By The Canadian Press

Backlund scores twice, Calgary Flames beat Vegas Golden Knights 6-3

Dec 20, 2025 | 11:46 PM

CALGARY — Mikael Backlund scored twice to spur the Calgary Flames to a 6-3 win over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Joel Farabee, with a short-handed goal, Ryan Lomberg, Adam Klapka and Jonathan Huberdeau, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Flames (15-17-4) who improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine games at the Saddledome.

Connor Zary and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar each had three assists. Goalie Devin Cooley made 34 saves for the win.

Reilly Smith, Kaedan Korczak and Mark Stone scored for the Golden Knights (16-7-10) who suffered their first regulation loss in December. Akira Schmid stopped 20 shots in a losing cause.

Stone batted a Noah Hanifin shot off the backboards off Cooley and in for a power-play goal at 14:34 of the third period.

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Korczak generated a second goal for Vegas with a quick wrist shot from the faceoff circle that beat Cooley far side at 14:34 of the second.

But Calgary led 5-1 at 12:21 on Farabee’s third short-handed goal this season.

Backlund collected his second of the game at 8:38 by shovelling his own rebound by Schmid off a feed from Weegar, who earned his 200th career assist.

Lomberg made it 3-1 for the hosts at 15:45 of the first period on a two-on-none breakaway with Zary. Lomberg, who scored his second goal in three games, then fought Jeremy Lauzon.

Calgary held an early two-goal lead when Smith, coming off the bench, converted a breakaway to halve the deficit at 10:03.

Kuznetsov’s shot from the point deflected off the foot of six-foot-seven Klapka providing net-front traffic for Calgary’s second goal of the game at 8:42.

Backlund collected a defensive-zone turnover and finished a rush with Blake Coleman and Zary by batting the puck over Schmid at 3:54.

TAKEAWAYS

Flames: Sixth short-handed goal this season tied the Flames with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings for the most this season. Backlund recorded the 23rd multi-goal game of his career.

Golden Knights: Minus forward Jack Eichel (illness) and defenceman Shea Theodore (upper body). Ivan Barbashev shifted to centre between Mitch Marner and Braeden Bowman.

KEY MOMENT

Farabee lugged the puck zone-to-zone, cut in front of the net to change the angle of his shot and put his shot off the post and in for a short-handed goal, and Calgary’s fifth of the game. He’s tied with four players, including teammate Blake Coleman, for the most short-handed goals this season at three.

KEY STAT

Backlund’s 47th career game-opening goal tied Theo Fleury for the second most in Flames history behind Jarome Iginla (93).

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: Host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Flames: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2025.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press