Canucks’ surprising six-game streak ends with 3-1 loss in Calgary

It was too good to last, right? Like a ridiculous run at the blackjack table, the cards weren’t going to keep falling for the Vancouver Canucks. Not with 13 and 14 shots respectively in their previous two tussles with the Calgary Flames.

Not with Chris Tanev and Ben Hutton now injured and being down to five defencemen Saturday. Not with the top line going into a deep freeze and not with two goalies taxed to the limit in too many shooting galleries.

So adios six-game win streak. It was fun while it lasted. But put an asterisk beside this one in the loss column because the Canucks did everything they could to avenge that listless no-show here on Dec. 23 before falling 3-1 at the Saddledome. They were supposed to get run out of the rink and refused to go quietly.

On a night when Jayson Megna was replaced on the first line by Loui Eriksson, one thing didn’t change. There was effort. And there was no quit. That was quite commendable under the circumstances. The Flames promised pain after a bitter Friday loss in Vancouver — despite holding a 46-13 shot advantage and 84-22 dominance in shot attempts — and they delivered by getting to the net, bashing bodies and falling in front of pucks.

A span of 1:03 in the first period set the tone for the Flames to get their revenge and for the Canucks to find some resolve. With just five road victories this season to be ranked 27th overall, they more than held their own until the Flames struck twice in quick order. That’s when an Alex Chiasson slot deflection and a Matt Stajan redirect off a corner feed beat Jacob Markstrom.

However, Bo Horvat would score his team-leading 13th goal and Markstrom would make a series of third-period saves before Michael Frolik struck on a breakaway with less than two minutes remaining.

The Canucks couldn’t get the equalizer before the Frolik effort, even with a late power play when Markus Granlund was hooked in the slot by Kris Versteeg. They had four shots and Brandon Sutter was stoned eye-to-eye by Chad Johnson. It was that close.

If you believe in moral victories, this was one.

— GETTY IMAGES Canucks defenceman Nikita Tryamkin left the game momentarily Saturday in Calgary after a hit by the Flames’ Micheal Ferland. The beleaguered blue-line took another beating with Luca Sbisa also on the business end of a big bodycheck.