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Versteeg, Flames pull away from Blues

[November 14, 2017] CALGARY, Alberta -- Kris Versteeg scored the game-winning goal with 5:31 left in the third period as the Calgary Flames skated to a wild 7-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

Versteeg one-timed a pass from Troy Brouwer past St. Louis goalie Jake Allen to cap off a stretch of four goals -- two by each team -- in a span of 2:43.

Mark Jankowski scored twice and set up one for Calgary while Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist each.

Micheal Ferland and Michael Frolik (empty-netter) also scored for the Flames (10-7-0), who finished their seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record. Matthew Tkachuk had two assists.

Mike Smith made his seventh straight start in net for the Flames and stopped seven of nine shots he faced in the first period. He wasn't on the bench to start the second and was replaced in between the pipes by Eddie Lack, who finished with 13 saves to pick up his first win of the season.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues (13-5-1) while Alexander Steen and Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist each. Paul Stastny had two assists, and Allen finished with 30 saves.

Tarasenko opened the scoring at 3:32 of the first period when he took a pass from Colton Parayko and snapped a shot to the far side past Smith. Just 1:12 later, Jankowski one-timed a feed from Matthew Tkachuk past Allen.

Jankowski took a pass from Jaromir Jagr and made a nice move before sliding the puck around Allen and into the net at 13:15.

During a St. Louis power play, Schwartz snapped a shot to the top corner past Smith at 16:21 of the first.

After an eventful first period, neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second as Allen stopped all eight shots he faced, while Lack was forced to turn aside just four pucks.

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Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) guards his net as Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) tries to score during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Bennett was rewarded for his hard work early in the third period when he battled hard to get to the front of the net to backhand a shot through Allen's legs.

After Steen scored for St. Louis at 11:46, Ferland replied with a power-play goal for the Flames 45 seconds later.

Tarasenko tallied his second of the game at 12:43 before Versteeg struck right back for the Flames.

Gaudreau scored with two minutes left in the game before Frolik rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal.

NOTES: After missing the past three games with a lower-body injury, Flames D Travis Hamonic returned to the lineup against the Blues. Due to Hamonic's return, the Flames sent D Rasmus Andersson to the Stockton Heat of the AHL. ... Calgary scratched C Matt Stajan, C Freddie Hamilton and D Matt Barkowski. ... Although D Jay Bouwmeester (ankle) and C Patrik Berglund (shoulder) accompanied the Blues on their three-game road trip, neither played against Calgary, nor are they expected to play in Edmonton against the Oilers on Thursday or versus the Canucks in Vancouver two nights later. ... The Blues scratched D Nate Prosser and LW Magnus Paajarvi.

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