RALEIGH, N.C. — Derek Ryan, Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin all scored in their first game back in Carolina, and the Calgary Flames beat the Hurricanes 4-3 on Sunday in coach Bill Peters’ return to Raleigh.
Peters resigned as Carolina’s coach last off-season and took over in Calgary. Shortly after, the Flames acquired Lindholm and Hanifin in a trade with the Hurricanes, and Ryan signed with Calgary after three seasons in Carolina.
They ex-Hurricanes had a hand in all four Flames goals. Lindholm pulled Calgary into a tie late in the first, Ryan scored the go-ahead goal in the second and assisted on Garnet Hathaway’s goal later in the period, and Hanifin finished the scoring with a slap shot in the third.
David Rittich made 33 saves as Calgary improved to 9-1-1 in its last 11 games.
Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Dougie Hamilton each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek made 28 saves.
A pregame video welcoming Peters, Ryan, Lindholm and Hanifin back to Carolina was met with boos by the crowd, but it was the quartet of ex-Hurricanes who walked away smiling.
The Flames scored three consecutive goals after Carolina took an early lead, and Rittich made it stand up with a string of highlight-reel saves.
Rittich stopped Justin Williams’ chance at an open net off a deflection and Micheal Ferland’s point-blank slap shot in the first period. He made a terrific pad save on Lucas Wallmark’s one-timer in the second as well as stopping Ferland’s late deflection in front of the net, and he robbed Williams again with a pad save on a one-timer in the third to preserve Calgary’s one-goal lead.
After a turnover by Flames defenceman TJ Brodie in front of Rittich led to Carolina’s first goal, the Flames took control. Mark Giordano’s wrist shot from the point redirected off Lindholm’s leg into the net to tie the score at the end of the first, and Ryan took over in the second.
He gave the Flames their first lead with a wraparound 7:38 into the second, and served as the catalyst for a short-handed goal that made it 3-1. Ryan forced a turnover just inside his own blue line, skated the length of the ice along the left boards and finished a 2-on-1 with a pristine pass to Hathaway on the far post.
After Rittich stonewalled numerous Carolina rushes in the third, Hanifin provided the backbreaker with 6:55 to go.
Aho scored with 55 seconds remaining.
NOTES: Aho extended his point streak to five games. … Flames D Travis Hamonic did not dress after suffering a lower-body injury on Friday. … Hurricanes G Curtis McElhinney (knee) missed his sixth straight game. He remains day-to-day.
UP NEXT
Flames: Host San Jose on Thursday.
Hurricanes: At Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
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The Associated Press