Flames bury Canucks to snap 3-game slide

Dillon Dube had a career-high three-point night with a goal and two assists as the Calgary Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 Saturday might.

Milan Lucic and Derek Ryan each had a goal and assist for the Flames (28-22-6) who snapped a three-game losing skid. Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and Tobias Rieder, into an empty net, also had goals. Both Mikael Backlund and Johnny Gaudreau chipped in two assists.

The win moves Calgary into the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes and three points behind the Canucks who lead the Pacific Division.

Tanner Pearson and Adam Gaudette scored for the Canucks (30-21-5) who lost their third consecutive game and saw a nine-game home-winning streak end.

Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots. Flames’ goalie David Rittich made 25 saves.

Lucic put Calgary ahead 4-2 on a power play at 6:48 of the third, tipping a Backlund shot past Markstrom for his fifth goal of the season. Monahan made it 5-2 at 16:01 on a pretty feed from Gaudreau.

The Flames led 3-2 after 40 minutes.

Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the Flames and J.T. Miller (9) of the Canucks fight in the first period. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Dube gave Calgary the lead with just under three minutes gone in the second with a shot from the high slot. Markstrom was screened on the play by a battle in front of the net between rookie Canuck defenceman Quinn Hughes and Ryan.

The teams were tied 2-2 after a first period that saw a goal and fight in the first 35 seconds.

The Canucks scored with just 34 seconds gone. Pearson took a pass from Hughes, turned and fired a low shot that went under Rittich. On the following faceoff, Vancouver’s J.T. Miller dropped the gloves with Tkachuk.

Ryan tied the game at 4:20 on a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Markstrom was screened on the play by Canuck forward Jake Virtanen.

Tkachuk made it 2-1 on a breakaway at 12:08. Markstrom made a pad save on the initial shot but the puck when in off Tkachuk’s skate.

Gaudette scored his first goal in 15 games at 18:13. He pounced on a bad bounce off the boards behind the Calgary net and lifted a shot over a surprised Rittich.

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