Calgary Flames season 21/22

[Buffalo Rick]

Nice win by the Flames.  I am starting to believe this team is going to be around , playoffs for sure.  

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 12

 

Flames 1 Sharks 4

 

Logan Couture, Adin Hill lead Sharks to 4-1 win over Flames

 

The Sharks score three goals in the third period in a 4-1 win over the Flames.

---

ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Logan Couture's third-period goal proved to be the winner and the San Jose Sharks beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 Tuesday night.

 

Tomas Hertl and Jonathan Dahlen added empty-net goals and Alexander Barabanov also scored for San Jose. Brent Burns had two assists.

 

Sharks goalie Adin Hill, who played minor and Junior A hockey in Calgary, stopped 37 shots.

 

Calgary’s streak of earning at least a point was stopped at 10 games. The Flames lost in regulation for the first time since their season-opener.

Milan Lucic scored for Calgary (7-2-3). Jacob Markstrom made 22 saves in the loss.

 

San Jose was without head coach Bob Boughner for a fifth straight game because he’s in COVID-19 protocol.

 

Seven regulars, including star defenseman Erik Karlsson, are also in their second week of protocol. As a result, several players were called up from the AHL’s Barracuda.

 

The Sharks have stated all players and staff are fully vaccinated against the virus. Assistant coach John MacLean is filling in for Boughner.

San Jose is 3-1-1 since Boughner and the players entered protocol.

 

“Even though we’ve got a ton of different guys in the lineup right now, they were in camp. They know how our coaching staff wants us to play, how we’re going to win games,” Couture said.

 

“Everyone’s bought in in this group. Tonight certainly wasn’t a masterpiece, but we defended hard. We did the right things. We found a way to get two goals and kept them to one.

 

“Extremely proud of the guys that have come up and guys that are battling through. You see a ton a blocked shots for guys and those don’t feel too great, but willing to sacrifice to win hockey games right now.”

 

The Flames didn’t score on three power-play chances. The Sharks failed to score twice with a man advantage.

 

Couture gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at 4:18 of the third period. When the captain’s wrist shot nicked the stick of Flames defenseman Nikita Zadarov, the puck’s change of speed caught Markstrom sliding too far to his right to glove it.

 

Calgary twice hit the post in the second period that ended 1-1.

 

Andrew Mangiapane’s wrister deflected off the high post in the final seconds, and Matthew Tkachuk’s re-direct of a Noah Hanifin shot midway through the period also hit iron.

 

But Lucic scored in a crease scramble 1:17 into the period, pulling Calgary even at 1-all. The goal was upheld upon review and also withstood MacLean’s subsequent challenge for goaltender interference.

 

“We found ways this year to beat goalies and get ourselves leads and bury our chances and we weren’t able to do it tonight,” Lucic said.

 

San Jose’s Barabanov scored his first goal of the season 47 seconds into the second period. From behind San Jose’s goal line, Burns whipped the puck up ice to Barabanov on the move at the blue line. The Russian snapped a low shot by Markstrom. Burns extended his points streak to five games with a goal and six assists in that span.

 

Calgary outshot San Jose 8-4 in the first period.

 

“I thought we had the better of them than second,” Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said. “I’m sure we thought we could continue that and they came out with a little more jump. Who scored the winner there? Was it Couture? Logan, those guys played a lot and they were probably better than our top guys tonight.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 13

 

 

Calgary 2 Habs 4

 

Nick Suzuki breaks tie, Canadiens beat Flames 4-2

The Canadiens put up four goals as they take down the Flames 4-2.

---

ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

MONTREAL -- — Nick Suzuki scored his fourth goal in five games to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Thursday night.

 

Suzuki gave Montreal the lead with a power-play goal midway through the third period, and Jake Evans iced it with an empty-netter. Brendan Gallagher and Ben Chiarot also scored for the Canadiens, and Jake Allen made 24 saves.

 

On the winner, Suzuki fooled goalie Jacob Markstrom by shooting from behind the net. The puck hit the goalie’s skate and crossed the line.

 

“We can see (he’s) in a great run after going through a slow start,” Montreal coach Dominque Ducharme said. “He doesn’t need to be more intelligent than the game. “I think he handled himself well tonight, he holds the team’s success at heart and he wants to make a difference.”

 

With nine points in his last five games, Suzuki has carried the Canadiens of late.

 

“His role this season was to be the No. 1 center and it started slow but he’s playing extremely well lately,” defenseman David Savard said. “He’s the reason we were successful tonight. He’s one of the players we notice a lot on the ice and he’s hard to play against.”

 

Mikael Backlund and Andrew Mangiapane had first-period goals for the Flames in the opener of a six-game trip.

 

“We’re a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year and we’re trying to stay in the race, that’s the key,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said.

 

“Every night is a tough game and we’re not a team that will score a lot so we’ll need to do a lot of grinding and banging away. I think we did a lot more of that tonight than we did in the last couple of games.”

 

Markstrom stopped 25 shots.

 

“We have a new game tomorrow so you can’t really dwell on it but tonight’s going to suck,” Markstrom said. “We all wanted to get off on a good start.”

 

 

 

[thegx.ca]

Thought Calgary would win for sure after Mangepanne scored beautiful goal...still Calgary had outplayed their opponents every single game so far.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 14

 

Flames 1 Leafs 2 OT

 

Matthews scores in OT to lift Maple Leafs past Flames 2-1

 

 

Auston Matthews lights the lamp in overtime to lift the Maple Leafs past the Flames.

---

ByAP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

TORONTO -- — Auston Matthews scored at 2:32 of overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Friday night.

 

Ondrej Kase also scored, William Nylander had two assists and Jack Campbell made 30 saves to help the Maple Leafs win for the seventh time in eight games.

 

“It was a tight game — not a whole lot of quality offensce,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “A lot of battles. Big, veteran team that they have, they compete hard and defend really well. We just had to stay with it.”

 

Oliver Kylington scored for Calgary, which has lost three straight (0-2-1). Dan Vladar stopped 35 shots.

 

“It wasn’t how we wanted it to end,” Kylington said. “But I thought we showed good work ethic. A lot of positives to take away from this game.”

 

Vladar stopped Matthews on a breakaway and Mitch Marner on a follow in overtime before Campbell shut the door on a frantic sequence in Toronto’s end. However, Matthews got another chance on his next shift, and beat Vladar between the pads for his sixth goal of the season.

 

“When they scored we didn’t get down,” Matthews said. “We played solid throughout the whole game. They make it hard to generate offence, especially on the inside. We stuck with it, kept grinding.”

 

With his goalie shutting the door on chance after chance, Kylington started a break the other way early in the third period. The smooth-skating defenseman passed to Johnny Gaudreau before getting the return feed and beating Campbell with a move to the backhand for his second goal of the season at 4:55 to put Calgary up 1-0.

 

Vladar, who got the call ahead of regular starter Jacob Markstrom in the second game of a back-to-back following Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Montreal, continued to shut the door for the Flames until Kase tipped Nylander shot in with 7:06 left.

 

The Flames got their first power play when Kase went off for tripping with 5:25 remaining, but the Maple Leafs had the best chance when defenseman Jake Muzzin hit the post.

 

“Kind of a playoff feel,” Campbell said. “Calgary’s a deep team. They have a lot of great structure and don’t give you too much. Their goalie played amazing and really kept them in it.”

[Brewin Flames]

I hate the leafs, but Matthew's ot goal was sweet.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 15

 

Flames 4 Sens 0

 

Flames shut out Senators 4-0 to snap 3-game skid

By AP

Updated: 7 hours ago

 

 

 

 

 

OTTAWA, Ontario -- — Dan Vladar made 27 saves for his first career shutout as the Calgary Flames snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.

 

It was the 24-year-old Vladar’s ninth career start.

 

“From the get-go, we were just the better team,” he said. “More focused and the guys played great in front of me. I had no rebounds. So, easy game for me.”

As the final buzzer sounded teammates were quick to swarm Vladar as the win also snapped a three-game losing streak.

 

The Flames, in the midst of a seven-game trip, were led by Elias Lindholm with a goal and an assist, while Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk and Nikita Zadorov also scored. Sean Monahan had two assists.

 

“I think physically we were really, really engaged,” Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said. “Those two games in Montreal and Toronto (both losses) are hard games.

 

They take a lot out of your team. Besides the travel, they’re hard games to play. So, this is a really good gut check for our team. They did a really good job.

 

“Mentally, they’re probably not as sharp as they need to be, but physically they were really good.”

 

Anton Forsberg, in his first start since Oct. 25, made 29 saves for the Senators.

 

The Senators could easily make excuses — the team continues to be ravaged by COVID-19. But coach D.J. Smith admitted his men just didn’t play well enough.

 

“We weren’t our sharpest, especially our top guys and that’s understandable,” said Smith. “I thought we did have some good efforts, but at the end of the day they just overwhelmed us with their four lines and six D.”

 

Once again, the coach was forced to juggle his lines at the last minute as Drake Batherson became the 10th Ottawa player to enter the NHL COVID-19 protocol. The Senators made the announcement less than an hour before puck drop, which led to Andrew Agozzino making his season debut.

 

Batherson joined Austin Watson, Nick Holden, Josh Brown, Connor Brown, Dylan Gambrell, Matt Murray, Victor Mete, Alex Formenton and Nikita Zaitsev, along with associate coach Jack Capuano.

 

“Every day there’s something unexpected that happens, so of course it kind of wears on you mentally, but we trust in everything that the medical guys have given us,” Brady Tkachuk said.

 

The Flames made it 4-0 in the opening minutes of the third period as Zadorov beat Forsberg with a quick wrist shot.

 

Calgary took a 2-0 lead early in the second when Lindholm tipped a Rasmus Andersson point shot, and midway through the period Tkachuk made it 3-0 with a power-play goal as he roofed a shot over Forsberg.

 

The Flames opened the scoring late in the first as Mangiapane, with his 10th of the season, tipped Monahan’s high slot shot.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Brewin Flames

[thegx.ca]

On 11/13/2021 at 2:06 AM, Brewin Flames said:

I hate the leafs, but Matthew's ot goal was sweet.

 

Meh...I liked Kylington goal better, and Mangiapanne goal from one knee better...

[thegx.ca]

Really impressed not only with Calgary play all year so far, but very very impressed with how Tkachuk had matured into a leader this year - just by the way he conducts himself in all the interviews I've seen so far, his more level headed playing, having more Sutter veterans around seems to be rubbing off on him for sure

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 16

 

Flames 1 Flyers 2 OT

 

Atkinson's OT goal lifts Flyers over Flames 2-1

 

 

0:40

 

 

 

0:38

/

0:40

 

 

 

 

 

Hayes pays tribute to late brother after scoring

Kevin Hayes pays tribute to his late brother Jimmy after scoring the tying goal against the Flames.

---

ByAP

3 hours ago

 

PHILADELPHIA -- — Cam Atkinson scored 45 seconds into overtime and Carter Hart made 33 saves to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

 

Kevin Hayes also scored for the Flyers.

 

Oliver Kylington scored for the Flames, who have lost six of eight. Jacob Markström had 41 saves in Calgary’s fourth game of a seven-game trip.

 

After Johnny Gaudreau turned the puck over in the 3-on-3 overtime, Sean Couturier took a shot on a 2-on-1 with Atkinson. Markström made the pad stop on Couturier, but the rebound bounced right to Atkinson on the far side and he deposited the puck for his team-leading seventh goal.

 

“(Couturier) made a good play,” Atkinson said. “My face lit up pretty good when it came to me. All I had to do was bury it.”

 

Hayes’ first goal of the season tied the game 14:27 in the second period. His initial shot deflected off Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson and right back to him. Hayes then fired the puck into the near side past Markström, who was out of position after the deflection.

 

Hayes played in just his second game of the season after sitting out the first 12 contests due to a lower body injury. It also was the first goal since the passing of his brother Jimmy over the summer, and Hayes pointed skyward after scoring and then to his heart.

 

“I’m happy it happened sooner rather than later,” Hayes said. “It was a big goal. It’ll be one I’ll remember forever.”

 

He said he’ll give the puck to Jimmy’s 2-year-old son, Beau.

 

“Personally, really, really happy for him,” said Gaudreau, who played with Hayes at Boston College. “He’s gone through a lot these past few months. It’s hard because he’s on the other team and I don’t want them to score, but I was happy for him. He deserved it.”

 

Kylington opened the scoring with just under 10 minutes left in the first with his third of the season. Gaudreau banked a pass off the boards to Kylington, whose shot from the point deflected off the legs of Couturier and past the right pad of Hart.

 

GAUDREAU’S HOMECOMING

 

It was the 336th assist for Gaudreau, who tied Guy Chouinard and Paul Reinhart for sixth in Flames history. It also was his eighth point in six career games in Philadelphia, which is 30 minutes from where he grew up in Carneys Point, New Jersey.

 

Gaudreau registered a career-high 10 shots and played a strong game, but wasn’t able to put one home in front of family and friends in attendance.

“When you have that many good looks, you have to find the net,” he said.

 

Gaudreau said he was "excited to play in front of a lot of people that supported me for so long. I’m not going to waste their time when they come out to watch me and have a bad game. Just tried to work hard and do my thing on the ice.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 17

 

Flames 5 Buff 0

 

Flames beat Sabres 5-0 on Markstrom's NHL-best 5th shutout

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

 

 

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves and Andrew Mangiapane and Johnny Gaudreau each had two goals and an assist for the Calgary Flames in a 5-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

 

Markstrom’s five shutouts in 13 starts lead the NHL and is a career high.

 

“He’s one of our leaders,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. “He’s one of our core guys. It’s not always easy to do that from that position, because guys are sort of on their island a little bit. But he brings a lot to the locker room.”

 

The Flames got a sixth shutout with backup Dan Vladar in net and are the first team with that many through the first 17 games since the Boston Bruins at the start of the 1938-39 season.

 

“That speaks to great goaltending we are getting,” said Matthew Tkachuk, who had a goal and two assists. “Even if they are letting in one or two, they are keeping us in games and getting us points. Especially recently. Both of our goalies have been unbelievable this year.”

 

Christopher Tanev added two assists as the Flames (9-3-5) improved to 2-1-2 on their seven-game road trip, with points in four straight.

This was the first shutout loss of the season for the Sabres (7-7-2), who have dropped seven of nine.

 

“An embarrassing effort at home and it’s not up to our standard,” Sabres forward Vinnie Hinostroza said. “You look around the room tonight, everyone is pretty rattled. I don’t think anyone played up to their potential.”

 

Dustin Tokarski stopped 18 of 23 shots before getting replaced for the third period by Aaron Dell, who made 10 saves. Tokarski was coming off a career-best 45 saves in Buffalo’s 2-1 win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

 

“Dustin was not the issue,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “In front of him was the issue.”

 

The Sabres drew boos from the home crowd after the Flames scored four goals in the second period — the last three coming on consecutive shots on net from Tkachuk, Mangiapane and Gaudreau in a 1:37 span.

 

Gaudreau set up Tkachuk for his eighth of the season with just over six minutes left in the period.

 

“We didn’t react competitively from that point,” Granato said. “And that tells me it was the whole mood of the night. The guys just didn’t feel themselves.”

Mangiapane followed up with his team-leading 12th goal, and Gaudreau scored on a power play 46 seconds later to make it 5-0.

 

Tanev fed Mangiapane for a backhand from the slot that bounced off Tokarski’s glove and gave Calgary a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the second.

Gaudreau’s breakaway goal put the Flames in front midway through the first period.

 

Skating past Buffalo defenseman Colin Miller to receive a stretch pass from Tkachuk across the blue line, Gaudreau lifted a shot into the top of the net for his fifth.

 

“We got off to an early lead, and didn’t really look back,” Tkachuk said.

 

ROAD WARRIOR

 

Mangiapane has scored 11 goals on the road, moving ahead of Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the NHL lead in that category. He joined Jarome Ignla (2009-10) as the only players in Flames history to score 11 goals in the first 11 road games of the season.

 

The 25-year-old Mangiapane is in his third season with the Flames, “and he’s still a very humble kid,” Tkachuk said. “Just kind of scratching the surface of what he can be, and starting to show the hockey world that he is one of the best in the NHL.”

 

Game notes

Markstrom became the 10th goaltender in NHL history to record five shutouts in 13 appearances or fewer. The last was Columbus’ Pascal Leclaire in nine games during the 2007-08 season. 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Brewin Flames

[thegx.ca]

5th perfect game now, and with Nurce injured in Edmonton, time for Calgary to make up ground

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 18

 

Flames 5 NYI 2

 

Flames spoil opening of Islanders' new arena with 5-2 win

 

 

1:47

 

 

 

0:17

/

1:47

 

 

 

 

•  
•  
•  
•  

 

Flames outlast Islanders in their new arena

Flames take down the Islanders 5-2 in New York's first game at UBS Arena.

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

NEW YORK -- — Andrew Mangiapane scored two power-play goals to help the Calgary Flames spoil the Islanders' debut of their new home arena next to Belmont Park, beating New York 5-2 on Saturday night.

 

Brad Richardson, Trevor Lewis and Johnny Gaudreau also scored, and Noah Hanafin had two assists to help Calgary extend its point streak to five games (3-0-2). Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 shots.

 

“The whole game was a lot of energy in the building,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. “We were battling, we were trying to hang in there. ... It's a process for our team in terms of learning how to play in hard, physical games."

 

Brock Nelson scored twice for the short-handed Islanders, who were missing seven players and lost their fifth straight. It marked New York's longest losing streak in regulation in four seasons under coach Barry Trotz.

 

“I thought we played a pretty good game,” Nelson said. “We had some momentum down one — we just couldn’t get one to tie it. ... I thought we did a pretty good job trying to keep it simple. We gave ourselves a chance to win.”

 

Semyon Varlamov had 26 saves to fall to 0-3-0 with a 3.31 goals-against average this season.

 

The Islanders were without six players — captain Anders Lee, forwards Josh Bailey, Ross Johnston and Anthony Beauvillier, and defensemen Adam Pelech and Andy Greene — for the debut of UBS Arena due to COVID-19 protocols.

 

Defenseman Ryan Pulock is out for 4-6 weeks due to a lower body injury.

 

“A little bit of adversity for our group,” Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said. “Barry has harped on staying in the moment. I thought we came out and did just that. ... We were playing for each other and the guys who couldn’t be here tonight.”

 

Nelson got his second of the night and team-high ninth of the season to pull the Islanders within a goal, 3-2, at 1:49 of the third period.

 

 Oliver Wahlstrom had the puck in the left corner and as he moved toward the net, Flames defenseman Tyler Pitlick knocked the puck away but it came to Nelson on the right side and he tapped it past Markstrom.

 

The Islanders pulled Varlamov for an extra skater with just under 2 minutes remaining, but Lewis scored an empty-netter with 1:15 left and Gaudreau added another with 38 seconds to go.

 

“(Markstrom) was probably our best player there,” Richardson said. "He made some big saves. ... I think they had the pace in the third but we held on and kept our composure."

 

Mangiapane pushed Calgary's lead to 3-1 with his second power-play goal of the night as he deflected Hanafin's shot past Varlamov at 6:43 of the second.

 

It was Mangiapane's 14th of the season and seventh on the power play. He scored two goals for the second straight game, and has seven in the last seven games.

Richardson scored for the Flames 4:05 into the game, taking advantage of a turnover by the Islanders in their defensive zone. Matt Martin's backward pass was picked up by Richardson, who skated in and beat Varlamov on the blocker side for his second.

 

It quieted the sellout crowd of 17,255 that had roared during pregame introductions that included Islanders greats Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies, John Tonelli, Butch Goring, Ken Morrow and Bob Nystrom.

 

“The atmosphere was electric," Palmieri said. "They were excited for us, excited to be here. We just couldn’t get the result we wanted.”

Mangiapane made it 2-0 with 6:32 left as he deflected Noah Hanafin's point shot in the left circle past Varlamov.

 

With the Islanders on their fourth power play of the opening period, Nelson got them on the scoreboard with their first goal in the new building with 22.8 seconds left. He immediately raised his hands to celebrate, but officials told them to play on.

 

When time ran out, the play was reviewed and the officials determined the puck hit the camera in the back of the net and came back out, giving Nelson his eighth of the season.

 

It was New York's fifth power-play goal of the season. The Islanders were 0 for 12 on the power play over their previous six games.

 

BEEN A LONG TIME

 

The Islanders and Flames met for the first time since Feb. 19, 2019 — 999 days ago. The Islanders were in Calgary when the season was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. The game on March 12, 2020, was the first game canceled for both teams. The NHL had a shortened, division-only schedule last season to cut down on travel.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 19

 

Flames 4 Boston 0

 

Former Bruin Vladar stops 27 shots, Flames beat Boston 4-0

 

 

Flames blank Bruins 4-0

 

 

 

The Flames put up four unanswered goals in their win over the Bruins.

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

BOSTON -- — Former Bruins goalie Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots for his second career shutout, Andrew Mangiapane scored a short-handed goal early in the third period, and the Calgary Flames beat Boston 4-0 on Sunday night.

 

Johnny Gaudreau and Noah Hanifin, who both played collegiate hockey nearby for Boston College, each had a goal for the Flames, who posted their third straight win and improved to 9-2-2 on the road. Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary, and Matthew Tkachuk had two assists.

 

Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves for Boston, taking first career loss at TD Garden after going 8-0-0. The Bruins had their three-game winning streak snapped, and it was just their second home loss in eight games.

 

It was the Flames’ seventh shutout in 19 games.

 

“He was solid,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said of Vladar. “The team was really good in front of him. There wasn't a whole lot of second opportunities in front of him. Boston's a team that likes to go to the net.”

 

The 24-year-old Vladar, a third-round draft pick by the Bruins in 2015, played five games with Boston last season before he was traded during the summer for a third-round pick in 2022.

 

“It means a lot,” he said. “I came in with the mindset to just get a ‘W.’ I wasn’t trying to think about where I’m playing because obviously I’ve got a bunch of friends on the Bruins team.

 

“My mindset was not to laugh around with the guys. I wasn't even saying hi to them before the game,” he said.

 

Coming off a 5-2 victory over the Islanders in the first game at New York’s UBS Arena on Saturday night, the Flames jumped ahead when Gaudreau one-timed the rebound of Juuso Valimaki’s shot past Swayman from the right circle 1:29 into the game.

 

Gaudreau, who played three years at BC, won the 2013-14 Hobey Baker Award.

 

They made it 2-0 with a similar goal midway into the second. Swayman stopped Tkachuk’s shot but the rebound went right to Hanifin, a former defenseman for BC, flipped it in 13:51 into the period.

 

“I think it was all execution tonight,” Boston captain Patrice Bergeron said. “A lot of it was on us, not making the plays, not executing. When it's going to be a game like that, I think you have to simplify and I don't think we did that."

 

Mangiapane scored his 15th of the season at 3:08 of the third after Swayman stopped two shots by Dillon Dube on a clean breakaway. Backlund made it 4-0 just 1:10 later.

 

“You’ve got to work to get inside,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Listen, we know what Calgary is all about, even though they’re not in our division. They’ve been through the East twice now and we’ve seen them.

 

They have seven shutouts for a reason. They work hard to keep the puck out of the net. So, you have to be willing to go in there. Not enough guys wanted to do that tonight."

 

THEY PLAYED HERE, TOO

 

Along with Vladar, Flames forwards Milan Lucic and Brett Ritchie also previously played for the Bruins. Lucic was on the Stanley Cup championship team in 2011 during his eight seasons in Boston, and Ritchie played with the Bruins in 2019-20.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Brewin Flames

[thegx.ca]

Back to back shutouts now put Calgary at 7 perfect games in first 19 games, almost half of the games Calgary shutouts their opponents

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 20

 

Flames 5 Hawks 2

 

Tkachuk lifts Flames over Blackhawks 5-2 for 4th straight

 

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Matthew Tkachuk broke a tie on a fortunate bounce with 5:35 left and the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

 

Tkachuk’s centering pass went off the skate of Chicago defenseman Seth Jones and over the shoulder of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to give Calgary a 3-2 lead. 

 

Trevor Lewis and Johnny Gaudreau each added an empty-net goal for the Flames (12-3-5), who sit alone atop the Western Conference.

 

“People don’t realize how big those goals are when we have a chance to put a team away,” Tkachuk said.

 

Dillon Dube and Milan Lucic also scored for Calgary, which has earned at least one point in seven consecutive games. Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves.

Reese Johnson had a goal and an assist — his first two NHL points — to lead the offense for Chicago (6-11-2). 

 

Brandon Hagel also scored.

 

“It’s obviously nice to contribute,” Johnson said.

 

“I want to be able to do that more, get some greasy ones in front of the net, but obviously we want to come out of that with two points.”

 

Coming off a 40-save shutout Sunday against Vancouver, Fleury had a tough start to the night, getting beaten twice on the first six shots he faced before slamming the door until late in the third. He finished with 34 stops and fell to 5-8-0.

 

“When he starts seeing pucks and we start giving up too many chances, he gets better and better,” said Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. “He backs us up when we’re not so good in front of him. We don’t want to have to rely on him to do that every single night. We have to help him and do things better in front of him.”

 

Having won five of six entering Tuesday’s game, Chicago finished its road trip 2-2.

 

“The consistency of playing a certain way is not there yet, but it’s getting there,” interim coach Derek King said. “I know these guys, going in there after the game they were disappointed. As the season has gone so far, that’s a positive that they are upset about it.”

 

Both Blackhawks goals were the result of costly turnovers.

 

After the Flames grabbed the lead just 1:19 into the game, Hagel tied it at 8:57 when Tyler Pitlick coughed up the puck along the sideboards and Hagel whipped a quick shot into the top corner.

 

Lucic’s goal at 13:06 gave Calgary a 2-1 lead after the first period, but Chicago tied it 3:51 into the second on another freebie.

 

From behind the net, Markstrom’s pass attempt to Elias Lindholm went off the heel of Lindholm’s stick and was promptly fired into an open net by Johnson.

After that miscue, Markstrom made a string of saves to keep the game tied.

 

First, he squeezed a dangerous shot from Patrick Kane from 20 feet out as he broke in off right wing.

 

On his next shift, Kane got a breakaway, only to see Markstrom turn him aside again, getting a blocker on a shot that also ticked off the post.

 

Later in the period, Markstrom jabbed out his pad to make a skate save on Kirby Dach. Right after that, he acrobatically got across the crease to rob Hagel after he was set up on a 2-on-1.

 

Dube opened the scoring on Calgary’s first shot when he fired a wrister off left wing just over the pad of Fleury.

 

After a hectic stretch of nine games in 15 days — including a seven-game Eastern road trip — Calgary has three days to recharge before facing Winnipeg.

 

“Probably the toughest stretch of our schedule,” Lucic said. “Starting in Calgary, ending in Calgary, so it just felt like one big, long road trip. But I think we did a good job of managing our energy, managing our rest, being fresh in all nine games.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 21

 

Calgary 2 WPG 4

 

Jets snap five-game losing streak behind Connor's two goals

 

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 1 hour ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Kyle Connor scored twice, including the game-winner with five minutes left, as the Winnipeg Jets snapped a five-game skid with a 4-2 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames.

 

Set up on a cross-ice pass from Blake Wheeler, Connor sent a one-timer into the top corner inside the near post before Jacob Markstrom could get across. Connor’s 14 goals ties him for fifth in the NHL.

 

“As a shooter, you know where the net is, you know where you’re going, that spatial awareness of where you’re going to shoot,” Connor said. “Something like that, you just try to get off quick. High glove was open.”

 

Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp also scored for Winnipeg, which salvaged the final game of its three-game road trip. Wheeler had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck had 34 saves.

 

“It’s easy to sulk and feel pretty crappy about the one last night,” Mark Scheifele said about the club’s 7-1 loss in Minnesota.

 

“We all put our big boy pants on and came to play tonight and it was a lot of gutsy efforts and a lot of blocked shots and a lot of taken hits, made hits, and that’s what it takes in the league.”

 

For Saturday’s game, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice juggled his forward lines, reuniting the Wheeler-Connor-Scheifele trio. It worked.

 

“It was fun being back with the boys,” Scheifele said. “I’ve played a lot of games with those guys and we’ve had a lot of big games. We’ve had some fun together. It was nice to get on the scoresheet and get some big goals.”

 

Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary, which lost in regulation for the first time in eight games. Markstrom had 24 saves.

 

“We played a really good game, but we made a couple of mistakes and they ended up in our net. We didn’t finish enough opportunities,” said Calgary coach Darryl Sutter.

 

The Jets had a chance to take the lead with the score tied at 2 and under five minutes remaining in the second period. Milan Lucic was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct for a heavy hit along the end boards that temporarily shook up Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo.

 

But Calgary prevented the Jets from being able to set up. With just over a minute remaining in that power play, the Flames drew a hooking penalty on Neal Pionk, which ended the extended five-on-four during which Winnipeg generated only two shots.

 

Down 2-0 early, Winnipeg cut into the deficit with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first when the Jets turned a stretch of sustained pressure into a goal with Connor knocking in a set-up from Wheeler.

 

The Jets tied it 2-2 at 4:50 of the second on a goal that left Markstrom visibly upset, believing there was goaltender interference. With the puck in the crease, Stastny knocked both Markstrom’s pad and the puck into the net at the same time. Calgary did not challenge the call.

 

The Flames jumped out to an early lead with Tkachuk deflecting in Johnny Gaudreau’s centering pass 26 seconds into the game.

It was the NHL-leading 17th time Calgary has scored first.

[thegx.ca]

Calgary out played Winnipeg...just couldn't beat Hellabuck after first 2...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 22

 

Flames 2 Pens 1 SO

 

Backlund lifts Flames past Penguins in 7-round shootout

 

 

Mikael Backlund rockets in a shootout goal and Jacob Markstrom comes up with the stop to help the Flames beat the Penguins.

---

ByAP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Mikael Backlund scored the deciding goal in the seventh round of a suspenseful shootout and the Calgary Flames beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Monday night after blowing a late lead.

 

Backlund broke in off the right side and ripped a shot into the top corner over Tristan Jarry's glove.

 

“I wasn’t expecting to get picked, really,” Backlund said with a chuckle, pointing to his 0-for-7 record in previous shootouts. “But when I heard my name, I got excited and tried the move I’ve been working on in practice.”

 

Jacob Markstrom sealed the victory by stopping Brock McGinn on Pittsburgh’s final attempt. The goalie pumped his fist as Flames teammates spilled over the boards to celebrate Calgary’s second victory in extra time.

 

The Flames' Johnny Gaudreau and the Penguins' Kris Letang scored in the third round of the tiebreaker.

 

Milan Lucic scored in regulation for Calgary, which is 6-1-2 in its last nine games. Markstrom finished with 21 saves to improve to 9-4-4.

Jake Guentzel scored for Pittsburgh, and Jarry had 31 stops while dropping to 10-4-4.

 

“We didn’t like our game tonight,” Guentzel said. “I think Tristan played an unbelievable game. Kept us in the game all game. We know we have to be better. Just to get a point, I think it’s a big point for us.”

 

Much like during regulation, Calgary had the better scoring chances in overtime. On one opportunity, Gaudreau hit the crossbar. Then on a 2-on-1, Jarry snared a low shot that looked like the game-winner.

 

Down 1-0, the Penguins tied it with 7:25 remaining in the third period, quickly converting the first power play of the night for either team. With Backlund in the penalty box for interference after he hauled down Evan Rodrigues at the side of the Flames net, Pittsburgh needed only seven seconds to draw even against the NHL’s second-best penalty-killing unit.

 

Sidney Crosby won the faceoff and got the puck back from Letang before sending a diagonal pass through the slot that was redirected by Guentzel past Markstrom. The power-play goal extended Guentzel’s point streak to 10 games. He also has at least one point in all 10 road games this season.

 

“Stupid penalty,” Backlund said. “My emotions got the best of me there in front of the net. It’s tough to go to the box when you’re up one late in the game and then when they score right away, it’s hard. Then when I got the chance, I was excited to get a chance to redeem myself.”

 

The Flames had killed off 26 of the previous 27 penalties.

 

Calgary did not get a chance on the power play, which would have pit the Flames against the NHL’s No. 1 penalty-killing team.

 

Approaching the halfway point of the second period and with the game scoreless despite Calgary producing a majority of the scoring chances, the Flames finally broke through against Jarry.

 

Oliver Kylington’s long pass up the side boards was neatly chipped by Lucic past the tight coverage of defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. As he retrieved the puck and stormed into the Penguins end to chants of “Looooch” from the Saddledome crowd, Lucic snapped his sixth goal of the season through Jarry’s pads.

Until that point, the Flames had done everything but score.

 

Gaudreau and Trevor Lewis hit the post. Andrew Mangiapane whiffed on a cross-crease feed from Blake Coleman with an open side to shoot the puck into. Backlund and Elias Lindholm put dangerous rebound chances past open nets.

 

"They play a high-pressure game. They put a lot of pucks in deep. You’ve got to be able to handle their pressure and I didn’t think we did very well tonight,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

 

Calgary swept the season series after winning 4-0 in Pittsburgh on Oct. 28, but the two games were in stark contrast. Last time, the Penguins put 45 shots on goal. They were held to less than half that this time.

 

“We played a little too loose in Pittsburgh but we got away with one, and today, puck possession was better, zone time was better,” Lucic said. “That’s a good sign that we’re able to adjust and zone in on what our jobs are to give us success in the checking part of the game.”

[thegx.ca]

Almost another shutout for Calgary tonight, if not for bad luck deflection.

 

Sutter boys are getting it done

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 23

 

Flames 3 LA 2

 

Mangiapane, Flames stay hot on road by holding off Kings 3-2

 

 

0:37

 

Tkachuk fires in a goal to extend Flames' lead

Matthew Tkachuk nets a goal to put the Flames up 3-1.

---

ByAP

1 hour ago

 

LOS ANGELES -- — Andrew Mangiapane and Milan Lucic scored on the power play as the Calgary Flames won their fourth straight road game, 3-2 over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

 

Matthew Tkachuk had a goal, Jacob Markstrom made 40 saves and the Flames improved to an NHL-leading 10-2-2 on the road.

 

“Sometimes you need your special teams to produce, and the power play was able to get two and the penalty kill did their job again here tonight,” Lucic said.

Alex Edler got his 100th career goal and Alex Iafallo also scored, but the Kings lost for the seventh time in eight games. Cal Petersen made 29 saves.

 

“I think it always comes down to little things, the little details in a game, little mistakes here and there,” Edler said. “Whether it’s getting the puck behind them, turning the puck over here and there. If you do that too many times, eventually you’re going to get punched.”

 

Tkachuk made it 3-1 at 4:54 of the second, with the Flames taking advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone, to get his 11th goal on a wrist shot from the right circle.

 

Edler got the Kings back to 3-2 with 1:49 left in the period, scoring off the rush to pick up his first goal with Los Angeles after playing 15 seasons in Vancouver.

 

The Flames used two power-play goals to take a lead into the first intermission after falling behind early.

 

Lucic scored five-hole to put Calgary in front with 3:32 remaining in the period, getting a goal for the second straight game and giving him three in his past four outings.

 

The Flames tied it 1-all with 8:41 left. Los Angeles couldn’t clear Mikael Backlund’s rebound, and he was able to find Mangiapane in the slot for a one-timer.

 

Mangiapane leads Calgary with 16 goals, a league-leading 15 of which have come on the road, and his five power-play goals are tied with Tkachuk for most on the team.

 

The second power-play unit contributed both goals, and Lucic likes the simple approach they are using.

 

“Go to the net, pick up loose pucks, find guys off the side of the net, and all that type of stuff. It's worked pretty good for our unit so far, so we need to chip in when we can like we did tonight," he said.

 

Iafallo put the Kings ahead 4:30 into the game, tipping the puck

under Markstrom’s glove as he had been preparing for a rising shot on Edler’s look from the blue line. It was Iafallo’s third goal in two games.

 

“They’re not going in offensively, so we’ve got to almost play perfect defensively. So we’re chasing our tail a little bit,” Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said.

 

WELCOME BACK

 

Darryl Sutter coached against the Kings for the first time since leading them to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. Sutter went 225-147-53 in six seasons with Los Angeles before he was fired as part of an organization overhaul following the 2016-17 campaign.

 

Flames forward Trevor Lewis played against Los Angeles for the first time. Part of those two Cup-winning teams, he had 70 goals and 93 assists in 674 games during his 12 seasons with the Kings.

 

“It was big to get them the win," Tkachuk said. "They were here for a lot of years and won some championships here and probably have a lot of great memories here, so, sure, this game feels a lot better and is special to them, but it feels better with the win.”

 

NO PLACE LIKE HOLE

 

Four of Lucic’s seven goals this season have come between the goalie's legs.

 

“It’s a high-percentage shot. If you miss, it's off the pads and it stays alive," Lucic said. “I'd love to tell you how I set it up, but I don't want the goalies to know what my thought process is.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 24

 

Flames 4 Ducks 3 SO

 

Gaudreau, Tkachuk lead Flames over Ducks in shootout

 

 

The Flames get shootout goals from Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk in their win over the Ducks.

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- — Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk scored in the shootout and the Calgary Flames beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on Friday night.

 

Sean Monahan had a goal and an assist for the Pacific Division-leading Flames, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight on the road. Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm also had goals for Calgary in regulation and Dan Vladar stopped 31 shots.

 

Monahan and Coleman also snapped long scoring droughts. Monahan got his first goal in 13 games and Coleman had gone goalless in his last 16.

 

“When they’re getting chances and they’re not going in, they start lying awake at night, thinking about the ones they missed. So it’s nice to see them get rewarded,” Calgary assistant coach Ryan Huska said.

 

The Ducks trailed 3-1 in the second period before rallying back. Rickard Rakell scored with 36 seconds remaining in the period on a slap shot and Vinni Lettieri evened it 2:04 into the third on the power play with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off Trevor Zegras' pass.

 

Sonny Milano also had a goal for Anaheim and John Gibson made 33 saves. Despite the loss, the Ducks have picked up points in three straight games and are 11-4-1 since Oct. 31.

 

“We played very well in the first period, and we played very well in the third period. The second period, we got away from our game, and that’s also a reminder too. If we want to be an elite team, we have to play a certain way,” coach Dallas Eakins said.

 

“If we’re not going to do it to a man, then we are going to very quickly get in trouble. I think our group has learned enough lessons, and it’s time to take another step forward.”

 

Monahan had his first multi-point game since Nov. 14 at Ottawa. After Milano opened the scoring 54 seconds into the second with a tip-in, Monahan fed a perfect pass to Coleman in front of the net to tie it three minutes later.

 

Later in the period, Monahan snapped a 12-game drought and gave Calgary a 3-1 lead with 4:50 remaining when Trevor Lewis found him alone in front of the net. It was Monahan's 207th career goal with the Flames, which moved him into seventh place in franchise history.

 

“You just gotta grind. I mean, if it’s not coming, if it’s not working, you just gotta grind through it and stick with it,” Monahan said. “You don’t wanna get frustrated because then you lose other aspects of your game. You just gotta stick with it and gotta build your confidence up slowly.”

 

The Flames took advantage of a Ducks turnover midway through the second to take a 2-1 lead when Lindholm had a give-and-go goal after taking the pass from Gaudreau.

 

STREAK ENDS

 

Milano's goal ended Vladar’s shutout streak at 140:54. Vladar, who is the Flames' backup goalie, improved to 5-0-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .939 save percentage.

[Brewin Flames]

I'll go on record right now to say the bruins will regret trading Vladar, but...win win for me.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 25

 

Flames 2 VGK 3 

 

Dadonov, Pacioretty, Roy lift Vegas over Calgary, 3-2

 

 

 

LAS VEGAS -- — Evgenii Dadonov scored his seventh goal of the season and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Sunday night.

Less than two minutes after Calgary’s Elias Lindholm cut the Golden Knights’ 2-0 lead in half, Dadonov responded by smacking a rebound past Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom to give Vegas a 3-1 lead.

 

Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Roy also scored for the Golden Knights, who welcomed William Karlsson back into the lineup and continued to get healthier after being hit by the injury bug over the first two months of the season. Karlsson missed 15 games due to a broken foot.

 

“When we start getting that depth back we have a lot better ability to play the type of game we played tonight,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. “By far the most complete game we played in a long time. And I think part of that was our players’ commitment to it and part of it was we’re getting healthy and getting some real good players back in the lineup.”

 

Meanwhile, Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner made 23 saves, and afterward announced he was foregoing the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he was expected to play for Sweden.

 

“For health reasons, me and my psychiatrist decided with agents that I’m not gonna go and I wish them all the best,” said Lehner, who has been one of the league’s most outspoken players on mental-health issues.

 

Andrew Mangiapane added a goal to the Flames’ total, and Markstrom, who is expected to represent Sweden in the Olympics, made 25 saves.

 

Calgary was playing its third road game in four nights, part of a four-game road trip that ends Tuesday in San Jose.

 

“I think the difference was we just weren’t as sharp for the whole 60 minutes and they took it to us pretty good, especially the first two periods,” Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “We played a little bit better once it was a little easier and we were down, but that can’t happen. We have to be ready from the start and play that full 60 that we’ve been pretty good at this year.”

 

Capitalizing on a turnover initiated by captain Mark Stone, the Golden Knights opened the scoring late in the first period. Stone fired a pass through the neutral zone to Stephenson, who raced in for a breakaway a step ahead of Rasmus Andersson but fed a trailing Pacioretty. He fired it past Markstrom to extend his point streak to five games (four goals and three assists since Nov. 24).

 

Vegas extended its lead to two goals early in the third period. Markstrom blocked a shot by Shea Theodore, but Theodore gathered the puck and swiftly sent the puck to the slot where Roy fired it in with a wrist shot.

 

Mangiapane’s 17th goal of the season came with 2:41 left in the game, cutting Vegas’ lead back down to one, but the Golden Knights held on.

 

“Obviously we didn’t win and that’s the most important thing, but we also didn’t roll over and die, you know what I mean?”

 

Flames defenseman Chris Tanev said. “They get up 3-1, the building’s loud, it’s easy for guys to just sit back and not want to make plays and be afraid to go out there. Guys are still pushing, guys are still trying to score goals, which is a big step for us.”

 

The Golden Knights improved to 9-3-0 all-time against Calgary, and are now a perfect 7-0-0 against the Flames at T-Mobile Arena.

 

“It’s definitely a mindset of ours, is sticking to our details and making sure that we’re executing it for a full 60 minutes,” Vegas defenseman Nic Hague said. “And I thought we did a good job of that tonight.

 

Even when they had their push in the third, we stuck with it, quick response there by (Roy’s) line and that’s great to see. That was a big boost for us.”

 

Game notes

Roy played in his 100th game as a member of the Golden Knights. ... Vegas is 10 for 10 with its penalty kill the last four games. 

[Brewin Flames]

Game 26

 

Flames 3 Sharks 3

 

Hertl's hat trick leads Sharks past Flames 5-3

 

 

Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl score in the third period to put San Jose up 4-3 over Calgary.

---

ByAP

Updated: 7 hours ago

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- — Tomas Hertl scored his fourth career hat trick and the San Jose Sharks used a three-goal barrage in the second period to beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Tuesday night.

 

The Pacific Division-leading Flames went up 3-1 early in the second before the Sharks responded with goals from Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture and Hertl to take the lead in the opener of a seven-game homestand, San Jose's longest of the season.

 

“It was huge because when you come back from long trips the first game is the hardest,” Hertl said. "This homestand is really important and I think a really great effort from tonight.”

 

Hertl sealed it with an empty-netter for his first hat trick since Jan. 22, 2019, against Washington. Hertl, who snapped a five-game point drought with a goal Sunday, also scored on the power play in the first.

 

“Every player in this league goes through ups and downs, and when he gets hot he is so good,” Couture said. “It’s so important to our team.”

Adin Hill made 40 saves for the Sharks.

 

Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Ruzicka scored for the Flames, who dropped the final two games of a four-game trip that started with two wins. Dan Vladar made 22 saves.

 

“I think probably our defense had a really rough night,” coach Darryl Sutter said. “The goaltender had trouble in traffic and with rebounds. ... I’d say the six defensemen played like it was an exhibition game. Disappointing.”

 

Ruzicka scored his first career goal early in the second when he knocked in his own rebound before the Sharks got going in the second half of the period.

Karlsson started it shortly after returning to the ice following his delay of game penalty, scoring his seventh of the season on a breakaway off a pass from Couture.

 

The two then flipped roles on the power play when Couture redirected Karlsson's point shot for the equalizer.

 

Hertl scored on a rebound from the side of the net on a power play with 1:50 left in the second to put San Jose ahead for the first time.

The Flames came up empty on three power plays.

 

“We had a ton of opportunities to make it a 4-1 game there at one point,” Gaudreau said. “We didn’t and we let them hang around. I thought we were playing well, 5 on 5, but our power play, we have to find a way to put the puck in the net.”

 

FAST START

 

The Flames entered as the NHL's best team in the first period with a plus-16 goal differential and added to it against the Sharks.

 

After a turnover by Brent Burns in the neutral zone, Dube redirected a centering pass from Milan Lucic to open the scoring 1:37 into the game.

 

After Hertl tied it on the power play, Matthew Tkachuk won a puck battle behind the net and found Gaudreau with a no-look pass alone in front to make it 2-1.

 

The assist gave Tkachuk his 300th career point in his 375th game. He joins Auston Matthews as the only players from the 2016 draft class to record 300 points so far in the NHL.

 

LINEUP SHUFFLE

 

 

The Sharks benched forward Kevin Labanc, who has no points in the last six games and just two even-strength points in 19 games this season. San Jose also placed forward Rudolfs Balcers on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and said he is week-to-week.