Flames shut out by Lightning in second game of gruelling road trip

After starting their gruelling six-game road trip with a statement win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, things didn’t go as well for the Calgary Flames two nights later.

The Flames lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday in the second game of a road trip that sees them match up against some of the top teams in the NHL.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy looked unbeatable all game en route to his fourth shutout of the season and seventh straight win.

Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring for the Lightning in the first period thanks to a lucky bounce off the skate of Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar. Erik Cernak added an insurance marker midway through the third period before Brandon Hagel potted an empty-netter to seal the win.

Flames netminder Dustin Wolf did what he could to keep his team in the game by making a number of big saves on Lightning odd-man rushes.

Calgary entered Thursday’s action one point back of the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Canucks are in Anaheim to take on the Ducks Thursday.

The Flames continue their road trip against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday.