Canucks lose third straight home game
VANCOUVER — Dougie Hamilton had a goal and an assist, and Jaromir Jagr recorded his first point for Calgary as the Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Saturday night.
Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Travis Hamonic provided the rest of the offence for Calgary (4-2-0), which got 27 saves from Mike Smith.
Derek Dorsett and Brock Boeser replied for Vancouver (1-2-1), while Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots.
The Canucks finished an ugly 0 for 7 on the power play with just three shots in dropping their third straight at home, and second in regulation, after opening the season with a victory at Rogers Arena.
Acquired from the New York Islanders in a trade at June’s NHL draft, Hamonic pinched down from the point and fired a quick shot through Markstrom to snap a 1-1 tie at 10:57 of the second after all five Canucks skaters collapsed below the hash marks on a scrum at the side of the net.
Smith, who made his sixth straight start to open the season despite allowing five goals on 22 shots in Friday’s embarrassing 6-0 home loss to Ottawa, robbed Boeser with just over two minutes to go in the period with a great glove save.
That stop proved to be crucial as Monahan tipped Hamilton’s drive from the blue line past Markstrom moments later at 17:59 to stretch Calgary’s advantage to 3-1 through 40 minutes.
Playing their third game in four nights in three cities, the Flames made it 4-1 at 10:14 of the third when Gaudreau scored a power-play goal on a pass that went in off Vancouver defenceman Michael Del Zotto after taking a feed from 45-year-old Jagr, who signed with Calgary this month.
Boeser responded nine seconds later with a quick shot that beat Smith past his glove, but Hamilton put any thoughts of a comeback to rest when his shot beat Markstrom just 48 seconds after that.
The Flames opened the scoring at 11:37 of the first on a shorthanded 3-on-1 rush moments after the Canucks failed to register a shot on a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:11. With his team still down a man, Giordano took a pass from Freddie Hamilton and ripped a shot shortside on Markstrom.
Calgary took five minor penalties in the opening period, but a feeble Vancouver attack that registered just one shot in a combined 8:49 of power-play time allowed the visitors to escape unharmed. The Flames, meanwhile, had two shots while shorthanded, including Giordano’s goal. But Dorsett finally got the Canucks on the board with 2:15 left in the period.