Calgary Flames 2018/19 Season Chatter

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 15

 5  3

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC

Flames continue their habit of third-period game-winning rallies in victory over Blackhawks

by TY PILSON @typilson / calgaryflames.com

Call them the Cardiac Kids.

Or maybe the Comeback Kids.

Or perhaps, most aptly, just call them winners.

The Flames erased yet another third-period deficit, scoring twice in a span of 66 seconds to come-from behind and beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 Saturday evening at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

On a night they dominated the play and outshot the visitors by a massive margin - 41-15 when all was said and done - they wrote another chapter in this season's tome of Final Frame Frenzied Finishes to secure the win. 

Just two nights after they erased a three-goal deficit to rally from a 4-1 hole in the final stanza against the Colorado Avalanche and post a 6-5 victory, you couldn't fault fans for feeling the déjà vu.

Sean Monahan's second goal of the game tied things up and Michael Frolik's tally just over a minute later stood up as the game-winner, with Mikael Backlund's empty-netter putting the cherry on top.

Matthew Tkachuk also tallied at the end of the second period, putting Calgary within striking distance at 3-2.

The Flames have now scored an incredible NHL-leading 28 third-period goals, showing a flare for the dramatic and a serious killer instinct, improving to 4-1-1 in their last six games.

"It's not ideal to be down in games like we have been, but when you have those guys in here ... we want to win," said Monahan. "We had a lot of good looks and if you play the same way we're playing, you're going to get rewarded and that's what happened tonight."

"It was weird that we were behind in the game after two, playing that way we were," said Tkachuk. "Sometimes that's the way it goes. I liked our reponse in the third. We dominated."

Just 2:14 into the tilt there was a scary moment, when Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith hammered Dillon Dube head first into the boards behind the Chicago net, leaving the young forward crumpled on the ice and eventually having to be helped to the bench by the training staff. He left the game and didn't return.

Keith was given a boarding major and game misconduct.

On the ensuing five-minute powerplay, captain Mark Giordano - who had a goal and four points in the win over the Avs - almost got the homeside on the board first when he beat Corey Crawford but not the post, clanging one off the iron.

But before the penalty expired, Calgary would score with Elias Lindholm wiring a cross-ice, faceoff-to-faceoff circle pass to Johnny Gaudreau who feed it back into the slot to Monahan, who shot into an open cage as Crawford slid past his far post at 4:46.

With Frolik in the box for tripping and then Travis Hamonic for a subsequent hold on the Blackhawks powerplay, Jonathan Toews made good on the two-man advantage poking the puck past David Rittich to tie it up. 

Jan Rutta's point-shot with 29 seconds left in the first period found its way past a screened Rittich to double the Chicago lead.

The Flames had a couple of great chances to tie it up in the second: Backlund just missed getting the handle on the rebound of a Noah Hanifin point shot that fell at his feet beside an open net, and Gaudreau dragged the puck around Brent Seabrook on a one-on-one rush, but put his backhand high over the net.

Brandon Saad scored on a rush of his own at the 12:41 mark to open up a two-goal lead for the Blackhawks.

Tkachuk - who had been buzzing all period - potted his sixth of the campaign when he carried the puck into the zone and snapped a wrister far-side over the shoulder of Crawford with 1:34 left in the middle stanza, Hamonic and Backlund picking up the helpers.

"That's a huge turning point and it's late in the second and I thought guys were good on the bench about it and talked about it leaving the bench and going into the dressing room," said coach Bill Peters, when asked what the tally did to energize the team during the intermission. "They would have talked about it, for sure, down one and going into the third. We've been in that position numerous times. We felt pretty good about our game, obviously. Didn't love the fact that we ended up giving one up early on that (5-on-3 penalty kill), but that's gonna happen when you're playing against good players."

The Flames pushed hard in the third, outshooting Chicago 15-1 with Lindholm missing the net on a couple of glorious chances before Monahan scored when he converted a cross-ice feed from - who else - but Johnny Hockey with just over six minutes to play and start the scoring run in the final frame.

"You've just got to stay with it," said Peters. "That one (Lindholm) chance, I think Seabrook got his stick on it, and the other, I didn't even know where it went. We had lots of good looks. We had some zone time and had lots of good looks. I thought once we got a little more detail to our game, I thought we were real good and didn't give up much."

Peters also shared good news post-game about Dube's condition.

"I think he's going to be OK, I really do," he said. "I think it was the right call to keep him out. He went through the protocol, so he'll enter a concussion protocol now. He ended up with few stitches -- don't know the details on that. I saw him in the room after and he was smiling and giggling, so I'm sure he's fine but you know how that goes, too, and we'll see how he does in the next 48 hours."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 16

 2  3

Getzlaf leads Anaheim to 3-2 victory over Calgary

The Ducks get goals from Jakob Silfverberg, Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf, who nets the go-ahead goal in a 3-2 victory over the Flames.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ryan Getzlaf and the Anaheim Ducks appear to be turning things around after a two-week slump.

The Ducks got their second victory in three games Wednesday night as they defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2. Getzlaf supplied the game-winning goal in the third period 27 seconds after the Flames tied it while they were short-handed.

"We've been working hard to close out a couple of these games," said Getzlaf, who scored his second game-winning goal of the season and 49th of his career. "It was pretty exciting. Emotions are high in this room."

The Ducks began the season 5-1-1 but managed only two points in their next seven games before a 3-2 overtime victory against Columbus on Sunday. Anaheim lost to Los Angeles 4-1 on Tuesday, but Getzlaf said it was good to get back on the ice quickly and put that defeat behind them.

It wasn't easy, though. Anaheim led 2-0 in the first but Calgary rallied to tie it six minutes into the third when Mark Jankowski stole the puck from Brandon Montour in the neutral zone and shot it just over Ryan Miller's glove while leading a 2-on-1 rush.

The Ducks, though, were quickly able to seize back momentum. Getzlaf corralled a loose puck in front and directed a backhand through Mike Smith's legs to snap the Flames' four-game winning streak.

"In the end we gutted it out in the third period and found a way," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "I thought we started the right way. We didn't want to sit back and worry about what happened last night. It was more about being in the present."

Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique also scored for Anaheim. Miller made 37 saves and tied Andy Moog (372) for 17th on the career wins list.

"He's a goalie I watched growing up," Miller said. "I used to try to draw his helmet all the time on my street hockey helmet. It's pretty cool to be playing long enough to win enough games to be mentioned."

Calgary pulled Smith for an extra skater with 2:28 remaining and then was on a power play for the final 74 seconds after Rickard Rakell was called for slashing. But the Flames were never able to get a clean shot on goal despite the two-man advantage.

"We had some good looks but I thought we needed to do a little more offensively," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "I liked our third period but we ended up chasing the game again here today."

Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Calgary, which has won only once in its last 28 trips to Anaheim. Smith stopped 21 shots.

The Ducks got on the board at 8:37 of the first when Silfverberg carried the puck into the Calgary zone and ripped a slap shot for his fifth goal of the season. Henrique gave them a two-goal lead three minutes later when he pounced on a rebound after Smith stopped Josh Manson's shot from near the blue line.

With less than three minutes left in the first, Calgary scored on the power play when Tkachuk redirected Elias Lindholm's drive past Miller.

[yave1964]

Smith is not a favorite of mine in the same way that I dont like broccoli flavored ice cream. I just dont like his obstructionist delay tactics that he uses way too much. Not my kind of guy.

  At least one of those goals against Colorado should have been stopped, two kids scoring their first ever goals the other night was ridiculous.

 

  Last night he went against an Anaheim team that cannot score who was playing their backup goalie. ShoI am not a fan of overaged uld Rittich be given a run of four or five games to see what he can do? I am not a fan of overaged players who suddenly burst on the scene but Rittich looked good in a limited role early last season then when Smith went down the combo of other injuries and frankly other players simply mailing it in he was not so hot down the stretch. This is a talented team and IMHO netminding is the problem, I absolutely give him a shot. Gillies has looked awful in the A this year and Tyler Parsons has been even worse so they are stuck for this year anyway running with the two they have. Rittich deserves the shot.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 17

 1  0

Rittich, Hamonic lead Flames to 1-0 win over Kings

Travis Hamonic scored one goal and that was all his team needed as the Flames took down the Kings 1-0.

LOS ANGELES -- Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich was more than happy to share the credit after getting his first career shutout.

It was a perfectly reasonable position from Rittich after seeing the hard work put in on both ends of the ice by defenseman Travis Hamonic and the Flames.

Rittich stopped 21 shots and Hamonic scored to help the Flames to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.

"I get a shutout, but they didn't have too much because our team played pretty good," said Rittich, who has won three straight starts and five of his past six. "I have to say thank you to the locker room because they played really good."

The Flames have won five of their past six games.

Jack Campbell made 35 saves for the Kings, who have been held to one goal or fewer in six of their first 16 games.

The Flames went in front 2:26 into the first period. Hamonic got his second goal, with Garnet Hathaway setting a screen that kept Campbell from seeing the shot to the far post. Austin Czarnik and Noah Hanifin had assists, with Hanifin picking up his third in the past four games.

"I mean, I don't score much, so it was nice. A bonus," Hamonic said. "Glad to help the team out that way, but I thought defensively our group collectively was really good."

Hamonic also played his part to help smother the Kings' floundering offense. He used his body to break up a pass by Ilya Kovalchuk during an odd-man rush in the second period, when the Kings managed four shots on goal.

Hamonic also disrupted a breakaway by Tanner Pearson on the power play in the third period, coming up from behind to delay Pearson from shooting and allowing Rittich to make the save when Pearson did put the puck on goal.

"I think he was the most noticeable guy either way on either team," Flames coach Bill Peters said of Hamonic. "He just found a way to be involved in the game."

The Kings struggled to create chances on a consistent basis, continuing a recurring theme this season. Even when Jeff Carter won an offensive-zone face-off with 44 seconds remaining and Campbell pulled for an extra attacker, the Kings still could not beat Rittich.

"We're getting some shots, but not the shots we want," Kings forward Alex Iafallo said. "We need to get that passion back, that hunger to get to the soft areas and keep making plays."

After beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday in coach Willie Desjardins' debut with the team, the Kings have lost two straight and scored one goal each in defeats against the Minnesota Wild and Flames.

Desjardins said the Kings would have to be more aggressive on offense, even if it meant getting away from the sound defensive structure that has been the team's identity this decade.

"I think that's the way they have always won, so I think some of the top guys think a little bit more defensively," Desjardins said. "The guys on the other side, (Flames forward Johnny) Gaudreau, (Sean) Monahan, they are always thinking offense. Saying that, I think we have to create some systems that are going to get guys more involved. We got to force ourselves to get up ice and play more aggressive and play more offensive."

[yave1964]

Smith is not a favorite of mine in the same way that I dont like broccoli flavored ice cream. I just dont like his obstructionist delay tactics that he uses way too much. Not my kind of guy.

  With the shutout last niught by Rittich, if Smith bombs tonight you absolutely have to start giving Rittich the lions share, possibly two or three in a row. If Smith goes out and has a good/great game at the least it likely is a time share.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 18

 1  3

Pavelski leads Sharks in 3-1 win over Flames


Evander Kane beats Mike Smith to the far side, then Joonas Donskoi snaps home a one-timer to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead over the Flames.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Evander Kane doesn't know why he keeps putting up big numbers against the Calgary Flames.

Kane had a goal and an assist to help the San Jose Sharks beat the Flames 3-1 Sunday night.

The 27-year old forward, in his 10th season with his fourth team, now has 10 goals and six assists in 12 career games against Calgary.

"I have no idea," Kane said. "I've played in the (Eastern Conference) a lot of my career, too, we saw those guys twice a season. For some reason, the pucks seem to be going in when we play against these guys."

Joe Pavelski had a goal and two assists, Joonas Donskoi also had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones stopped 29 shots as the Sharks snapped a two-game skid.

Sean Monahan scored and Mike Smith had 26 saves for the Flames, who had won five of their previous six.

Kane put the Sharks ahead 50 seconds into the game with his sixth of the season. Donskoi scored less than a minute and a half into the second with is fourth.

Jones stopped a penalty shot from Sam Bennett with 7:38 left in the third period with Calgary trailing 2-1.

"It was frustrating because we played so well," Bennett said. "It doesn't feel good not getting the tying goal. I'll try to think of something else the next time."

Under persistent pressure in the third period, Jones had 14 saves.

"Jonesy made some phenomenal saves and you need that, there guy was making phenomenal saves too on high danger chances," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "Good teams need great goaltending, and he made timely saves for us."

The Sharks were coming off an 0-2 road trip.

"Obviously it wasn't a great road trip for us, so to come back and respond the way we did at home with the big win, that was huge for us," Jones said.

The Flames capitalized on a turnover as Monahan scored a breakaway at 6:02 of the second to make it 2-1. Mark Jankowski assisted Monahan's goal after taking the puck away from Erik Karlsson.

"I thought we generated some good looks in the third, we just weren't able to put them in," Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said. "We didn't go to the net. They were more committed to putting the puck on the net and forechecking than we were."

Pavelski scored an empty-netter in the final minute.

"It feels good to be home," Pavelski said. "Right from the first ceremony tonight there was good energy in this building, I think the players felt it, and responded well too."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 19

 2  3

Carey Price makes 43 saves, Canadiens beat Flames 3-2


Artturi Lehkonen puts a wrist shot past the goalie as Montreal beats Calgary 3-2.

CALGARY, Alberta -- In a duel of struggling goaltenders, one returned to vintage form, while the misery continued for the other.

Carey Price backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 win over Mike Smith and the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, despite the visitors being outshot 45-22.

"He's the best goalie in the world," said Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the game-winner in the third period. "He was outstanding in the net. He was a big key as to why we won."

Lehkonen's first goal in 18 games, dating back to the season-opener, came on a harmless-looking 40-foot wrist shot from off the wing that leaked through Smith's pads.

"Bad goal, bad timing," said Smith, who fell to 5-7-1.

Smith's save percentage dropped to .876 on the season, which ranks 49th out of 50 goaltenders who have played six-or-more games.

"When you feel like you've let your team down, that's probably the biggest frustration/disappointment that can ever happen in your career," said the 36-year-old. "Our team played such a great game tonight and deserved a much better fate. When something happens like that and it's on you, it's obviously disappointing."

It has been a tough year for Price, too, who entered the night with an .892 save percentage. Price found himself on the bench the last two games after giving up 11 goals on 63 shots in his previous two starts.

But he was back in form against Calgary.

"Just trying to stop the puck and try to read plays well and let them hit you when they come," said Price, who improved to 6-4-3.

Price stopped all thirteen shots he faced in the final frame as the Canadiens won for the third time when trailing after two periods.

"He's got his reputation as Carey Price, the best goalie in the world, for a reason and we have that confidence playing in front of him and I don't think anyone was ever worried," said Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher.

Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Montreal (10-6-3), which has split the opening two games of its three-game Western Canada road trip. The Canadiens play in Vancouver on Saturday.

Max Domi had an assist for the Canadiens to extend his point streak to eight games (5-7-12).

Matthew Tkachuk scored both goals for Calgary (10-8-1). Tkachuk's eighth and ninth markers of the season put him at a team-best 21 points on the season. Mark Giordano had two assists. The Flames' four-game homestand continues Saturday when they are host to the Edmonton Oilers.

"Very, very tough," said Tkachuk, about the setback. "It's one of those where you don't want a third period like that, especially when you're up 2-1 in your building."

Montreal tied the game 2-2 at 8:32 of the third. After a scramble in front of the net, Smith kicked out his pad to stop Andrew Shaw's backhander, but Drouin was right there to slide in the rebound.

"Carey stood tall in net and gave us a chance after two periods to still be in the game," said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. "I liked the way we came out in the third. Finally we talked about it, starting to play on our toes again like we had been when things are going well."

The Canadiens opened the scoring eight minutes into the first on another shaky one as Tatar's shot from the slot deflected off Smith's upper body and went into the net.

"We all have bad days at work sometimes," said Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic, when asked about his goaltender. "We battle as a team. We win and lose as a team. It's never on one player."

Coming on the fifth shot Smith faced, it was the 10th time in 13 starts that he has surrendered a goal on one of the first six shots.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 20

 4  2

Lindholm scores twice, Flames rally past Oilers 4-2

Connor McDavid gets a penalty for fighting but makes up for it by scoring a goal in the Oilers' 4-2 loss to the Flames.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Elias Lindholm is having a breakout season with Calgary.

Lindholm scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, and the Flames rallied from two down to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Saturday night.

After deflecting Noah Hanifin's point shot into Mikko Koskinen's pads, Lindholm knocked in the rebound at 9:10 of the third. He added an empty-netter for his team-leading 11th goal -- his career high is 17 set in 2014-15.

"He's a high-end player. He has been his whole life," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "Takes faceoffs, kills penalties, can play 4-on-4, plays on the power play. He touches the game in a lot of different areas."

Lindholm, acquired from Carolina in the offseason, was drafted fifth overall in 2013, one spot ahead of linemate Sean Monahan.

Monahan, with a goal and an assist, and Derek Ryan also scored for Calgary.

Connor McDavid and Alex Chiasson scored for Edmonton, which has lost five of six.

Down 2-1 entering the third period, Calgary tied it at 2:40 when Monahan rattled home a rebound of Travis Hamonic's shot.

It was the sixth time the Flames have come back to win when trailing after two periods, most in the NHL.

"A lot of times we play unreal in the third, but you don't want to chase the game too much," Lindholm said. "It's not going to work all the time to be down before the third. It's something we need to work on."

The Flames were down 2-0 before Ryan ended a 14-game scoring drought with his second of the season at 16:23 of the second period.

Until then, the Flames' listless power play had given up just as many shots as it had generated, with two of the three allowed being breakaways.

Standing tall in net was David Rittich, who improved to 6-1-0. Included in his 24 stops were three breakaways -- two for Leon Draisaitl and one by Jujhar Khaira.

"It's my job. It's a great feeling, but that's why I'm in the net -- making saves," Rittich said.

With fellow goalie Mike Smith struggling, Rittich delivered the type of quality start Calgary needed after dropping three of its previous four games.

"He was huge. There were a couple breakaways and odd-man rushes. He made some big stops. When that happens it makes you want to go hard," Monahan said.

Koskinen, who turned aside 33 shots, fell to 4-2-0.

"It felt like we ran out of gas a little bit. We spent the whole third in our own zone," he said.

Edmonton increased its lead to 2-0 at 3:49 of the second when Draisaitl set up McDavid on a perfectly executed 2-on-1. Rittich had no chance to get across and stop the one-timer.

The Oilers took the lead 2:29 into the game while short-handed. Playing against his former team, Chiasson broke in off the wing and slipped a backhand through Rittich's pads.

It was a physical game, especially early, with Mikael Backlund and McDavid wrestling at one point. Sam Bennett and Darnell Nurse squared off after Bennett, on the first shift of the game, rocked the Oilers defenseman with a heavy hit.

Matthew Tkachuk was in the middle of the action, getting jumped by Zack Kassian late in the first period, which drew a triple minor for roughing and a misconduct on the Oilers' rugged forward.

"We had an opportunity to go ahead two or three and that may have changed the game, on some of the breakaways, but their goaltender played well," Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said.

"Too many penalties. Their top players didn't have to play a lot of hard minutes. They were on the power play the whole first two (periods), so by the time you get to the third, they have some gas left in their tanks and they certainly took it to us."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 21

 7  2

Flames race to seven-goal lead, defeat Golden Knights 7-2

The Flames score five times in the 1st period, including two goals from Sean Monahan, as Calgary pounds the Golden Knights 7-2.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau matched a career-high with four points, all in the first period, and found a spot in the Calgary Flames' record book.

Gaudreau's goal and three assists, along with Matthew Tkachuk's two goals and two assists, helped the Flames take over top spot in the Pacific Division with a 7-2 rout of the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

Calgary is even in points with the San Jose Sharks, but have one more regulation/overtime win.

"He's a dynamic player and he's a very creative player and he sees it," Flames coach Bill Peters said of Gaudreau. "There's not a whole bunch of them that have the ability to slow the game down and buy time for guys to get open and he's got it."

Calgary blew the game open early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period. Gaudreau became the 10th player in franchise history, and first since Olli Jokinen on Feb. 14, 2011, to register four points in a period.

Gaudreau's handiwork began 2:36 into the game when he set up Tkachuk, who also matched his career best in points. Tkachuk whipped a 20-foot wrist shot past Malcolm Subban for a power-play goal.

Gaudreau made it 2-0 at 6:49, ripping a shot over Subban's glove to complete a tic-tac-to passing sequence with linemates Elias Lindholm and Monahan.

"Smart play by a smart player," said Gaudreau, describing Lindholm's play that began the sequence. "He's 20 to 30 feet ahead of us and he has a one-on-two, pulls up, finds (Monahan), next thing you know it's a two-on-two then I'm coming in the play and it's a three-on-two. For him to have that awareness, he's pretty smart."

Gaudreau pounced on a turnover in the Vegas slot and set up Monahan's one-timer for a 3-0 lead at 10:59, then capped off his record-tying period by setting up Monahan's second of the period and team-leading 12th goal.

"He's a big-time threat to take the puck to the net and then when he pulls up and delays, you've got guys with good timing coming late, that's when you see all those seam passes and East-West passes," Peters said. "All of a sudden, the goaltender is out playing the shooter and it's a long lateral pass and he can't get across."

TJ Brodie and Sam Bennett rounded out the scoring for Calgary (12-8-1), which plays Vegas again on Friday.

Nick Holden and Max Pacioretty scored third-period goals for the Golden Knights, who were coming off a 6-3 win in Edmonton on Sunday

"It's hard to believe that this happened tonight, the way we played last night but that's hockey," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "It's pretty disappointing and I hope they're disappointed because they didn't show up."

For the Flames, who lead the league with six third-period comebacks, Monahan says it was nice to play from in front for a change.

"It's fun, obviously, when you're putting the puck in the net and you're winning like that. That's the best part of hockey," said Monahan. "This is a team, I think we needed a win like that."

Second-year Czech goaltender David Rittich made 20 saves to improve to 7-1-0. It was the second start in a row for the 26-year-old Rittich, who is getting more playing time with veteran Mike Smith struggling.

Subban went the distance for Vegas, finishing with 25 stops. After going 13-4-2 as a rookie last season, Subban has lost all four starts this season.

"I don't have any answers for you right now, but we're supposed to be a fast team and it's probably the slowest we played all year," Vegas winger Reilly Smith said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 22

 6  3

Flames score 5 goals in 1st period again to down Jets 6-3

Calgary gets off to a hot start with five goals in the 1st period to cruise past Winnipeg 6-3.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Sam Bennett is taking advantage of increased playing time.

Bennett had the go-ahead goal and an assist, and the Calgary Flames scored five times in the first period again to beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-3 on Wednesday night.

Calgary took the lead for good at 8:20 of the first when Bennett ripped a 25-foot wrist shot into the top corner for his second goal in two games. Next shift out, he combined with TJ Brodie to set up a goal by Matthew Tkachuk.

"I've wanted this opportunity for a while and I said I'd make the most of it. I'm not going to let my foot off the pedal now," Bennett said. "The confidence is definitely pretty good right now. I feel confident in my plays and I'm able to make plays and not be scared to make mistakes. It's a great feeling."

Dillon Dube, Mark Jankowski, Johnny Gaudreau and Derek Ryan, with an empty netter, also scored as Calgary (13-8-1) moved back into first place in the Pacific Division.

The Flames became the fourth team in NHL history and first in nearly 30 years to score five or more goals in consecutive first periods. Calgary also scored five times in the first Monday against Vegas in a 7-2 win.

The St. Louis Blues were the last team to accomplish the feat back in November 1989.

"It was just embarrassing," Winnipeg forward Patrik Laine said. "That's not the Winnipeg Jets. That's not the way we want to play this game. It was bad. It was real bad."

Elevated to the second line alongside Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund to start the homestand, Bennett remains in that spot. The fourth pick in the 2014 draft has earned accolades from his coach and teammates in helping the Flames win three of their past four games.

"He's playing awesome right now," Tkachuk said. "I love how heavy and physical he's been. He's creating more space for myself and (Backlund), but he's creating more space for himself as well. You saw his speed on that breakaway in the third."

It was the first multipoint game of the season for Bennett. Half of his eight points have come in the past four games.

"Benny is one of those guys, he's a young guy still, he's getting comfortable with what he brings to the table," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "He's got a real bright future. We've said all along, we've liked him, we've liked him a lot. His competitiveness has led to the opportunity of playing more and he's capitalized on that."

Making his third consecutive start with struggling Mike Smith on the bench, David Rittich finished with 37 saves to improve to 8-1-0. He's won five straight.

Laine scored two goals and Brandon Tanev had the other one for Winnipeg (12-6-2).

"There was quite a bit that didn't go our way tonight," captain Blake Wheeler said. "Some of that was self-inflicted and some of it, the puck just wasn't bouncing our way."

Tanev took advantage of poor defensive coverage and scored on his own rebound just 15 seconds into the game.

Dube's first NHL goal tied it less than two minutes later. He ended his drought in his 17th game, firing Jankowski's centering pass behind goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

Tkachuk's shot leaked through Hellebuyck's glove, making it 3-1 and ending the evening for the Jets goaltender. He exited after giving up three goals on nine shots.

"We've got three in a row right now and I think everyone in our locker room feels great," Rittich said.

Down 5-1, Winnipeg started to chip away at the lead, beginning with Laine's one-timer with 14 seconds remaining in the second period.

On a nearly identical-looking goal, only this time on the power play and off a setup by Dustin Byfuglien, Laine's 13th of the season 6:17 into the third drew the Jets within two.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 14 shots in relief of Hellebuyck. He took the loss to fall to 3-1-1.

[yave1964]

@Brewin Flames

 

Rittich is becoming a favorite of mine, he is a battler proof of which is his going after Big Bad Buff when Buff hit him with his stick after a whistle. Hard to call him a kid, he is older than Vasilevskiy or Hellboy for instance but he can play. He fits in very well with the Flames who contest every inch of the ice, reminding me of the Bluejackets quite a lot in that regard. Fun team to watch. Hell to play against.

[Brewin Flames]

5 goal first period explosions are also nice !

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 23

 2  0

Tuch, Fleury help Golden Knights beat Flames 2-0

Alex Tuch deflects a deep shot into the goal in the 1st period and the Golden Knights cruise to a 2-0 win over the Flames.

LAS VEGAS -- Alex Tuch and the Vegas Golden Knights made the most of their chance to atone for an ugly loss.

Tuch had a goal and an assist in his 100th career game, and Vegas beat the Calgary Flames 2-0 on Friday.

The Golden Knights avenged a 7-2 loss at Calgary on Monday, when the Flames opened up a 5-0 lead after just one period. The visit to Vegas marked the first time Calgary has been shut out this season.

Colin Miller scored his first goal of the season, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves in his fourth shutout of the season. It also was the 52nd shutout of his career, moving him into sole possession of 24th place on the NHL list, one shy of Nashville's Pekka Rinne.

"It was a good slap in the face in Calgary," said Fleury, who earned his 415th career victory. "It's good that we got to face them quickly in front of our crowd and got the win."

Fleury also started Wednesday at Arizona and made 19 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes.

"I thought we bounced back good in Arizona, we got the win there, it was a close game, too," Fleury said. "Sometimes things have to go right to get a shutout. Most of the night I could see the puck right, our guys in front played good, too."

James Neal, who scored the first two goals in Golden Knights history, made his first trip back to T-Mobile Arena as a member of the Flames. He received a warm reception from the crowd of 18,206 and finished with three shots on goal and four hits.

"The fans are unbelievable, I loved playing here again," Neal said. "Just great memories here, it's one of those things that you never forget. It was a quite a run that we had, a special bond with the guys. It's an emotional comeback for sure."

Calgary goaltender David Rittich made 26 saves after entering with a six-start win streak and an 8-1-0 mark on the year.

Tuch put the Golden Knights in front 16 minutes into the second period when he deflected Cody Eakin's wrist shot from the point. Miller extended the lead early in the third period when he launched a blistering slap shot from the blue line that beat Rittich on the stick side.

Since opening the season 0 for 16 and ranking last in the NHL on the power play, the Golden Knights have scored 14 goals in their last 60 chances with the man advantage.

"It's nice to build momentum off a good divisional win against Arizona, but a slap in the face on Monday will really get you going," Tuch said. "It feels weird (to play) 100 games, but you know what, I'm just really happy to get the win."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 24

 6  1

Hanifan, Jankowski lead Flames to 6-1 romp over Arizona

Noah Hanifin tallies a shorthanded and power-play goal in the Flames' 6-1 rout against the Coyotes.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Calgary coach Bill Peters took one on the chin Sunday, and so did the team his Flames dominated, the Arizona Coyotes.

Noah Hanifin and Mark Jankowski each scored twice, former Coyotes goalie Mike Smith just missed his 38th career shutout and the Flames routed Arizona 6-1.

Smith, making his first start in five games, made 28 saves in his first win since Nov. 1.

Peters wasn't around to watch about 10 minutes of the game after he was hit in the left jaw with a puck while standing in his customary spot in the bench area early in the second period. He needed eight stitches and returned late in the period.

"I think it's going to hurt more tomorrow, right?" Peters said after the game, the nasty cut and stitches clearly visible. "One of those things. There's not a lot of room up there, you've got to be paying attention. ... They did a good job, got me stitched up and back to work. ... Hopefully, it's the last time, but I doubt it."

The Flames have won four of five but were coming off a loss to Las Vegas. Peters liked what he saw.

"We've got a good group. We like our team," he said. "When we have time to practice and work on things typically we get better. This sets up real well. We've played every other day for a long time now. Now we get a day off and then we get another practice and we've got two at home."

Calgary led 6-0 before Clayton Keller scored for Arizona with 6:16 remaining.

Three of the Flames' goals were short-handed.

"If you have a chance to make something happen, do it," Hanifin said. "They want us to make plays. A team like Arizona, they have a ton of short-handed goals this year. It just shows that if the opportunity is there, take it."

The Coyotes have allowed five shorted-handed goals in their last two games.

"The power play is horrendous," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "It really cost us. The effort on the power play is not there. The 5-on-5 we're fine at, but it's just we lose juice during the power play. ... A lot of our best players are on the power play and they have to stick with the program and right now they're not, and that falls on me."

Hours after the game, the Coyotes traded forwards Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini to Chicago for forward Nick Schmaltz in a swap involving three former first-round picks.

Strome went No. 3 overall in 2015, but the 6-foot-3 forward has just seven goals and nine assists in 47 career games. Perlini has two goals and four assists in 22 games this season.

Sean Monahan and T.J. Brodie also scored for Calgary. The Flames rebounded from a loss at Las Vegas on Friday night and have won four of five. Arizona has lost four in a row, counting in overtime loss, and has been outscored 11-2 in the two games since goalie Antti Raanta returned after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. The Coyotes finished the home stand 1-3-1.

"We have to regroup here and especially not feel sorry for ourselves," Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "That's the last thing you can do in this league. You just have to work harder, that's it, just work had and support each other and come to the rink with a positive attitude."

About the only thing that did go wrong for Calgary was Elias Lindholm's failed penalty shot attempt, the puck knocked away by Raanta.

Hanifon's first goal came on a power play and his second was short-handed. The Flames' two other short-handed goals, by Brodie and Jankowski, came in a 24-second span in the third period.

"That was crazy. It's fresh to me," Hanifin said. "I have never seen that."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 25

 3  4 OT

Tyler Seguin scores in OT, Stars beat Flames 4-3


Jamie Benn gets to the loose puck and feeds Tyler Seguin, who rips a wrist shot past David Rittich to give the Stars a 4-3 win over the Flames.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn took full advantage of a poor defensive effort by the Calgary Flames.

Seguin scored 24 seconds into overtime, with an assist from Benn, to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 victory over Calgary on Wednesday night.

Benn knocked the puck into the slot, where Seguin was wide open and put a shot inside the post on David Rittich.

"I mentally kind of knew I was shooting there already," Seguin said. "Earlier I had a play, a chance, and I saw low glove open and said if I got the chance in the slot I'd shoot there again."

Rittich argued Benn interfered with him, but the goal stood up after a video review.

It was redemption for Benn, the Dallas captain, who took two minor penalties in the third period. The second one led to Johnny Gaudreau's goal at 9:41 that made it 2-all.

"Obviously he played that overtime with a little guilt," Seguin said. "I'm happy how hard he worked. He's our leader and captain and everyone follows him."

Benn scored his team-leading 10th goal on a power play at 18:02 of the second period, steering in a perfect feed from Seguin to give Dallas a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

"I like to think everybody follows me. I take pride in being the captain of this team and trying to do the right things all the time," Benn said. "When I'm doing that, they've got someone to follow."

Jason Spezza and Gavin Bayreuther added goals to help Dallas snap a four-game road losing streak. Anton Khudobin made 30 saves.

"I thought our effort was great. Our execution was poor," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "The way the guys dug in and kept battling was pretty impressive."

Garnet Hathaway and Mark Giordano also scored for Calgary. The Flames are 4-1-1 in their last six.

"We're fortunate to get a point out of the game tonight," coach Bill Peters said. "I didn't think we were very good. I didn't think our attention to detail was very good and our commitment to doing it right wasn't where it needs to be to get two points."

After trailing 2-1, the Flames took their first lead midway through the third period on goals 1:10 apart.

Gaudreau fired a shot top corner for a power-play goal. Giordano made it 3-2 with a similar-looking shot from a similar spot, again beating Khudobin with a rising shot over his glove.

The Stars tied it less than three minutes later. Matthew Tkachuk's clearing attempt went onto the stick of Bayreuther and the rookie defenseman fired his second of the season past Rittich.

"We had complete control when we took the lead," Giordano said. "We gave them the tie and just cost ourselves a point with a couple bad plays. It's tough to swallow right now, honestly. I thought we should have won that one."

Gaudreau and Sean Monahan each finished minus-3 for the Flames. They were on the ice when Spezza slipped into the slot undetected and one-timed Radek Faksa's pass behind Rittich just 41 seconds into the game. It was their missed coverage in overtime, too.

"Losing (stinks), obviously. Losing that way, it's even worse," Monahan said. "You come back in a game and get a lead, then give it back and give them an easy one there in overtime. That's on us, that's on me and I take the fall for that."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 26

 4  1

Backlund scores twice, Flames top Kings 4-1

Mikael Backlund scores a goal to give Flames an early lead and later nets the fourth and final goal in the Flames' 4-1 victory over the Kings.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau didn't let frustration get the better of him on Friday.

After ringing a shot off the crossbar and hitting a pair of posts, Gaudreau scored the eventual game-winner on the power play at 7:44 of the third period as his Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.

"After hitting that many posts, crossbars, I think they'd be frustrated as well," said Gaudreau, who backhanded a pass from linemate Elias Lindholm past Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and goalie Calvin Petersen. "It was just nice to finally put one in there.

"If I was going to get one, it was going to be a greasy one like that. It was good to get the lead there, on the power play too. We worked on it a little bit in practice the other day."

Mikael Backlund finished with two goals and an assist and Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames, who lead the Pacific Division standings with 32 points, one ahead of the Anaheim Ducks. Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm each had two assists.

Goalie Mike Smith made 13 saves for his second straight win and improved to 7-7-1.

"It was a pretty boring game to be honest," Smith said. "But saying that, that can lead to some inconsistencies in your game and I thought our guys did a really good job of sticking with it.

"We were skating and getting the puck in the offensive zone and wearing them out on the second of back-to-backs. Great composure by our group to stick with it. It was a weird game and we found a way to win."

Adrian Kempe scored the Kings' lone goal. Los Angeles lost its second straight and was coming off a 3-2 loss at Edmonton on Thursday.

"We knew that was going to be a bit of a challenge," said L.A. coach Willie Desjardins in regards to playing on back-to-back nights.

"I thought we had a good first period, though. I thought our guys skated well. We didn't hit the net, so we didn't get the shots, but we had some good chances."

After giving up an early goal, rookie Kings goalie Calvin Petersen finished with 33 saves.

"For a young player, he's been really quite remarkable to come in with his composure," Desjardins said. "He gives up that early one which could throw anybody off their game. It didn't. He stayed with it and was solid throughout the game."

Calgary opened the scoring 36 seconds into the first period when Backlund let a harmless-looking shot go from the top of the faceoff circle and beat Petersen over his left pad.

Although the Flames outshot Los Angeles 9-4 in the opening 20 minutes, they weren't able to get any more pucks past Petersen, who slid across his crease to deny another scoring opportunity by Backlund with 1:24 remaining before the first intermission.

Less than a minute before Backlund's late opportunity, Smith made a stick save to thwart a chance from the slot by forward Dustin Brown.

Gaudreau nearly put the Flames up 2-0 during an early power-play chance in the second period, but his shot from the slot rang off the crossbar.

The Kings pulled even at 13:41 of the second on a goal by Kempe, who scored off a pass from Austin Wagner from behind the net.

Gaudreau had another great chance to score late in the period when he made a couple moves behind the net before his wraparound attempt went along the goal line and off the far post.

Gaudreau then rang another puck off the post early in the third before finally backhanding a shot past Petersen during a Calgary man advantage, putting the Flames up by a goal.

"I don't think it should've been a 1-1 game going into the third there with so many chances and we couldn't find the net," Gaudreau said. "It was nice to get rewarded there in the third."

Backlund and Monahan added a pair of empty-net goals in the final minute of the game to seal the victory.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 27

 3  2

Monahan, Lindholm lead Flames past Blackhawks 3-2


Noah Hanifin passes it off to Derek Ryan, who lasers a wrist shot to the back of the net in the Flames' 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

CHICAGO -- The Calgary Flames might not have been at their best Sunday night, yet they got the breaks they needed.

Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist as Calgary edged the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 and moved into first place in the Pacific Division.

Derek Ryan also scored and Johnny Gaudreau had two assists for the Flames, who won their second straight game and for the third time in four contests.

"We got the two points, right?" coach Bill Peters said. "There's lots of things we could have done better. Could have managed the puck a little bit and made some decisions."

But the Flames managed to cash in on a flagrant Chicago mistake.

Lindholm and Ryan scored power-play goals 1:26 apart in the second period to give Calgary a 3-1 lead after Chicago veteran Chris Kunitz received a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing Travis Hamonic in the face.

"That ended up being the game-winning goal on the power play, so we did what we needed to do," Peters said. "You'd rather not see a guy take a head shot."

Hamonic said he probably has a broken nose, but the defenseman returned after the hit and played over 22 minutes.

"Probably not our best game, to be honest with you, but found a way to get through it," Hamonic said. "Found a way to win, came up with some big saves and big plays at the end."

Mike Smith made 22 saves, including a few flashy ones in the scoreless third, to preserve the win. While sprawled on his stomach, Smith stopped Artem Anisimov's point-blank attempt with his right skate with 5:14 left.

"A gaping net," Smith said "I was kind of a fish out of water there, kind of kicking my feet and fortunately got a piece of it."

Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome scored for struggling Chicago, which dropped its fourth straight and lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Blackhawks fell to 3-8-2 under coach Jeremy Colliton, who replaced Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6.

Chicago's Corey Crawford blocked 38 shots.

The Blackhawks have led only once in their last seven games -- at the end of a 5-4 overtime win at Florida on Nov. 24.

"I thought tonight was better, regardless of the result," Colliton said. "We don't control the result, we control our performance."

But Colliton couldn't control the hit by the 39-year-old Kunitz on Hamonic.

"It was hard to see and didn't really get a good look at it," Colliton said. "It was unfortunate."

In their previous six games, the Blackhawks had been outscored 17-4 in the first period and 31-19 overall. So, escaping the opening period tied 1-1, despite being outshot 18-6 by the Flames, was something of a moral victory for Chicago.

"A lot of little things seem to go wrong," Toews said. "It's just one of those things we're stuck in right now, snowballing in the wrong direction."

An opponent scored first against the Blackhawks for the seventh straight time when Monahan knocked in a rebound midway through the opening period for his second goal in two games in third in four. He connected from the left side of the net after Crawford stopped Lindholm from the slot.

Toews tied it at 1-all just over three minutes later.

Following a faceoff in the Chicago zone, the puck and Toews got by Flames defensemen Noah Hanifin at the left point. Toews raced in alone, cut to the slot and beat Smith with a shot between the pads.

Kunitz, a healthy scratch in six of the last seven games, elbowed Hamonic in the face along the boards at 7:08 of the second. Hamonic dropped to the ice with a bloody nose and Kunitz was sent off.

Lindholm scored 10 seconds later, connecting on a shot from the right circle after taking a cross-ice pass from Gaudreau.

Crawford was out of position to the left of the net, but managed to reach across the goalmouth and glove Lindholm's shot. A video review, however, showed Crawford's glove was over the goal line

Ryan made it 3-1 at 8:44, beating Crawford on the stick side from the top of the right circle.

Strome's power-play goal with 4:15 left in the second cut it to 3-2. It was the 21-year-old forward's second goal in four games since Chicago acquired him from Arizona.

Crawford passed the puck from the crease to Alex DeBrincat near the Calgary blue line. DeBrincat dished to Strome, who beat Smith from the slot with a backhander into the upper right corner.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 28

 9  6

Gaudreau has 4 points, Flames rally past Blue Jackets 9-6


Johnny Gaudreau finds the back of the net twice and would also pick up two assists in Calgary's 9-6 win vs. Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Johnny Gaudreau and the goal scorers on both sides had a fun, wild Tuesday night.

For Calgary goalie Mike Smith? Not so much.

"Not the way you draw it up," Smith said.

Gaudreau had two goals and two assists, and the Flames scored five goals in the second period to rally past the Columbus Blue Jackets 9-6.

"It's just one of those games," said Smith, who combined with Dave Rittich to stop 24 shots. "The chances were there and the pucks were finding a way to get in."

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said this game was unlike any of the more than 1,200 previous ones he's coached.

"They had 11 scoring chances and they scored nine goals," Tortorella said. "I have never been in a game like this."

Cam Atkinson netted a hat trick for Columbus to extend his point streak to 11 games, but the Blue Jackets lost their second straight.

"We played a really good first period, then for whatever reason sat back and let them play," Atkinson said. "I don't think we checked hard. We made it a really easy game for them, and they just capitalized."

Sean Monahan also had two goals and two assists for Calgary, which scored five straight goals for a 6-4 lead during the second period.

Monahan opened that barrage 1:55 into the second, and Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk, Noah Hanifin and TJ Brodie followed with goals. Tkachuk, Hanifin and Brodie scored in a span of 1:53.

"It's pretty crazy how often we come back from those leads other teams have," Hanifin said. "It's not the play we want to play. We don't really want to give up six goals, but sometimes it happens. To win, it's huge."

Monahan, Gaudreau and Austin Czarnik each scored in the third period for Calgary, which earned a point in its fifth straight game to stay atop the Pacific Division and improved to 17-9-2.

"The guys were resilient. They stuck with it," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "Down 4-1, they could have rolled over and packed it in. They did a good job to get back in the game."

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 18 of 26 shots for the Blue Jackets before being replaced in the third period by Joonas Korpisalo.

Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson and Nick Foligno also scored for Columbus.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 29

 2  0

Smith has 31 saves, Lindholm scores 2 as Flames top Wild 2-0

Elias Lindholm scores on a 2-on-1 fast break, then puts another one past Alex Stalock to account for both goals in the Flames' 2-0 win over the Wild.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Mike Smith pumped his fist at the final buzzer, letting himself enjoy another shutout.

"That's the only time of the game I can celebrate, is when we win the game," Smith said.

Smith made 31 saves, Elias Lindholm scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat the Minnesota Wild 2-0 on Thursday night.

Smith got his second shutout of the season and 38th of his career. He has won his past five games, including a victory in relief of David Rittich on Tuesday when Calgary rallied from 4-1 down to beat Columbus 9-6.

"It's always nice, especially in a close game to hear the horn go off at the end and get the two points," he said.

Lindholm got his 14th and 15th goals of the season and has 32 points in 29 games. His career high is 17 goals, reached with Carolina in 2014-15.

Johnny Gaudreau and captain Mark Giordano assisted on both goals.

"We find ways to score. It's good for us and good for the team," Lindholm said. "Smitty made some huge saves for us at key moments so I have to thank him for this one."

Smith didn't just make an impact in net. He checked Wild leading goal scorer Zach Parise in the second period when the goalie came out of his crease to play the puck.

"I wasn't trying to hit him, I was just trying to protect the puck," Smith said. "They teach you that in minor hockey, to turn your back and get your big butt out."

Calgary leads the Pacific Division at 18-9-2 and improved to 13-2 this season when scoring the first goal of the game.

Alex Stalock stopped 18 shots for the Wild.

"I always think for the most part the effort was there, but a lot of our guys weren't handling the puck well," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Alex played a really good game and kept us in there, especially at the beginning."

Minnesota dropped to 1-2 on its trip to five Canadian cities, a first for the franchise.

Smith held off Minnesota on a pair of power-play chances in the second period and another to end the game after the Wild pulled Stalock for an extra attacker.

"He was good tonight," Boudreau said. "When he's on, he's really on. Everybody knows that. When he's off, he's really off."

Lindholm made it 2-0 at 1:13 of the third period when Gaudreau took a stretch pass from Giordano and dished the puck to him alone at the faceoff circle.

Minnesota won a first-period challenge of Lindholm's goal that was ruled offside, but Lindholm scored 50 seconds into the second frame on a 2-on-1 with Gaudreau.

Matt Dumba steamrolled Calgary center Mikael Backlund in the final minute of the game. Flames forward Ryan Lomberg went after Dumba, which resulted in a Calgary penalty.

"I think it's showing no respect for the player and for the game," Lindholm said of Dumba's check. "They're down 2-0 and there's 40 seconds left and I thought he left his feet a little."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 30

 5  2

Kylington gets 1st NHL goal, Flames beat Predators 5-2


Garnet Hathaway scores a go-ahead goal in the third period and the Flames pull away from the Predators in a 5-2 win.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Despite a depleted lineup, the Calgary Flames showed their depth and kept their winning streak going.

Oliver Kylington scored his first NHL goal and helped set up Garnet Hathaway's tiebreaking score as the Flames beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 Saturday night for their fifth straight win.

Sean Monahan, Alan Quine and Elias Lindholm also scored to help the Pacific Division-leading Flames move one point ahead of Central-leading Nashville into first place in the Western Conference.

"We have a great team in here," said Hathaway, who tied a career-high with his fourth goal. "When you get depth scoring and you get those guys playing as well as they are. We have roles right now and guys are stepping up."

Hathaway put the Flames ahead 3-2 at 6:03 of the third period, neatly deflecting Matthew Tkachuk's point shot. Kylington, a 21-year-old rookie defenseman, had the second assist on the play.

The Flames got some insurance with 7:48 left when Quine -- recalled earlier in the day from the AHL's Stockton Heat -- got his first of the season off a setup from rookie defenseman Rasmus Andersson.

Quine, 25, had six NHL goals in 84 career games with the New York Islanders. He was inserted into the lineup with the Flames missing Mikael Backlund (concussion), who was injured Thursday, as well as Ryan Lomberg and captain Mark Giordano, who both received two-game suspensions from separate incidents in that same game against the Minnesota Wild.

"To play in the best league in the world is the ultimate goal. When you're in the minors, you're trying to give yourself an opportunity to be in that spot and I'm happy that I got that opportunity," Quine said. "To be able to fit in and contribute, it's a great feeling."

Lindholm capped the scoring with an empty-netter with 3 minutes left.

Mike Smith stopped 25 shots to win his sixth straight after a rocky start to the season.

Kylington's goal came 1:12 into the game when he took a pass from Lindholm and fired a rising shot over Predators goalie Juuse Saros.

"Amazing feeling," said Kylington, the Flames' second-round pick in the 2015 draft. "When I got it off my stick I had a good feeling, and when I saw the puck in the back of the net, a happy feeling, obviously."

His first goal and point came in his seventh career game.

"Seeing our guys smile like that is a proud moment as a coach," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "Kylington has been working towards that goal his whole life and to see him get rewarded after all the hours on the ice and off the ice is special."

Colton Sissons and Craig Smith scored for the Predators, who fell to 0-5-1 in their last six on the road. Saros finished with 20 saves.

"We gave them too much," Craig Smith said. "They capitalized on a lot of quick turnovers. We're going to have to go back and look at the tape and make some adjustments again and correct it."

The Predators tied it 1-1 in the final minute of the first when Roman Josi carried the puck down the wing and feathered a pass in front thatSissons neatly tipped past Mike Smith.

Monahan restored Calgary's lead late in the second when he was left with a free path to the front of the net and he scored his team-leading 18th on a backhand.

Craig Smith tied it 2-2 early in the third on a wrist shot from a bad angle that dribbled through Mike Smith.

"I think the effort was there. It's just a game of inches, a couple bounces here and there," said Saros.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 31

 0  1

Koskinen, McDavid help Oilers beat Flames 1-0


Connor McDavid finds the back of the net in the first period and the game remains scoreless the rest of the way as the Oilers beat the Flames 1-0.

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers appear to have shored up their defense under new head coach Ken Hitchcock.

Mikko Koskinen made 24 saves in his third shutout of the season and Connor McDavid scored the only goal as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Sunday.

"It takes a lot of effort to play good defense, especially against a team like that that has so many skilled, offensive players," Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson said.

"I think we're playing a little tighter, and it's easier to close the games. Even when we were up two goals in the beginning of the season, we would tend to give up chances still, even when we tried to close games out. I don't feel like we're doing that now."

The Oilers have won three straight and have gone 6-1-0 in their last seven games.

"I like how we stayed with it when we got an early lead. We didn't try to flex out. We got quality chances in the first period from playing the right way," said Hitchcock, who owns a 7-2-1 record since taking over for Todd McLellan.

"I like the way we protected the lead in the third period, especially. That to me is where we're learning how to play as a unit of five, not spread out. That's a good sign."

The Flames had a five-game winning streak snapped, and are 9-2-1 in their last 12 outings.

"I'm not happy with the result, but I am happy with our weekend," said Flames head coach Bill Peters, whose team defeated Nashville 5-2 on Saturday. "It just looked like we were running on fumes a little bit tonight."

David Rittich made 29 saves in a losing effort for Calgary.

"It's always the worse kind of loss, a 1-0 game," said Rittich. "We didn't play our game. We just need to be better than that."

Edmonton got going 12 minutes into the opening period with some nice passing by the top line. Alex Chiasson fed McDavid at the side of the net and the Oilers' captain sent his 16th goal of the season past Flames goalie David Rittich.

The Oilers came out flying in the second, but Rittich made huge breakaway saves on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl.

Calgary looked to have tied it up midway through the middle period, but Anthony Peluso was flagged with goaltender interference on Koskinen after the video review.

McDavid came close to adding another goal on the power play with four minutes left in the third, but rang his shot off the crossbar.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 32

 6  5 OT

Gaudreau's overtime goal rallies Flames past Flyers 6-5


Sean Monahan scores a power play goal in the 2nd period, then ties the game late in the 3rd before Johnny Gaudreau wins it in overtime for Calgary.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames showed off their resilience in another impressive win.

Gaudreau scored 35 seconds into overtime, and the Flames rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 on Wednesday night.

Calgary trailed 5-3 before Sean Monahan and Rasmus Andersson scored in the final 68 seconds of third period. Gaudreau then secured the Flames' sixth win in seven games with his 13th goal of the season.

"Huge win," Gaudreau said. "We stuck with and found a way to play a little bit harder in the third and get the two points.

"Ending up finding a couple of greasy goals there in the last two minutes and winning in overtime. The building was electric."

Matthew Tkachuk had four assists for the Flames (20-10-2), who leapfrogged idle Nashville for the top spot in the Western Conference. Monahan had two goals and an assist, and Gaudreau and Mark Giordano each had a goal and two assists.

Philadelphia (12-13-4) lost for the third time in four games. Sean Couturier had two goals and an assist for the Flyers in his return to the lineup after missing two games with a lower-body injury. Travis Sanheim, James van Riemsdyk and Dale Weise also scored.

Gaudreau missed the final part of the first period after taking a knee to the head from Philadelphia's Radko Gudas, but was back on the bench to start the second.

With the Flames driving to the net in overtime, he scored the winner on a second rebound.

"We had a lot of chances," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "We gave up more than we liked. We were fortunate to get enough action at the net late and were rewarded."

David Rittich earned the win with four saves in relief of Mike Smith, who stopped 10 of 14 shots through two periods. Peters said he didn't pull Smith out because of his performance.

"I got news he wasn't right after 40 (minutes). It was real late. Just before we went on the ice, I was told Ritter was going in," Peters said. "Smitty wasn't quite feeling right. Tried to play through it and couldn't."

Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves in the loss.

The Flyers killed off four power plays in the third period, but couldn't hold off the Flames at the end.

"The penalties set the table for the two tying goals," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "That kills the bench, kills your energy.

"But even at 4-2 and a two-goal lead in the third period, we're still trying to make fancy plays that end up in turnovers in the neutral zone, when we should be locking down a game."

Couturier stripped Calgary defenseman Noah Hanafin at the point and went in alone for a short-handed goal that made it 5-3 Flyers 11:10 into the third.

Sam Bennett's fifth goal of the season gave Calgary a 1-0 lead after one, but the teams combined for six goals in the second.

Philadelphia opened a 4-2 lead by scoring three times in 108 seconds.

Van Riemsdyk tied it at 2 when he pounced on a loose puck off a broken play and beat Smith stick side for a power-play goal at 5:55. Couturier got behind Monahan for a back-door pass from Jakub Voracek and his 11th of the season at 6:27. Weise fooled Smith with a soft shot from just inside the blue line at 7:43.

Monahan's power-play goal at 10:13 of the second pulled Calgary within one. Tkachuk dished to Monahan in the slot for his team-leading 19th goal.

"You don't want to have a game like that when you're chasing, but you stick with it and obviously we got the two points," Monahan said.

[yave1964]

Man the Flames are a fun bunch, flawed, yes, in many ways but young stars and something for everyone.

 

  I have been a Monahan fan since day one when as a teen Bob Hartley stuck him on the top line and told him that he was going to play top line minutes against the other teams top line center every game without fail unless he bombed badly. Hartley made him the player he is today by having faith in his abilities (to be fair, it isn't as if they had better options, the Flames were pretty bad back then) and Monahan is possibly the most underrated player in thegame today because he plays on the West coast in Western Canada multiple time zones away and has a guy named Johnny Hockey who gets all the pub. Monahan for my money is arguably one of the top five centers in the game and top ten or so players in the game as well. Just love watching him play.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 33

 2  1

Tkachuk's goal in 3rd gives Flames 2-1 win over Wild

Mark Giordano flies past the defense and scores the shorthanded wrister to put the Flames on the board first in a 2-1 win over the Wild.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Once the rough stuff was out of the way, the Calgary Flames settled in and clamped down on the Minnesota Wild.

The surprise leaders of the Pacific Division, the Flames have proven this season to be feisty and flexible.

Matthew Tkachuk scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, backup goalie David Rittich made 34 saves, and the Flames hung on to beat the Wild 2-1 on Saturday.

"It is a good feeling when you go into a game knowing that if you play your way, you can win a game 9-6 and 2-1," Tkachuk said.

Mark Giordano scored short-handed in the first period for the Pacific Division-leading Flames, who are 11-2-1 in their last 14 games, with 10 victories in regulation. During this stretch, they've won 7-2, 6-3, 6-1, 9-6 and 6-5. They've also recently earned 3-2, 2-0 and now 2-1 decisions.

"If we need goals we can get them, but more nights than not we want to play tight checking defensively and create our offense that way," Giordano said. "We know we can do it."

Jordan Greenway's second-period goal was all the Wild were able to muster after winning their previous two games against Montreal and Florida by a combined 12-2 margin. They went on a power play with 2:36 left and pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk a few seconds later, but they failed to use the two-man advantage to forge a tie.

With 11:15 remaining, after a turnover by Joel Eriksson Ek set up a rush for the Flames and James Neal's pass hit a skate and slid backward, Tkachuk snapped the puck through traffic and past Dubnyk's stick for the lead. Tkachuk is third with 14 goals this season for the Flames, who lead the NHL with 50 third-period goals and a plus-26 differential in the final frame.

"They've got a great team over there. Very fast, quick in transition, high skill," Greenway said. "So it's not an easy job."

Rittich filled for Mike Smith, who was sidelined by an undisclosed injury.

"We're fortunate to have two guys we can call upon," coach Bill Peters said.

Nine days after the Flames beat the Wild 2-0 in a tension-filled game in Calgary, both sides brought their grudges to the ice along with their sticks and skates. Forty seconds after the opening faceoff, Tkachuk fought Minnesota's Matt Dumba, who leveled Flames center Mikael Backlund with an open-ice check in the final minute of the matchup on Dec. 6, when Dumba was retaliating for a knee-on-knee hit Wild captain Mikko Koivu took from Giordano earlier in that game.

"It's good when you see guys standing up for one another, standing up for themselves," Dubnyk said. "We don't have a bunch of fighters in here, but we have guys that can take care of themselves."

Giordano served a two-game suspension. Flames forward Ryan Lomberg was banned for one game for going after Dumba, which also triggered an automatic $10,000 fine for Peters. Koivu (lower body) and Backlund (upper body) each missed their fourth straight game.

Dumba, who leads NHL defensemen with 12 goals, didn't play in the last two periods. Coach Bruce Boudreau had no update afterward on his condition. After Dumba's power-play shot was blocked, the Flames went the other way for a 2-on-1 rush that set up the goal by Giordano .

Shortly before the first intermission, Wild forward J.T. Brown fought with Flames defenseman T.J. Brodie. A little later, Wild defenseman Ryan Suter even dropped his gloves for a scuffle with Flames forward Sam Bennett. That was Suter's first fight, according to hockeyfights.com , since 2009.

The Wild have let their opponent score first in 22 of 32 games this season. They climbed right back in this one after killing a 5-on-3 power play, when Greenway pivoted from the top of the right circle and sniped the puck past Rittich 3:30 into the second period.

"It was just a pretty tight-checking game all the way through, after things settled down," Wild left wing Zach Parise said. "We had a couple good looks and a couple odd-man rushes. We just couldn't get that second one."

NOTES

Giordano became the first defenseman in Flames franchise history to score a short-handed goal in consecutive games. He has two goals and seven assists in his last four games. ...

[Buffalo Rick]

Lets see how this kid fares two days in a row. St Louis will bring it