Yegor Sharangovich delivered the decisive blow on Sunday, and the Carolina Hurricanes left Calgary with a 3-2 loss to the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Carolina was already working through a tough spot before puck drop. Mark Jankowski was ruled out pre-game with a lower-body injury, leaving the Canes to navigate their second game in as many days without one of their hottest players.
Even with the lineup adjustment, Carolina found the first goal. Jesperi Kotkaniemi stepped into Jankowski’s special teams duties and got the opening tally 6:09 into the second period, cleaning up a net-front feed from Nic Deslauriers, who had entered the lineup in the open forward spot.
That goal came in a middle frame the Hurricanes controlled for long stretches, but Calgary flipped the script in a hurry. The Flames answered with two goals in 1:09 to seize the lead, only for Jalen Chatfield to swing momentum back with a wrist shot that found its way through and beat the horn by three seconds, pulling Carolina even before intermission.
The final period tilted toward the Flames early. Calgary piled up a 12-2 shot edge over the first 10 minutes, and that pressure finally broke through when Sharangovich hammered home a one-timer off the rush with 4:08 left.
Carolina still had chances late to force another tie, but Devin Cooley and the post behind him kept the door shut.
In net, Brandon Bussi stopped 31 of 34 shots in the Canes’ first 30-save performance of the season.
In Other News...
Hurricanes See Two Worrying Streaks End As Lineup Concern Grows
The Hurricanes finally ran into a night that looked a little more like the rest of the league, falling 3-2 to the Flames and seeing both their seven-game winning streak and their perfect road mark come to an end. It was the kind of loss that stings a little more because it came with the team still trying to sort out its lineup, and the details around one forwards availability added an extra layer of concern to an already frustrating result.
Carolina had chances to extend the run, but Calgary found the late answer it needed to pull it out in the third period. For a club that has spent the start of the season building momentum, the bigger question now is how it comes out of this one physically and whether the roster remains intact as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Let A Perfect Weekend Slip Away In Calgary
The Hurricanes final trip to the Scotiabank Saddledome had all the ingredients for a tidy finish to the weekend, but it ended with a 3-2 loss to the Flames instead. Carolina went with Brandon Bussi and Devin Cooley in net, while Mark Jankowski was unavailable because of a lower-body injury, leaving the lineup a little thinner as the team tried to keep its momentum going in Calgary.
Instead, the game turned late in the second period when the Flames struck twice in a short span to seize control, and the pressure only grew from there. Yegor Sharangovich delivered the deciding goal in the third, sending the Hurricanes home with a frustrating finish after a trip that looked for a while like it might produce a perfect weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Injury Problems Just Got Worse With Another Forward Down
Mark Jankowski was scratched from Carolinas game against the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury, adding another forward to a list the Hurricanes would rather not keep updating. Rod BrindAmour said Jankowski is heading back to Raleigh for further evaluation, a sign the team is moving beyond short-term day-to-day caution and into a closer look at what comes next.
The injury comes at an awkward time for a club already coping with absences up front, including Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall. Those losses have forced Carolina to dip into its AHL depth, and Nicolas Deslauriers stepped in against Calgary as the Hurricanes tried to piece together their lineup for a 3-2 loss. [Read more 🡒]