Revenge Game: Lindholm and Canucks get best of Kuzmenko and Calgary Flames
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Both Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Lindholm likely pinned a few bucks to the locker-room boards as the Calgary Flames battled the Vancouver Canucks on the coast.
It was Kuzmenko’s first time back to Vancouver since he was part of the package for former Flames centre Elias Lindholm ahead of the NHL trade deadline. And there’s no doubt Lindholm was hoping to find a new level to his play while facing so many familiar faces from Calgary in his first foray against his former franchise.
Neither has found the consistency they were hoping for after challenging seasons prior to the blockbuster. Slight surges from both came following the change of scenery but Lindholm has been battling and undisclosed ailment and hadn’t scored in about a month.
Lindholm, though, did hit the scoresheet late in the third period.
Sure, it was into an empty net. But the long shot from inside his own blueline was much needed insurance for the Canucks, making it 4-1 in what ended up as a 4-2 victory for Vancouver.
The winner was scored by J.T. Miller on a third-period powerplay that was much-needed as the Flames pressed to make a comeback after falling behind 2-0 on a pair by Nils Hoglander set up by Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland.
Miller’s goal gave him rights to the bulletin board funds provided by Lindholm, but the latter has more on his mind as he’s set to see a specialist about his nagging injury, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman mentioned the next step in dealing with the mysterious injury on the broadcast as Lindholm centred the Canucks’ third line.
Fortunately, the Canucks didn’t pick up the veteran two-way pivot to help them get to the playoffs. Vancouver coughed up picks, prospects and Kuzmenko — a former 39-goal-scorer — so that Lindholm could help them make a deep run in the post-season.
The former Selke Trophy finalist is certainly capable of that, when healthy.
At his best, he’s still a dangerous two-way player who can win critical faceoffs, score clutch goals, and dish to a teammate on the rush or off the cycle. The depth he’s added to one of the league’s best teams isn’t lost on the Canucks even as they long for more from their new addition.
In the meantime, the other Elias — Pettersson — is having a deadly season. He was a factor in every area of the ice on Saturday. Not only did he finish with a pair of assists, he also made massive defensive plays and shot blocks.
He paced the team early, and the Canucks didn’t slow down much.
The Flames clung to hope with Rasmus Andersson’s wrist shot to the top shelf on a rush with the team’s fourth line with a minute and a half left in the second period making it 2-1. But Miller’s winner when Oliver Kylington tripped him up right in front of goaltender Jacob Markstrom gave them the cushion they needed.
The Flames’ Joel Hanley netted his first with the team with less than 20 seconds in regulation before Lindholm put it out of reach.