Mark Giordano scored a tiebreaking, power-play goal in the second period and the visiting Calgary Flames defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 Friday night.
The victory in the opener of a two-game set was Calgary’s fourth in the past five games. The Maple Leafs lost for the sixth time in their past seven.
Matthew Tkachuk, Derek Ryan and Christopher Tanev also scored for the Flames. Rasmus Andersson added two assists.
Jason Spezza, Alexander Kerfoot and Mitchell Marner scored for the Maple Leafs.
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves in the Calgary goal. Frederik Andersen stopped 14 shots for Toronto.
The game-winning tally, Giordano’s fourth goal of the season, came from the right point at 12:33 of the second. Toronto’s Ilya Mikheyev was off for holding.
Calgary scored the first two goals of the game and led 3-2 after the first period.
Tkachuk scored his eighth of the season at 1:19 on a shot from near the right boards.
Ryan notched his second of the season at 7:33 from the slot on a pass from Andersson, who pounced on a Maple Leafs turnover.
Spezza registered his sixth goal of the season at 12:47 from the slot after Morgan Rielly’s shot was blocked. Wayne Simmonds, who missed the previous 18 games with a wrist injury, also earned an assist.
Calgary regained the two-goal lead on a Tanev’s second goal this season at 18:55 on a 50-foot screened shot.
Toronto scored 40 seconds later with Kerfoot getting his fifth goal of the season on a wobbling shot from the top of the left circle.
Marner’s shot from the left circle tied the game at 3:48 of the second period. It was his 12th of the season.
After Giordano’s goal, Calgary came close to adding to the lead when Milan Lucic hit the post at 18:41 of the second period.
Toronto had two power plays in a row in the third period. Markstrom made a diving save on Auston Matthews at 12:50 during the second man advantage.
–Field Level Media