to get there, but to our players
credit, they didn't lose focus."
Both netminders stood tall in the third, with Ramo stopping nine shots and
Crawford, who had just entered to start the period, turning aside all seven
shots he faced.
Backlund got Calgary on the board with his 10th of the season 1:13 into the
tilt, but Kane countered with a wrister from the low right circle at 5:43 to
tie the score.
Bouma restored Calgary's lead nearly six minutes later, as his wrister from
the left circle caught Raanta up high before bouncing over his head and across
the goal line to make it 2-1 at 11:34.
However, Hossa smacked one home from in front at 16:35 to send the teams into
the second tied at 2-2.
Stajan capped a 2-on-1 rush with his ninth of the season 3:21 into the second
before Backlund netted a shorthanded goal at 10:25 to make it 4-2 Calgary.
Game Notes
Chicago is riding its longest losing streak since the 2011-12 season ...
Calgary's Lee Stempniak collected three assists ... Flames defenseman Mark
Giordano added an assist to extend his point streak to seven games ...
Chicago's Marcus Kruger had a goal waved off in the second period after the
referees blew the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line.