As hard as it was to score while New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin was between the pipes, it was even harder for the Calgary Flames to net one when the goalie was pulled.
Almost comically, the Flames failed repeatedly to score the empty-net insurance goal in the dying minutes. It would have snapped what’s now a 16-game streak of scoring three or fewer games.
In the end it didn’t matter as they won a mostly lopsided contest 3-2 over the Rangers at the Saddledome, claiming their third straight with the four-game homestand wrapping up on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
I say mostly because the Rangers controlled the play for about five minutes at the end of the second period — scoring twice on goals from Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle to tie the game at 2-2 despite the lopsided 35 minutes.
It set up a heck of a finish, with Connor Zary breaking the tie halfway through the final frame.
They pressed right to the end to add another one, but instead created something worthy of Benny Hill music in the background.
First, Matthew Coronato watched his attempt get stuck in the cracked plastic guard around the bottom of the net. It had to be fished out.
Then Jonathan Huberdeau, fresh off his 500th NHL assist, fluttered a shot off the post from four feet away.
Nazem Kadri had a shot blocked by Zac Jones, then Blake Coleman suffered the same fate. And as time expired, with the Flames still pressuring the Rangers, Huberdeau nearly took a puck to the face on MacKenzie Weegar’s one-timer from the point.
It missed — the net and the face — but the Flames didn’t.
They got goals from Coronato in the first period and another from Yegor Sharangovich in the second to stake a 2-0 lead. Although they dropped the next two, they took a 37-19 lead on the shot clock into the third period.
We all know the third period is the Flames’ best this season. They didn’t disappoint.
Zary launched a short-side shot that found the top corner beside Shesterkin to snap a long scoring drought. The 23-year-old had gone six games without a goal and had just one in his last 16 contests but has been consistently dangerous lately.
His shot looked like it deflected high, but it counted as the game-winner anyway.
“He’s hit how many posts now?” Flames goaltender asked reporters at the Saddledome post-game. “I don’t think that’s how he planned it but we’ll take it.”
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