Hamilton’s two goals, Jagr’s 1st point with Calgary leads Flames over Canucks

VANCOUVER – Dougie Hamilton had two goals and Jaromir Jagr recorded his first point for Calgary as the Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Saturday night.

Mark Giordano, Johnny Gaudreau and Travis Hamonic provided the rest of the offence for Calgary (4-2-0), which got 27 saves from Mike Smith.

Derek Dorsett and Brock Boeser replied for Vancouver (1-2-1), while Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots.

The Canucks finished an ugly 0 for 7 on the power play with just three shots in dropping their third straight at home, and second in regulation, after opening the season with a victory at Rogers Arena.

Acquired from the New York Islanders in a trade at June’s NHL draft, Hamonic pinched down from the point and fired a quick shot through Markstrom to snap a 1-1 tie at 10:57 of the second after all five Canucks skaters collapsed below the hash marks on a scrum at the side of the net.

Smith, who made his sixth straight start to open the season despite allowing five goals on 22 shots in Friday’s embarrassing 6-0 home loss to Ottawa, robbed Boeser with just over two minutes to go in the period with a great glove save.

That stop proved to be crucial as Hamilton’s drive from the blue line past Markstrom moments later at 17:59 stretched Calgary’s advantage to 3-1 through 40 minutes.

Playing their third game in four nights in three different cities, the Flames made it 4-1 at 10:14 of the third when Gaudreau scored a power-play goal on a pass that went in off Vancouver defenceman Michael Del Zotto after taking a feed from the 45-year-old Jagr, who signed with Calgary earlier this month.

Boeser responded nine seconds later with a quick shot that beat Smith past his glove, but Hamilton put any thoughts of a comeback to rest when his shot beat Markstrom just 48 seconds after that.

The Flames opened the scoring at 11:37 of the first on a short-handed 3-on-1 rush moments after the Canucks failed to register a shot on a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:11. With his team still down a man, Giordano took a pass from Freddie Hamilton and ripped a shot shortside on Markstrom.

Calgary took five minor penalties in the opening period, but a feeble Vancouver attack that registered just one shot in a combined 8:49 of power-play time allowed the visitors to escape unharmed. The Flames, meanwhile, had two shots while shorthanded, including Giordano’s goal.

But Dorsett finally got the Canucks on the board with 2:15 left in the period on a shot that ricocheted off Smith, off Hamilton and in to level things after 20 minutes.

With defenceman Alexander Edler out four to six weeks with to a sprained knee suffered in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Winnipeg, Derek Pouliot played his first game for Vancouver following a trade with Pittsburgh on Oct. 3.

The Canucks played most of the game with 11 forwards after Loui Eriksson left in the first period with a knee injury. Eriksson took a nudge from Tanner Glass and crashed awkwardly into the Calgary net, and after briefly testing out his right leg on the ice during a stoppage in play headed to the locker-room.

Notes: Canucks forward Jake Virtanen was a healthy scratch, with Alexander Burmistrov taking his place in the lineup. … After playing four straight at Rogers Arena to open the season, Vancouver now hits the road for five straight beginning Tuesday in Ottawa. … Calgary is off until Thursday when the Flames open a two-game homestand against Carolina.

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