Perfect Ascent | Calgary Flames

Blake Coleman scored his 21st goal of the season into an empty net, and things got a little … chaotic. Markstrom tried to find his own empty net but fanned the shot, allowing Jean-Gabriel Pageau to tap in and make it two goals. Although the moment was “a little embarrassing”, the netminder was able to laugh about it afterwards, but the Flames stopped him from that point and Vigar found the back of the net with 22 seconds left to seal the deal.

“Going up three, they pulled the goalie, so if there was a time to shoot it, it was today and it went in the back of (our) net, so I'll be careful next time,” Markstrom said. . “I've tried a few times over the years – (but) never in the NHL. Twice in one game and neither got past the hashmarks. I've got to work on my wrist curls … or stay on the line.”

And Vigar now has 15, passing Kyle Makar and Rasmus Dahlin for the league lead among defensemen. In doing so, he has now reached the 30-point plateau for the fourth consecutive season as he reached his career mark of 44 in the 2021-22 campaign.

“I never thought I'd score a hat trick in the NHL,” laughed Wigar, who said he doesn't remember scoring one at any level. “Maybe Timbits, but I don't even remember, it's a new feeling.

“I'm sure everyone at home will have fun with it and I can't wait to talk to them and see what they have to say. But it was a great night for everyone, it really was.”

Huberdeau said afterward that he was looking for Vigar in the dying seconds, hoping his friend would join him to mark the milestone.

“He's unbelievable,” beamed Huberdeau. “Tonight is his first hat trick award. Keep your head down, get the puck down, it's going to happen this year. He said he's not going to look at the net, so that's good. At the end, I knew he was there. , so I want him to get a hat trick.”

Brock Nelson broke up Markstrom's shutout bid with a 6-foot-3, 215-pound pin at 3:58. Matt Martin planted the lead to start the comeback attempt. The Isles pressed hard in the third, outscoring the Flames 18-3, but Markstrom saved his best and was named the game's second star for his efforts.

“Until seven or eight minutes into the third period, I thought it was a very complete game, similar to what we saw from our team in Boston,” head coach Ryan Huska said. “We had different contributions from different people, so that was also something important.”

The Flames opened the scoring less than four minutes into the first when Vigar skated in and made a nice move to gain the zone, then raced wide and beat Semyon Varlamov with an innocuous-looking shot from the right circle.

Markstrom, meanwhile, added his fourth assist in the league and the 18th of his career after setting up Vigar in the back of the net.