National Hockey League
Calgary 3, Florida 1
When: 9:30 PM ET, Monday, December 18, 2023
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen: Kiel Murchison, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 16813

Mikael Backlund's short-handed goal early in the third period broke the tie and sent the host Calgary Flames on their way to a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday.

Martin Pospisil and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames, who have won two straight home games following a winless three-game road stretch.

Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom delivered a sparkling performance with 33 saves in his first game back after missing two weeks due to a broken finger.

Markstrom twice left Sam Bennett looking to the sky on missed power-play opportunities, the first shortly after Backlund's tally and then before Coleman's insurance goal.

Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers, who lost three of the final four to end a five-game road trip. Goalie Anthony Stolarz stopped 22 shots.

Matthew Tkachuk, who was booed by the Calgary fans every time he touched the puck in memory of how he departed the team after six seasons, collected an assist on Reinhart's goal.

With the score tied 1-1 in a low-event game, Backlund's tally 3:31 into the third period gave Calgary its second lead of the night. Noah Hanifin intercepted a pass attempt and sent Backlund on a breakaway, and the center converted a backhand shot for his seventh of the season.

With his 17th career short-handed goal, Backlund is behind only Theo Fleury (28) for the most in franchise history.

At 18:27 of the third period, Coleman was awarded a goal despite missing the net with a shot when he was tripped while on a breakaway with the Panthers net empty, another short-handed goal. It was his 10th tally of the season.

Since Nov. 7, the Flames have scored six short-handed goals and only four power-play goals.

Pospisil opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season at the 8:45 mark of the opening frame. Sprung on a breakaway, Pospisil held off the backcheck before flicking a backhand shot inside the post.

Reinhart's power-play goal with 30.4 seconds remaining in the opening frame evened the score. In a flurry of action, Reinhart chipped up a rebound chance for his team-leading 18th of the campaign.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Calgary
Sam Reinhart 1 Points Mikael Backlund 1
Sam Reinhart 1 Goals Mikael Backlund 1
Aleksander Barkov 1 Assists Dennis Gilbert 1
Sam Reinhart 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals Mikael Backlund 1
Anthony Stolarz .917 Save Percentage Jacob Markstrom .971
Anthony Stolarz 22 Saves Jacob Markstrom 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 34 1 1-5 5-5 10 21
Calgary 24 3 0-5 4-5 10 33
Upcoming Games
  • Calgary will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Flames have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .450 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Panthers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .692 after a loss.