VANCOUVER — Elias Pettersson scored the shootout winner Saturday, lifting his Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames.
Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 44-of-47 shots and put up three more saves in the shootout.
The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Canucks (25-24-7).
It’s the second defeat in a row for the Flames (34-16-5), who hadn’t lost back-to-back games since Dec. 22.
Bo Horvat, Josh Leivo and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver in regulation.
Elias Lindholm, Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane responded for Calgary.
David Rittich had 22 saves for the Flames and made two stops in the shootout.
The Canucks and Flames traded goals all night, starting with a Vancouver marker just 44 seconds in.
Defenceman Chris Tanev got the puck off the draw and put it directly on Horvat’s tape. The centre sniped a one-timer over Rittich’s arm, scoring on the first shot of the game.
Horvat has 43 points this season but the goal was just his second in 18 games.
The Flames got on the board midway through the first frame, capitalizing on a rebound.
Sean Monahan got the puck to Lindholm in front and the centre popped it in five-hole.
Leivo put the Canucks up again before the period was through, rocketing a shot from high in the slot through Rittich.
Less than a minute later, Markstrom struggled to contain a bouncing puck and Bennett tipped it in to tie the score once again.
The Canucks netminder stopped the Flames from going into the intermission up a goal, however, denying Johnny Gaudreau on a breakaway with just five seconds left in the period.
Late in the third period, he repeated the feat, once again robbing the Flames left-winger of a goal with a stunning glove save.
Saturday was a banner game from Markstrom, who was under siege in the second period, facing 20 shots.
Calgary went up a goal 12:19 into the frame after Vancouver’s Alex Biega failed to clear the puck.
Noah Hanifin sliced a pass to Mangiapane and the 22-year-old hammered it into the Canucks net for his first-ever NHL goal.
The Flames had outshot the Canucks 17-1 in the second when Mangiapane scored.
Despite being heartily outplayed across the period, Vancouver found a way to knot the score at three.
Pettersson circled the Calgary zone, patiently waiting for an opportunity before getting a pass off to Boeser alone in the face-off circle. The right-winger wound up and ripped a wrist shot past Rittich.
Pettersson also assisted on Leivo’s goal and now has 50 points in his first 45 NHL games.
The Canucks will be back in action on Monday when they host the surging San Jose Sharks, who are on a five-game win streak.
The Flames will continue their road trip with a visit to the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
NOTES: The Canucks confirmed on Saturday that left-winger Sven Baertschi will be out of the lineup indefinitely. Coach Travis Green said he is suffering from post-concussion syndrome. The team is also missing backup netminder Thatcher Demko, who’s out with a knee sprain, and defenceman Alex Edler, who has a concussion. … Calgary’s James Neal was missing some teeth after Saturday’s contest. An official collected at least two teeth from the ice after the left-winger caught a high-stick from Vanncouver’s Alex Biega midway through the third period. Biega was handed a four-minute penalty for the play.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
