Zibanejad scores twice as Rangers beat Flames 3-1

Mika Zibanejad scored twice in the second period, and the Rangers beat the Flames 3-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Zibanejad, the player of the game with a Chirp Rating of 8.5, finished with two goals on two shots.

Neither team scored in the first. Zibanejad broke through 59 seconds into the second with a wrist shot, assisted by Alexis Lafreniere and Marcus Pettersson. He added a slap shot at 10:52 for a 2-0 lead, with Pavel Dorofeyev and Lafreniere assisting. Lafreniere had two assists.

Calgary cut it to 2-1 at 7:41 of the third when Adam Klapka scored on a snap shot, helped by Ryan Strome and Yegor Sharangovich. The Flames could not find an equalizer. Tye Kartye sealed it at 19:53 with a wrist shot, assisted by J.T. Miller, for the 3-1 final.

The Rangers improved to 10-8-1 and 21 points. The Flames fell to 8-9-1 and 17 points. Chirp's Sim had given Calgary a 52% chance before the game.