Flames race ahead early, handle Islanders to start homestand

Adam Klapka collected one goal and one assist to pace the host Calgary Flames to a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon to open a five-game homestand.

Yegor Sharangovich, Justin Kirkland and Yan Kuznetsov also scored for the Flames, who staked a four-goal lead and held on to victory.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 28 saves, including a clutch stop on Jonathan Drouin in the first minute of the second period when his team held a 1-0 lead.

Defenseman Kevin Bahl collected a pair of assists.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee replied for the Islanders, who have dropped two of three outings and have two more clashes remaining in their seven-game road trip.

Goalie David Rittich stopped 15 shots and Matthew Schaefer netted two assists.

After Calgary failed to convert two early power plays, Sharangovich put the hosts ahead at 11:51 of the clash by converting an open chance from the slot for his second goal in as many games.

Klapka kicked off his team's three-goal second period with a textbook deflection of Bahl's point shot at 3:04 of the middle frame.

Kirkland extended the lead by converting on a 2-on-1 rush at 9:50 -- his first NHL goal since Nov. 12, 2024, less than a month before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Then Kuznetsov made it a 4-0 affair at 11:49 with a rocket of a wrist shot from the point. It was only Calgary's 10th shot of the clash.

Pageau put the Islanders on the board 32 seconds later with a quick top-corner, short-side shot from the left face-off dot.

Islanders coach Patrick Roy pulled the goalie with more than eight minutes remaining in regulation and were rewarded when Lee scored his 300th career goal by burying a sharp-angled shot with 2:56 on the clock to round out the scoring.

Lee is the fifth player in Islanders history to reach 300 goals with the club, joining Mike Bossy (573), Bryan Trottier (500), Denis Potvin (310) and Clark Gillies (304).