NHL: Flames bust out in first period to handle Kraken, 5-2

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Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and two assists as the Calgary Flames defeated the host Seattle Kraken 5-2 Friday night.

Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov and Noah Hanifin also scored for the Flames, who rebounded from a 5-1 home loss to Chicago a night earlier. Goaltender Dan Vladar made 28 saves to improve to 10-0-3 in 13 starts since Nov. 26.

John Hayden and Eeli Tolvanen scored for Seattle, and Martin Jones stopped 33 of 37 shots. The Kraken dropped to 10-3-1 in January and a point behind Los Angeles in the Pacific Division race.

The Flames rallied from an early deficit to take a 3-1 lead in the first period.

Lindholm tied it at 1-1 on a two-on-two rush with Toffoli at 7:16, lifting a backhander just over Jones’ blocker.

Toffoli gave the Flames the lead at 13:28, chipping a rebound over a sprawling Jones after he kicked aside Coleman’s initial shot.

Zadorov tallied with just five seconds left in the period, taking a drop pass from Lindholm and firing a wrist shot into the upper left corner of the net from between the top of the faceoff circles.

Hayden, in the lineup because of an upper-body injury to Rookie of the Year candidate and Kraken All-Star Game representative Matty Beniers, scored his first goal for Seattle at 5:20 of the first period. Defenseman Will Borgen flung the puck toward the net from along the right-wing boards and Hayden redirected it over Vladar’s shoulder and just inside the near post.

Tolvanen made it 3-2 at 10:36 of the third, picking up a loose puck in the left-wing corner and firing a one-timer into the open side of the net after a shot from the point was blocked in front of Vladar.

Hanifin restored the two-goal advantage at 11:40, joining the rush and scoring on a wrister from the high slot after a drop pass from Mikael Backlund.

Coleman capped the victory with an empty-netter with 1:20 remaining.

Flames defenseman Chris Tanev missed his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury, meaning he didn’t get a chance to go up against brother Brandon, a Kraken forward.

–Field Level Media

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