Takeaways: Flames ‘make some headway’ with third straight win

Doubled by a pair of dunked claymores in celebration, Connor Zary’s screams echoed around Rogers Arena until he was silenced.

After knocking in a crease-front rebound that marked just his second goal of the season, the Flames winger displayed the kind of relief that comes from finding the net for the first time in 21 games.

“It felt good — I think it’s a lot of emotion,” said Zarri, who entered the game with a 3.8 percent shooting percentage that spoke volumes about the frustration he’s been carrying since his opening night snipe.

“It’s been a frustrating year for me personally so far. I think, just mentally, trying to get over things and get better for it. When you go through something like that, I think it’s just as special as any other goal you score, just to have that kind of weight lifted for just a second.”

While it was one thing to end his offensive streak, it was another to meaningfully contribute to the Flames’ third straight win.

Less than 24 hours after a gritty shootout win at home over Dallas following a late-night flight over the Rocky Mountains, Zerri and the Flames opened a difficult date with the Canucks by putting the hosts up 1-0 with a minute to go.

However, goals by Morgan Frost and Zari 35 seconds apart midway through the first period turned the tide as the Flames rallied with goals from Kevin Behl and another frustrated forward, Igor Shrangovich.

By the end of the night, the offensively challenged Flames had extended their streak to 41 straight victories while scoring four or more, winning 5-2.

“Really proud of our group,” said Blake Coleman, whose 300^th The career point was a short-handed redirect that capped the Flames’ five-goal response.

“We had every excuse in the book tonight: two tough comebacks, a late comeback, and a quick comeback from 8 to 6, and we gave up an early goal … I could go down the line, but guys came in. We took control of the game and we’re starting to find our rhythm.”

“People are determined, we know it’s going to turn around at some point. It took a little longer than we would have liked, but we’re starting to make some progress.”

More from the five-game road opener:

Rasmus Anderson’s continued rise in play saw the veteran blueliner pick up three assists, racking up his ninth career three-point game.

For those keeping track at home, it’s now two goals and eight in a five-game point streak, putting him in contention to be one of the NHL’s three stars of the week.

All told, he was plus-4 on the night, where he stands on the season — a far cry from the minus-38 his critics point to when they discuss last year’s season.

“Much like Connor, he’s being rewarded now,” smiled coach Ryan Haska of his top minute-mancher.

“I think he’s been consistent all year for us, and now I’d say he’s on the heater. The younger guys always talk about that.”

“He’s doing a lot of good things for us in different situations, whether it’s the penalty kill or the power play now, that’s starting to happen for us, and five-on-five.

Matt Coronato’s four-game goal-scoring streak was halted, but he’s now on a five-game point streak after helping set up the Flames’ opening goal.

Coronato was in the thick of things all night, despite wearing a fishbowl to save the series of stitches required to hold his nose together following a brutal blow from behind Mikko Rantinen.

Earlier in the day, the league announced that Rantanen would miss one game based on an unclear rule that said he had a mandatory suspension for throwing two straight games within a 41-day window.

Perhaps Coronato is counting his blessings, as Mar Rantinen’s layup on Alexander Romanov earlier in the week put the Islanders defenseman on the shelf for six months after shoulder surgery.

The gruesome hit on Coronato warranted more than just one game, but such is life in the NHL.

What really got lost in the Flames’ offensive attack was that after allowing him to clear the first shot of the night just 65 seconds in, Dustin Wolfe rebounded with an impressive outing that saw him finish with 28 saves.

“We’re looking for our names,” said Wolff, who has seen his backup shine in the past two wins.

“It’s good to get the road trip off on the right foot.

“You could see in our game that we were giving up less chances. When you score five, you’re going to win a lot of games. We did our job on the back end and the forwards did their job, and we came out with two points.”

The Flames make the longest charter flight the NHL has to offer Monday for Wednesday’s visit to Tampa.