It was a game rich with transition, abundant in misplays, and nearly devoid of finish on Thursday night as the Flames and Ducks faced off for a late December meetup.
The Flames got on the board early off defenceman Nick DeSimone’s first NHL goal at the age of 29. After some savvy edge work from Connor Zary off the rush, the rookie Flames center pulled a quick change of direction to fetch the puck off the right wall. The time and space bought from that maneuver gave Zary enough to set up DeSimone with a concerted slap shot. The puck found its way under goaltender Lukas Dostal’s blocker for a 1-0 Flames lead.
The Flames made it 2-0 in the second period with a on a high-flying transition sequence while the Flames were up a man on the ice. Yegor Sharangovich started the play by taking the offensive zone with speed and continuing to press back defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin after dishing the puck to Nazem Kadri. With the upper slot opened up, Kadri sent the puck to Elias Lindholm who walked into the middle and sniped one over Dostal’s blocker.
Things got ugly ten and a half minutes into the third period in a freak sequence when Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar fell on Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson’s right leg. The 18-tear-old Swede’s leg appeared to bend awkwardly and Carlsson had to be helped off the ice.
AJ Greer capped the game with an empty net goal, a big hit, and a fight.
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