Flames tighten wild-card race with win over Kings

Yegor Sharangovich broke a third-period deadlock to spark the host Calgary Flames a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames, who have won four straight games, which ties their longest run of the season.

Calgary's Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves, 12 of them in the third period, and collected his fifth assist of the season, tops among all NHL goalies. Chris Tanev posted two assists.

Kevin Fiala collected a goal and an assist and Phillip Danault also scored for the Kings, who have lost two straight games and three of four outings. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 33 shots.

Sharangovich broke the tie with 7:21 remaining in regulation. During a rush up ice, he used a defender as a screen and sent a high shot for his 21st goal of the season and first in 12 games.

Backlund sealed the victory by scoring an empty-net goal with 74 seconds left for his 13th of the season.

The Kings and the Nashville Predators are tied for the two Western Conference wild-card spots, with the Flames are five points behind.

Despite the Flames holding the momentum and the edge in shots, Danault opened the scoring at the 12:08 mark of the second period. He unloaded a top-corner slap shot from the high slot for his 11th goal of the season.

Mangiapane, in his 400th career game, evened the count 48 seconds later by converting a forehand deke on a breakaway for his 12th goal of the campaign.

Coleman put the hosts ahead 56 seconds after that. He outbattled Pierre-Luc Dubois for a rebound and slipped it home for his team-high 24th of the season.

Fiala tied the game 2-2 with 66 seconds remaining in the middle period by lifting a backhand shot from a long rebound for his 17th goal of the season.