CALGARY, Alberta — Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Justin Williams scored the game-winning goal on a third-period power play for the Hurricanes (3-1-1), who have won two games in a row. Carolina finished 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Flames (4-3-0) failed to score on their lone chance with the man advantage.
Carolina goalie Scott Darling made 25 saves to record his second win of the season.
Sean Monahan scored the the Flames’ only goal, while goalie Mike Smith stopped 31 of 33 shots he faced in his seventh straight start.
Just past the midway mark of the opening frame, Calgary left winger Kris Versteeg fell to the ice after taking a hard shot off the stick of Skinner to his right leg. Just seconds later, Skinner one-timed another shot toward the net that hit Versteeg in the head/neck area.
Although he had to be helped off the ice, Versteeg returned to the ice in the second period.
Skinner opened the scoring at 4:48 of the second when he outbattled Calgary left winger Johnny Gaudreau for the puck along the boards before firing a slap shot to the top corner past Smith, who was screened by defenseman Michael Stone on the play.
With Matthew Tkachuk serving a roughing penalty for the Flames, Williams took a pass from Skinner and snapped a shot just over Smith’s glove and into the Calgary net to put Carolina up 2-0 at 1:09 of the third period.
Playing on Calgary’s top line with Gaudreau and Monahan, Jaromir Jagr had a great chance to get the Flames on the board at 8:47 of the third, but Darling made a nice glove save to deny the veteran 45-year-old right winger.
Monahan took a pass from Gaudreau in the slot and snapped a shot over Darling’s left shoulder at 16:32 of the third, but the Flames weren’t able to notch the equalizer.
NOTES: Trevor van Riemsdyk returned to the lineup for Carolina after missing the past three games with a concussion. … The Hurricanes re-assigned D Trevor Carrick to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday. … Carolina scratched C Janne Kuokkanen, C Martin Necas and D Klas Dahlbeck. … After sitting out Saturday’s 5-2 road win for the Flames over the Vancouver Canucks with a groin injury, RW Micheal Ferland returned to Calgary’s lineup against Carolina and played on a line with C Sam Bennett and LW Kris Versteeg. … The Flames scratched C Curtis Lazar, C Freddie Hamilton and D Brett Kulak, the latter being a healthy scratch in all seven of Calgary’s games.
