Calgary Flames Lose 4-1 Against the Pittsburgh Penguins
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By Doug Hirdle
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Summary:
- Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak each had a goal and an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins extended their point streak to five games.
- Bryan Rust’s early third-period wraparound goal snuffed out the Calgary Flames’ late momentum.
- The Flames continue to struggle offensively after the Rasmus Andersson trade, scoring just twice in their last two games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Wednesday night in the NHL, behind a balanced effort and another steady performance from its top players.
Points From Nine Out of 10 Games
Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin set the tone early, each finishing with a goal and an assist as the Penguins controlled most of the night. Yegor Chinakhov and Bryan Rust rounded out the scoring for Pittsburgh, which continues to look more comfortable with its game.
The win pushed the Penguins to 24-14-11 and extended their point streak to five games. They now have points in nine of their last 10.
Sidney Crosby did not score, but his impact was still there, with the captain picking up an assist to stretch his point streak to four games, giving him two goals and five helpers over that span. Pittsburgh’s stars were supported by strong depth contributions, something the team has leaned on during its recent run.
Malkin opened the scoring midway through the first period with his 11th of the season, a goal that ended up holding as the game-winner.
Calgary struggled to generate much momentum after that, often finding itself chasing play.
Flames Went Into Third with Hope
The Flames’ lone breakthrough came late in the second period when Yegor Sharangovich redirected a point shot with just three seconds left on the clock. It briefly gave Calgary some life heading into the third.
That optimism did not last long. Rust restored the two-goal cushion less than a minute into the final frame, wrapping around the net to beat Dustin Wolf and effectively shut the door.
Stuart Skinner was solid for Pittsburgh, stopping 18 shots and continuing his strong stretch of play. He has now won six of his last seven starts and improved to 17-12-4 on the season. Wolf made 21 saves for Calgary but fell to 15-20-2 and has now dropped six of his last seven outings.
The Flames continue to search for offense following Sunday’s trade that sent Rasmus Andersson to Vegas. Calgary has managed just two goals in two games since the move. Zach Whitecloud collected his first point as a Flame, earning an assist on Sharangovich’s goal.
Pittsburgh also adjusted on the back end, with Kris Letang missing his first game of the season due to an upper-body issue. Jack St. Ivany stepped in and made the most of the opportunity, finishing with two assists.
Up next, the Penguins willhead to Edmonton, while the Flames will return home to host Washington in an attempt to regroup and find their scoring touch.
