Flames Fall 4-3 In Overtime To Canucks

The Flames dropped an OT decision in Abbotsford, B.C.

Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, as the Canucks rallied late to steal away a 4-3 victory over the Flames Wednesday in pre-season action in Abbotsford, B.C.

Jake Bean, Sam Honzek and Dryden Hunt scored for a young Calgary squad, who battled back from two deficits of their own, before being forced to settle for a point.

As both teams settled into the contest, the Flames enjoyed one of the best chances of the opening frame seven minutes in.

Cole Schwindt sprung Hunt in alone on a breakaway with a crisp, blue line to blue line pass, but his effort was knocked away from danger by Canucks keeper Jiri Patera’s right arm.

Sam Morton tested Patera on a pair of occasions from the low slot too, one forcing a save, the second puck sailing just wide of the right post with six minutes left in the period after Patera spit Walker Duehr’s initial opportunity onto Morton’s stick.

Vancouver took the lead with 22 seconds left on a goal by Max Sasson, and the hosts led on the shot clock after 20 minutes as well by an 11-7 margin.

The Flames drew even just shy of the five-minute mark in period two. After a Justin Kirkland face-off win to Patera’s right, defenceman Tyson Barrie swooped in, touched the puck on his backhand to Bean, who wired a wrist shot into the Canucks goal from the top of the circle.

Bean ties the game up with a shot from the point

Calgary came close to taking the lead just past the midpoint of the frame, were it not for a lunging glove save by Patera, who stretched across his crease to rob Matvei Gridin after the Flames forward was set up beautifully on a cross-ice pass from linemate Sam Honzek.

DeBrusk tipped home the go-ahead marker with 34 seconds left to play in period two, giving Vancouver a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.

Devin Cooley relieved Dustin Wolf in the Flames net to start period three, as the pace picked up with chances at both ends.

But the tide started to turn in Calgary’s favour around the midway mark of the period, with a pair of Slovaks to thank.

Martin Pospisil grabbed the puck just inside the Vancouver blue line, and as he did so, linemate Honzek drove hard to the net.

Pospisil snapped a hard pass to the top of the blue paint for Honzek, who tipped the Pospisil offering over Patera into the top corner of the net for his first goal of the pre-season and team-leading sixth point.

Pospisil finds Honzek for beautiful tally against the Canucks

Five minutes later, the Flames grabbed the lead. Andrew Basha touched the puck into the middle of the ice for a speeding Hunt, who took full advantage on his second breakaway of the night, tucking the puck five-hole through Patera’s pads.

But the Canucks got a late powerplay, and forced overtime with 14 seconds left on the clock on a goal from summer free-agent signing Daniel Sprong.

DeBrusk tapped in his second goal of the game 58 seconds into overtime to end proceedings.

Wolf turned aside 17 of 19 shots through his 40 minutes of work, his best stop via the right pad on a Kiefer Sherwood breakaway in the second stanza; Cooley made 11 saves over his 21 minutes of work.

Hunt finished the contest with two points.

Calgary went 0-3 on the powerplay, while Vancouver was 1-3.