Matthew Tkachuk put up three points as the visiting Calgary Flames trounced the Canucks 5-2 in Vancouver on Saturday.
Tkachuk had a goal and two assists while Rasmus Andersson added one of each. Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau also scored for the Flames (38-16-8).
The Canucks (30-26-7) replied with goals from Matthew Highmore and Brock Boeser.
Dan Vladar made 23 saves for a Flames team that lost 1-0 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres in Calgary on Friday.
Despite playing its second game in two days, the Flames overpowered the home side early and often, outshooting Vancouver 44-25 to improve to 7-4-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.
Thatcher Demko stopped 25-of-29 shots for the Canucks before being replaced by Jaroslav Halak to start the third period. Halak made 14 saves in relief.
Vancouver got a solid opportunity late in the game when Erik Gudbranson was called for tripping Tyler Motte as he dashed to the Calgary net with less than three minutes left on the game clock.
The Canucks were quick to respond, with Boeser muscling a rebound into the net from inside the crease just eight seconds into the power play.
Boeser’s 18th goal of the season cut Vancouver’s deficit to 5-2.
The Canucks got on the board 7:37 into the third, with Highmore deflecting in a long bomb from Juho Lammikko to make it 5-1.
Vancouver replaced Demko with Halak to start the third. It was Halak’s first appearance since Feb. 28.
Calgary bumped its lead to 5-0 with a power-play goal 6:28 into the final frame after Boeser was called for high-sticking on Gaudreau.
With 30 seconds left in the man advantage, Tkachuk fired a pass to Gaudreau in the opposite faceoff circle and Johnny Hockey blasted a wrist shot in past Halak for his 28th goal of the season.
Both the Flames and the Canucks went 1-for-2 on the power play Saturday.
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The Canucks came into the second with renewed energy and outshot the visitors 5-0 across the first three minutes, but the Flames capitalized on their first opportunity of the period.
Tyler Toffoli picked off defenceman Tyler Myers at the blue line and dished the puck to Lindholm from his knees. The centre cruised past a pair of stationary Canucks and put a snap shot past Demko to pad Calgary’s lead with his 31st goal of the season.
Calgary took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to Andersson.
The defenceman fired a shot off the post and in at the 13:51 mark for his 100th NHL point (15 goals and 85 assists).
Ten minutes into the game, the Flames had already established their dominance with a 2-0 lead and had outshot the Canucks 11-4.
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Tkachuk stretched the lead 7:46 into the first, sweeping a shot toward the Vancouver net from the hash marks and finding space between Demko and his right post. The goal was Tkachuk’s 29th of the season.
Hanifin opened the scoring just over three minutes earlier, collecting a long pass from Calgary’s latest addition Calle Jarnkrok, and snapping a wrist shot past Demko stick side.
Jarnkrok, who was traded from the Seattle Kraken to the Flames on Wednesday, notched an assist on the play, marking his first point for Calgary.
The Canucks will wrap a seven-game homestand Sunday when they host the Buffalo Sabres. The Flames take on the San Jose Sharks in Calgary on Tuesday.
NOTES: The result marks the first time Vancouver has lost two games in a row in regulation since Jan. 15. … Demko has appeared in 19 straight games for the Canucks, including nine straight starts. … The Flames holds a 2-1-0 edge in the season series with the fourth and final game set for April 23 in Calgary.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
