Close but another determined Calgary Flames effort falls short in a 5-4 overtime loss to the defending Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights

Flames fail to hang on a third-period lead for the second consecutive outing before a late goal earns a single point

So close for the Calgary Flames.

So much to like about their effort but it just wasn’t enough to beat the defending Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights for a second consecutive time in overtime and fell 5-4 on Tuesday.

Playing in the second half of back-to-back nights, the Flames scored first for the third consecutive outing, led after two periods for the second consecutive clash but for the second straight game couldn’t beat one of the league’s powers.

Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf delivered a fine performance despite surrendering five goals, but couldn’t deny Mark Stone’s overtime winner.

Give the Flames their due. Against a club that’s atop the league standings and now on a four-game winning streak (and 6-0-1 run), the Flames saw a 3-2 lead become a 4-3 deficit but pushed to the end, with Yegor Sharangovich notching his second of the game with 59.3 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri also scored for the Flames, who have a 1-8-1 all-time record in Las Vegas..

That’s not to say all is well for Calgary, which was without top shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev, who was injured the night before against the Colorado Avalanche.

Blowing a third-period lead in two straight games, even against a couple of Cup contenders, is not acceptable. Nor is failing yet again to score on the power play.

In turn, the Flames have just one win in their last six outings (1-4-1) as they head to Minnesota to finish this road swing against the Wild on Thursday.

Check back Wednesday morning for the takeaways.