CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Trevor Lewis all scored in the third period, leading the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves for the Flames, who can win the series Saturday in Dallas. If necessary, Game 7 would be back in Calgary on Sunday.
Jason Robertson scored the lone goal for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger stopped 29 shots.
Robertson, who had a team-leading 41 goals in the regular season, scored his first in the playoffs at 13:21 of the second period to put the Stars ahead 1-0. He drove in from the boards and wristed a shot that deflected off Markstrom’s glove and then off defenseman Noah Hanifin into Calgary’s net.
But the line of Backlund, Mangiapane and Blake Coleman struck in the third.
Mangiapane circled out from behind the goal line and centered the puck for Backlund’s redirect by Oettinger to make it 1-1 at 6:49 of the third.
The Flames took the lead when Backlund was in the neutral zone and fed a backhand pass to Mangiapane at the Stars’ blue line. Mangiapane took three strides in and beat Oettinger’s glove with a high shot at 13:20.
Lewis sealed it with an empty-netter with 58 seconds left.
Neither team scored on their two power-play chances and are 2-for-19 in the series.
Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau took a deflected puck in the side of the head at the Stars’ blue line. He went to the dressing room for treatment late in the period, but was back in the game in the second period.
NOTES: Stars coach Rick Bowness altered his lineup by scratching forwards Denis Gurianov and Alexander Radulov. ... With 92 career playoff wins, Calgary's Darryl Sutter is two shy of tying Pat Quinn for the sixth most among NHL coaches. ... Dallas' Joe Pavelski passed Brian Rafalski with his 166th career playoff game, for fifth most in NHL history among United States-born players.
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