CALGARY, Alberta _ The Calgary Flames were there for the taking.
The usually enthusiastic hockey city was still coping with the loss of star player Johnny Gaudreau for four to six weeks because of a broken finger, giving the Saddledome a funereal feel Friday.
Normally, the Chicago Blackhawks bring out the noise in opposing fans, but it was hard not to notice the listless atmosphere and lack of energy.
If there was a gimme game for the Hawks on this circus trip, this was it. They had two days of rest in their legs and a battered opponent.
They grabbed that opportunity with a 3-2 victory to improve to 1-1 on the seven-game trip and avoid their first two-game losing streak since the first two games of the season.
Marian Hossa scored the winner, breaking a tie with 2 minutes, 23 seconds remaining by stuffing in the rebound of an Artemi Panarin shot.
The Hawks did what they were supposed to do in the first period, seizing an early lead against a teetering opponent. The scoring sequence began with Artem Anisimov rifling a stretch pass from the Hawks zone to Ryan Hartman near center ice.
Hartman outraced Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman and used his posterior to keep Wideman from interrupting his shot before beating goaltender Chad Johnson at the 7:42 mark. It was Hartman's third goal of the season.
The Hawks were poised to take a two-goal lead in the second period when Patrick Kane had a chance at an open net after Johnson fell. But Kane double-tapped his shot in close and failed to score _ and then the Hawks' night took a bad turn.
Moments after Kane's misfortune, Kane and Corey Crawford could not handle a loose puck in the crease, and Flames center Sam Bennett scooped up a goal at 3:33.
The top line of Kane, Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik allowed another goal a few minutes later. The Hawks surrendered an odd-man rush, leading to a goal by Sean Monahan that deflected off the skate of defenseman Gustav Forsling at 7:03.
Former Hawk Troy Brouwer, who helped end the Hawks' season with the winning goal in Game 7 of the playoff series with the St. Louis Blues, assisted on both goals.
Through two periods, the top line was on the ice for as many opponent goals as it generated shots on Johnson _ two.
The Hawks tied it later in the period on their first power play when Brent Seabrook launched a slap shot that rattled around the net at 14:34. It was a vintage Seabrook bomb from the right circle that Johnson had little chance to stop.
It was also a sight for a sore Hawks power play that had converted just one of its previous 16 chances and was Seabrook's second goal of the season.
Johnson and defenseman Mark Giordano saved a potential Hawks go-ahead goal early in the third when Giordano used his stick to prevent a Toews shot from crossing the goal line. Officials reviewed the play, but it was inconclusive and the no-goal call stood.
It was the second could-have-been goal for the Hawks, but they didn't need them in the end.
