By Canadian Press

Flames score 4 goals in 1st, beat Predators 6-3 for 3rd straight win

Jan 4, 2024 | 9:45 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Connor Zary, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson and Yegor Sharangovich each had a goal and an assist in the Calgary Flames’ 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Nazem Kadri and Noah Hanifin also scored and Dan Vladar made 30 saves in the Flames’ third straight victory.

“We want to gain a little bit of traction with stringing points together,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “It becomes important. That next game now becomes the most important game of the year for us.”

Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons and Michael McCarron scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for Nashville. The Predators had won two in a row.

“A lot of sloppy hockey, a lot of slow-twitch thinking and playing, and not ready to start,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “I don’t think we did anything very well.”

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The teams combined for six goals in a wild opening period.

Calgary struck first, with Zary and Coleman scoring 27 seconds apart at 4:45 and 5:12.

“We came out pretty hard and we kind of took control of the game,” Zary said. “We got the lead and we were able to play with the lead. That’s something we want to do more of.”

Zary’s goal came on the power play. Calgary entered Thursday with the NHL’s 30th-ranked power play, clicking at just 12%.

Forsberg halved the Flames’ lead at 6:09 with his team-leading 19th goal. Just prior to the game, Forsberg was named an All Star for the second time in his career.

“It was definitely not good enough and I think we got what we deserved,” Forsberg said.

Sissons’ goal with 4:10 remaining in the first was his 12th of the season, equaling his total from last season. He scored a career-high 15 goals in 2018-19.

Andersson scored with 1:16 remaining in the first with the teams skating 4-on-4 to send the Flames to the intermission up 4-2. Entering Thursday, Calgary’s opponents had outscored them 42-29 in the first period.

“We knew it was a matter of time we’d start scoring first,” Coleman said. “It’s a lot easier to win on the road if you can get up early.”

After posting a shutout Tuesday night against Chicago, Saros struggled early, allowing four goals on 11 shots against in the first period.

Hanifin got the only goal of the middle frame on a tap in with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Saros stopped 14 of 15 shots faced in the second. He was replaced by Kevin Lankinen to start the third. Lankinen made 13 saves in relief.

McCarron scored a long-range goal at 2:15 of the third when his attempted dump-in went off Vladar’s blocker and into the net.

UP NEXT

Flames: At Philadelphia on Saturday.

Predators: At Dallas on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Jim Diamond, The Associated Press