CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Michael Frolik lost his helmet on his first shift and scored on his second.
Frolik scored in his 800th NHL game and the Calgary Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Frolik scored the 154th goal of his 13-season career, fifth as a member of the Flames. The 31-year-old Czech has also played for the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets.
”Eight hundred, it’s a special number and I was definitely excited for sure,” Frolik said. ”Couldn’t go better, to score on the second shift.”
Andrew Mangiapane also scored, and Elias Lindholm added an empty-net goal for Calgary, which snapped a two-game losing skid.
David Rittich made 21 saves and improved to 3-2 on the season.
Defenseman Matt Niskanen scored early in the third period as the Flyers closed within 2-1.
Brian Elliott made 35 saves in his first start of the season for the Flyers.
With Elliott pulled for an extra attacker, the Flyers couldn’t produce an equalizer in the final two minutes of regulation.
Elliott stopped Lindholm twice in the first four minutes of the third.
”If there is anything positive to take from tonight’s game, I would say it’s the play of our goaltender Brian Elliott who played a really strong game,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault.
”He did what a goaltender is supposed to do, which is give your team a chance to win. He gave us a chance to come back in the third.
”We definitely did not play the way we wanted to. We didn’t execute and we didn’t make any plays with the puck.
”We’re going to have an opportunity to jump back tomorrow and do a better job.”
Travis Konecny fed Niskanen in the high slot from behind the net for Philadelphia’s first goal of the game at 4:58.
Konecny’s assist was his seventh point in four games.
The Flyers opened their regular season in Prague against the Chicago Blackhawks and returned to Philadelphia for one home game before hitting the road again in Western Canada.
”It hasn’t seemed to affect us. Maybe it did tonight. I don’t know,” Niskanen said. ”It’s not an ideal situation but I don’t think anybody in here is going to use that as an excuse.
”We just had two days off. We should be fresh, ready to go. We weren’t good enough in the first two periods.”
Trailing by a goal, Philadelphia pressed early in the second period.
Rittich stopped Oskar Lindblom in the first minute and shut down James van Reimsdyk twice in the slot four minutes in.
Mangiapane made it 2-0 at 14:15. Flames captain Mark Giordano dished the puck to Mangiapane at the point, and his low knuckler beat Elliott on the stick side.
Frolik scored at 1:35 of the first period. He knocked down a clearing attempt by Flyers defenseman Justin Braun and whipped the puck over Elliott’s glove.
NOTES: A Calgary goal with five seconds remaining in the opening period was waived off. Officials ruled Sean Monahan kicked the puck into Philadelphia’s net.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Finish a three-game trip at Edmonton on Wednesday.
Flames: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
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