CALGARY — Elias Lindholm scored twice including the game-winner on Saturday night as the Calgary Flames scored a 4-2 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
After deflecting Noah Hanifin’s point shot into Mikko Koskinen’s pads, Lindholm knocked in the rebound at 9:10 of the third period. He later added an empty netter for his 11th goal of the season. His career high is 17.
Sean Monahan, with a goal and an assist, and Derek Ryan also scored for Calgary (11-8-1). The Flames continue their homestand on Monday night when they play host to Vegas.
Connor McDavid, with his 11th, and former Flame Alex Chiasson scored for Edmonton (9-9-1), which has lost five of its last six. The Oilers return home right after the game, where they will play Vegas on Sunday night.
Down 2-1 entering the third period, Calgary tied it at 2:40 when Monahan rattled home a rebound of a Travis Hamonic shot.
It’s the NHL-leading sixth time the Flames have come back to win a game in which they’ve trailed after two periods.
The Flames were down 2-0 until the late going in the second period.
Calgary cut its deficit in half at 16:23 on its fifth man advantage of the night when Ryan scored on a backhand, his second goal of the season and first in 15 games.
Until that point, the Flames listless man advantage had given up just as many shots as it had generated, with two of the three shots surrendered being breakaways.
Standing tall in net for Calgary was David Rittich. Included in his 24 stops were three breakaways — two from Leon Draisaitl and one by Jujhar Khaira. He improved to 6-1-0.
Koskinen, who turned aside 33 shots, fell to 4-2-0.
Edmonton increased its lead to 2-0 at 3:49 of the second when Draisaitl set up McDavid on a perfectly executed 2-on-1, Rittich with no chance to get across and stop the one-timer.
Edmonton took the lead 2:29 into the game while shorthanded, Chiasson breaking in off the wing and slipping a backhand through Rittich’s pads.
It was a physical game, especially in the early going. With Mikael Backlund and McDavid wrestling around at one point. Sam Bennett and Darnell Nurse squared off after Bennett, on the first shift of the game, rocked the Oilers defenceman with a heavy hit.
Matthew Tkachuk was in the middle of the action, being jumped by Zack Kassian late in the first period, which drew a triple minor for roughing and a misconduct on the Oilers rugged forward.
Notes: Dillon Dube (concussion) returned to the line-up after missing four games… Ryan Spooner made his debut for Edmonton. Acquired Friday in a trade with the New York Rangers for Ryan Strome, Spooner played left wing on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie… Right winger Patrick Russell made his NHL debut for the Oilers.
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