Weegar scores late in OT to lift Flames to 2-1 win over Golden Knights
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — MacKenzie Weegar scored with 5 seconds left on the clock in overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
A.J. Greer also scored for the Flames, and Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots. Calgary won for the second time in three games and is 5-2-1 in its last eight games overall and 3-0-1 in the last four at home.
Late in overtime, an end-to-end rush started behind the Flames’ net with Weegar weaving his way up the ice and into the Vegas zone before firing a shot past goalie Adin Hill on his blocker side.
Weegar called it his biggest goal as a Flame.
“Absolutely. I don’t have an overtime goal. It comes at the right time against a great team, (to start a) six-game homestand,” Weegar said. “That’s exciting. That’s fun.”
With Jacob Markstrom (flu) a late scratch, Vladar made consecutive starts for the first time and was sensational in his first home start since Feb. 28 to improve to 4-2-1.
“He did an amazing job. By far his best game of the year for us,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “There were some key moments in the game where it could have went the other direction off of some turnovers and he made some big saves for us.”
William Karlsson scored a power-play goal in the first period for Vegas, and Hill finished with 32 saves. The Golden Knights have lost seven of 10 (3-5-2) since starting the season 11-0-1.
“It’s another game where we’re in the game, playing well enough to win. If we finish some of those Grade A’s we’re not sitting here talking about a loss,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.
In the third period, Weegar almost ended up the goat when he lost the puck at the Vegas blue line, giving Ivan Barbashev a breakaway but Vladar made the save as he did repeatedly in his best start of the season.
Vladar was especially sharp in the second period and both times he robbed Nicolas Roy. Early in the period, he went post-to-post to kick out his left pad and get a toe on Roy’s one-timer after he was set up by Jonathan Marchessault. Late in the period, Roy got in alone and made a deke to his forehand only for the 6-foot-6 goalie to stretch out his right pad to deny him.
“Not our best, not our worst, either,” Roy said. “It just feels right now that we don’t find ways to win. Obviously every team in this league is going to have bad stretches. We’re in one right now.”
Vegas opened the scoring 13:53 into the game, converting its first power play of the game. Michael Amadio’s shot was stopped but the rebound out the other side was fired into the vacant side by Karlsson for his 10th goal.
After a scoreless second period, Calgary pulled even at 2:31 of the third when Nazem Kadri’s shot hit a Vegas player in front and fell right at the feet of Greer, who ripped it past Hill for his fourth.
Greer, claimed on waivers from Boston just before the season, already has four goals, which is one off his career high of five, which he set last year in 61 games with the Bruins.
Calgary lost Chris Tanev late in the third when he dove to try and block Karlsson’s wrist shot from the high slot and got the puck directly in the face. He dropped to the ice immediately holding his face.
Vegas defensemen Shea Theodore (upper body) and Alec Martinez (lower body) missed their second and third games, respectively.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: At Edmonton on Tuesday night in the middle game of a three-game trip to western Canada.
Flames: Host Dallas on Thursday night in the second of a six-game homestand.
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