Johnny Gaudreau notches goal and assist as Flames win 2nd straight against Canucks

Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom earned a second straight win over his former team with 25 saves.

Jake Virtanen and Tyler Myers replied for the Canucks (1-3-0), who played their fourth road game in six days. Thatcher Demko stopped 27 shots in the loss.

Markstrom, a Canuck for seven seasons before signing with Calgary in October, had posted a 32-save shutout in Calgary’s 3-0 win Saturday.

Demko was pulled for an extra attacker with four minutes to play, and Vancouver went to work on a two-man advantage when Calgary’s Andrew Mangiapane took a tripping minor at 16:56.

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The visitors didn’t produce another goal, however, and Andersson scored into an empty net with 55 seconds remaining in regulation.

Vancouver’s Myers scored short-handed at 13:15 of the third period.

Giordano teed up a blast from the top of the face-off circle that Demko couldn’t get his glove on for a power-play goal at 6:40 of the third period.

Outplayed in the first period, Calgary’s 20-3 margin in shots in the second was bolstered by four power-play chances and winning more draws in the face-off circle.

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Lindholm one-timed Gaudreau’s cross-ice feed by Demko with just two seconds remaining in the period during Calgary’s two-man advantage.

Canucks defenceman Myers had joined Elias Pettersson in the penalty box after punching Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk in the face.

The hosts led 2-1 by 13:30 when Backlund scored his first goal of the season. The Swedish centre rifled a rebound over Demko.

Gaudreau pulled the Flames even at 12:05 on a give-and-go with Sean Monahan and Dominik Simon providing a screen.

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The visitors outshot Calgary 16-4 and dominated the face-off circle in the first period, but led just 1-0 due to Markstrom’s work.

The Flames goaltender turned away five shots on a Vancouver power play starting two and a half minutes after the opening faceoff.

Virtanen’s long shot from the high boards deflected off Flames defenceman Juuso Valimaki and by Markstrom’s shoulder at 10:17.

The Canucks return to Vancouver for a six-game homestand. They’ll play 11 games in their first 18 days of an NHL regular season shortened and condensed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calgary, by contrast, has a five-day break before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday afternoon.

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