Calgary Flames drop desert date with Arizona Coyotes in OT

At least the Calgary Flames got another point.

Forward Travis Boyd tucked a loose puck behind Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom 3:10 into overtime to lift the host Arizona Coyotes to a 4-3 win tonight in Tempe, Ariz.

The Flames (30-24-14), who have 14 games remaining on their schedule, earn a point from the extra-time loss and sit five points behind the eighth-place Winnipeg Jets (38-27-3) in the Western Conference standings for the final wildcard playoff spot.

Last season's Pacific Division champions have sputtered down the stretch, going 12-11-7 since the calendar flipped to 2023.

Mikael Backlund, with his 16th goal of the season, opened the scoring 8:14 into the game, capitalizing on a turnover created when Andrew Mangiapane corraled a failed Coyotes clearing attempt. 

Clayton Keller, with his first of two goals in the game, replied for the Coyotes a minute later for his 30th of the season on a drive-by tip-in of a shot by linemate Barrett Hayton.

The Coyotes went up 2-1 on a goal by winger Matias Maccelli less than a minute into the second period, but the tying goal came quickly like it had in the first, with a streaking Walker Duehr taking a pass from Milan Lucic into the Coyotes zone and firing the puck between the legs of screened goalie Connor Ingram.

Keller added his second of the night shorthanded two minutes into the third period when Hayton intercepted a pass by Flames centre Nazem Kadri, springing him and Keller for a two-on-one rush into the Flames zone. Keller beat Markstrom high glove side for the go-ahead goal.

Jonathan Huberdeau tied it up with five minutes left in the third when he tipped a Troy Stecher point shot past Ingram.

The Flames badly outshot the Coyotes in the loss by a 45-25 margin. 

Calgary concludes their two-game trip through the southwestern U.S. on Thursday in Vegas (8 p.m.)