Brewin Flames Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 I will post game recaps after each game and discuss the flames season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 4, 2019 Author Share Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) ame Rantanen scores twice, Avalanche beat Flames 5-3 Associated Press Updated: 5 hours ago Game #1 Flames 3 Avs 5 DENVER -- Mikko Rantanen missed training camp and the preseason, yet showed he hasn't missed a beat after a summer of uncertainty. Rantanen had two goals less than a week after agreeing to a contract with Colorado, Joonas Donskoi scored twice in his debut and the Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Thursday night. It capped a wild few days and nearly 5,000 miles of travel for the 22-year-old Rantanen. "Everything happened really quick. I got a call last Saturday and now I'm here," Rantanen said. "It's already been four or five days and played the first game, too. I felt surprisingly good; it's probably going to take a couple of games to get fresh legs." Rantanen was a restricted free agent heading into the summer and he remained in his native Finland while contract negations dragged on through training camp. The parties finally agreed to a six-year, $55.5 million deal on Saturday night and Rantanen joined the team on Sunday, four days before the start of the season. He had career highs in goals (31) and assists (56) in 74 games last season playing mostly with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog on Colorado's top line. He didn't get to work with the team until Monday, but was sharp in more than 18 minutes of ice time against the Flames. "As soon as I watched him practice for two days, I knew he was going to pick up where he left off," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "He came in and practiced and it looked easy for him." Rantanen scored a go-ahead goal in the first period and added the eventual decisive score on the power play late in the second period, minutes after J.T. Compher gave Colorado a 3-2 lead. Mark Giordano scored 16 seconds after Rantanen's second goal but the Flames couldn't overcome early penalties. Calgary had three in the first period and Colorado had two goals on six power-play chances overall. "They got a lot of momentum and their top players got a lot of touches early," Giordano said of penalties. "It carried on for a while. I thought after the midway point of the game we did a better job. When we were 5-on-5 we were very good." Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan each had a goal and an assist for Calgary. David Rittich had 26 saves for the Flames, who started the season the same way last season ended -- with a loss. The Avalanche defeated Calgary in the first round of last season's playoffs, beating the Western Conference's top seed in five games. Donskoi got Colorado off to a quick start with a power-play goal 5:59 in, and the teams traded goals the rest of the period. Gaudreau's goal 1:50 into the second period tied it and Donskoi scored into an empty net with 1:09 left in the third. Donskoi also helped the Flames when Monahan's shot deflected off of his stick and in for Calgary's first goal. He made up for it with a strong debut after signing with the Avalanche on July 1. "It felt amazing. I've been waiting for this moment all summer," Donskoi said. "There were a lot of emotions." Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer had 26 saves. Edited October 4, 2019 by Brewin Flames Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 6, 2019 Author Share Posted October 6, 2019 Game # 2 3 0 CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary's top line produced and goaltender David Rittich got to work on proving he's an NHL starter. Rittich made 34 saves, including 18 in the third period, as Calgary beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-0 Saturday night. Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary. Johnny Gaudreau added an empty net goal and assisted on both of his linemates' goals for his second multi-point game to open this season. "It starts in net. I thought Ritter was real solid," Flames head coach Bill Peters said. "Johnny had a good night too right? The Monahan line was real good. "They're out there at the end of the game in that five versus six and they executed. They're growing up right in front of our eyes. They know what they have to do. They're a very good line and we have a lot of confidence in them." Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 of 29 shots in the loss for Vancouver. Calgary improved to 8-8-3 in home-openers since the turn of the century. The Flames outshot the Canucks 14-5 in the second period and led 2-0 heading into the third. Vancouver failed to convert a pair of third-period power plays. The first included 61 seconds of 5-on-3, but Rittich stopped three shots in that span and made 18 saves in the period. Monahan collected his second goal in as many games, scoring from the slot at 1:10 of the second on a feed from Gaudreau behind the goal-line. Lindholm opened the scoring at 13:50 of the first. Myers misplayed a cross-ice pass in Calgary's zone onto the stick of Lindholm, who whipped the puck under Markstrom's arm. "I thought we had some good looks," Canucks head coach Travis Green said. "Still got to get results." Both teams opened their seasons with road losses Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 Doughty's OT winner gives Kings 4-3 win over Flames Game # 3 3 4 OT Drew Doughty is wide open on the one-timer for the game-winning goal in the Kings' 4-3 victory vs. the Flames. By Associated Press Updated: 3 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Drew Doughty and Matthew Tkachuk lived up to the hype around their rivalry. Doughty scored a power-play goal 50 seconds into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Tkachuk scored twice, including the tying goal with 64 seconds left in regulation, and had an assist for Calgary. The tension between Doughty and Tkachuk dates back to the latter elbowing the former in the face in 2017 during Tkachuk's rookie season. The Flames winger and the Kings defenseman have taken the odd verbal jab at each other off ice in the media. The men bring out the competitor in the other on the ice. Doughty said before Tuesday's game: "I think we both know who the better player is." He was more conciliatory in victory and downplayed the friction between the two players. "You guys make a bigger deal of it than we do," Doughty told reporters. "He's just trying to play a good game. "As much as he doesn't want to say it, he knows I'm a really good player and he's trying to get me off my game. But really, he's just feeding into my game. "We're both good players. We just want to win games. That's it." Said Tkachuk: "I'm excited for round two in two weeks in L.A." The Kings picked up their first win after falling 6-5 in their season opener to the host Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist, with Sean Walker and Ilya Kovalchuk also scoring for Los Angeles (1-1-0). Jack Campbell made 26 saves. Noah Hanifin also scored for Calgary (1-1-1). David Rittich turned away 36 shots. With Rittich pulled for an extra attacker, Tkachuk's second goal of the game pulled the Flames even with 64 seconds remaining. The winger tipped the puck in the air on a rebound and batted it by Campbell. The Kings took a man advantage into overtime with Calgary's Sam Bennett serving a tripping minor. Calgary trailed 3-0 midway through the second period when Tkachuk and Backlund scored within a three-minute span. Campbell squeezed his pads too late on Hanifin's backhand at 13:33 to pull the hosts within a goal. Tkachuk scored off a broken play in the offensive zone, beating Campbell low stick side at 10:51 of the second period. Kovalchuk batted a rebound in the air by Rittich at 3:46 of the second period. The Kings' third goal was allowed to stand upon review. Flames forward Milan Lucic and Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid fought after Kovalchuk's goal. The flat-footed Flames were outshot 20-3 in the opening period and failed to register a shot on net during a first-period power play. Walker's sharp-angled wrister from the boards fooled Rittich at 17:26. A scramble for a rebound from Doughty's shot squirted out to Toffoli, who beat Rittich glove side at 2:53. Fans in the Saddledome booed Doughty whenever he had the puck. The Flames gave their fans little to cheer about for half a game until Tkachuk's goal sparked the home club. "The personal rivalry between the two . . . the intensity that both of them bring, when you buy a ticket you're going to watch those two closely," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "Nobody went home disappointed I'm sure with Tkachuk's or Doughty's performances tonight." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 11, 2019 Author Share Posted October 11, 2019 Gaudreau scores winner in shootout, Flames beat Stars 3-2 Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau light the lamp for Calgary in its shootout victory against Dallas. By Associated Press Game # 4 3 2 SO DALLAS -- Johnny Gaudreau didn't watch the beginning of a shootout, though he had the best view in the house for the end. Gaudreau put a backhand past Dallas goalie Ben Bishop to give the Calgary Flames a 3-2 victory over the Stars on Thursday night. Tyler Seguin was the only one of three Stars who beat Calgary goalie David Rittich in the shootout. It was tied 1-1, with Sean Monahan beating Bishop before Gaudreau won the game on the last attempt in the first round that he didn't see the start of. "I was pretty tired, so I didn't really want to watch," Gaudreau said. Rittich had 34 saves, including the stop of a penalty shot awarded to Alexander Radulov with 21 seconds remaining in overtime. "(Rittich) is great on the (penalty kill), shootouts and penalty shots," Gaudreau said. "I had a lot of confidence in him there." He might have had more confidence in Rittich than the goalie had in himself. "Have you seen my record (in the shootout)?" Rittich asked rhetorically. "Don't even look at it. I'm glad I got my first win in the shootout." The Flames erased a 2-0 deficit in the third period on goals by Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Dallas newcomers Joel L'Esperance and Joel Hanley teamed up for a second-period goal. Captain Jamie Benn, the longest-tenured Star, scored Dallas' first power-play goal of the season nine seconds into the third period. Before the penalty shot, Stars coach Jim Montgomery called a timeout. "He was exhausted," Montgomery said of Radulov. Then Rittich stopped Radulov's attempt. "The big save on the penalty shot was huge," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. Benn said the overtime, penalty shot and shootout shouldn't have happened. He lost control of the puck, leading to a 2-on-1 and Mikael Backlund's pass back to Hanifin for the tying goal. "The deciding play was my turnover in the third," Benn said. "It was a stupid play and it cost us." Bishop made 27 saves. Radek Faksa set up the Stars' first goal by sending the puck across the ice to Hanley low in the left faceoff circle. He sent the puck to the slot, where L'Esperance redirected it past Rittich at 16:39. L'Esperance and Hanley began the season with Texas of the AHL. L'Esperance's goal was his third in the NHL and first of the season. Hanley's seventh career assist was his first NHL point since April 2, 2016, with Montreal. Hanley was playing in his first game for Dallas this season; L'Esperance scored in his second game back with the Stars. Calgary had lost its previous six games to Dallas since December 2016. The Flames improved to 2-1-1; Dallas is 1-3-1, with each game decided by a one-goal margin. Dallas won the third-period faceoff. Benn skated down the slot and took a pass in front to beat Rittich for his first goal of the season. Dallas had started the season 0 for 13 on the power play. Calgary scored 1:29 later on its first power play on Lindholm's shot from just inside the blue line. Hanifin tied the game at 2 at 5:32, trailing a 2-on-1 rush and taking a pass back in the slot from Mikael Backlund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 Golden Knights snap two-game skid, top Flames 6-2 Game # 5 6 2 The Golden Knights score three goals in the second period as they beat the Flames 6-2. By Associated Press Updated: 4 hours ago LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights came into the season with one of the best top-six forward units in the NHL. In their latest win, they proved they have the potential to be a threat with all four lines. Mark Stone and William Carrier each had a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury made 33 saves to lead the Golden Knights past the Calgary Flames 6-2 Saturday night. Tomas Nosek, Paul Stastny, Ryan Reaves and rookie Cody Glass also scored to help Vegas remain undefeated at home against the Flames. All three forwards on the fourth line scored and 12 players had at least one point. "When you get your team going like we had tonight, all four lines contributed, that's a big part ... you're excited when you see that," said Vegas coach Gerard Gallant, who is now one win shy of his 250th. "Not too often our so-called fourth line are gonna get three goals in a game, but they went out there, they did their jobs, they kept the game simple, they worked really hard ... they did their job and they got rewarded for it." Since the Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017, Calgary is winless in five visits to T-Mobile Arena while being outscored 21-6. Fleury, who went 2-0-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .984 save percentage last season against the Flames, improved to 13-4-1 in his career against Calgary. With regular backup Malcolm Subban nursing an undisclosed lower-body injury, Fleury figures to have a heavy workload ahead of him with Vegas playing six games over the next 10 days. Vegas recalled goaltender Oscar Dansk from Chicago of the AHL earlier Saturday. The Golden Knights will endure their first back-to-back situation, as they travel to play in Los Angeles on Sunday, but Gallant said he would confer with goalie coach Dave Prior before deciding on his starting netminder against the Kings. "We're looking forward to it, it's gonna be a tough game," Gallant said. "L.A. had a real good game today ... they'll be on a high tomorrow. We'll go in there tonight, no morning skate tomorrow and get ready for a game tomorrow night and it should be a real good hockey game. They're playing real well this year, doing a real good job." Vegas found its offense at the right time, with back-to-back Pacific Division opponents on deck, after losing to Boston on Tuesday and at Arizona on Thursday. "A little scrambly for us the last couple of games, so we had to just get back to playing simple hockey," Reaves said. "But being in position for each other and getting in on the puck and reloading and getting out of piles properly is something that we talked about and it definitely showed today." Rasmus Andersson and Johnny Gaudreau scored for Calgary. David Rittich stopped 24 shots in his fifth straight start, and dropped to 2-4 with a 3.67 goals against average in six starts against Vegas. Calgary coach Bill Peters wasn't pleased with his team's effort, as it was thoroughly outplayed after Andersson and Gaudreau gave the Flames a 2-1 lead early in the second period. "We didn't play hard enough," Peters said. "Until we start to play hard, and play hard for 60 minutes, it's going to be up in the air all night long or you're going to get blown out. ... We're disappointed the way we've played." Meanwhile, Vegas has benefited from a well-balanced offense, including a fourth line that has eight points (six goals, two assists) in five games. "We're trying to be the best fourth line in the league," Carrier said. "Shift after shift, whatever the team needs -- a big hit, tonight it was a goal, but it could be anything out there -- we're just trying to be the best fourth line out there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Hertl has goal and assist as Sharks top Flames 3-1 Hertl scores in Sharks' win over Flames Tomas Hertl nets a shorthanded goal that all but seals the game for the Sharks against the Flames. By Associated Press Updated: 4 hours ago Game # 6 1 3 SAN JOSE,Calif. -- Less than a week after rejoining his former team, Patrick Marleau is already making a big impact. Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist to help the San Jose Sharks beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Sunday night. Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc also scored as San Jose won their second straight after an 0-4-0 start. Logan Couture had two assists and Patrick Marleau had one in his first home game since rejoining the Sharks. Martin Jones stopped 32 shots after posting a 4.55 goals-against average while losing his first three starts. "I don't think it's an accident that we've won the last two and he's been in the lineup," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of Marleau's return. "He just plays the right way. He does the right thing when he's out on the ice all the time. It's really helped solidify our lineup a little bit." The 40-year-old Marleau spent the first 19 seasons of his career in San Jose and ranks first in franchise history in points (1,085) and goals (509), among other categories. After two seasons with Toronto he was traded to Carolina during the summer and then had his contract bought out. "He's 40 but he's still flying," Hertl said. "He's a huge part now of the team and we're happy to have him here." Marleau signed a one-year deal to return to San Jose on Oct. 9 and scored two goals in his first game back to lead the Sharks to their first win of the season the next day. He has totaled five points in two games and infused energy to what was a downtrodden team. "You lose four in a row and there's not many smiles at the rink," Couture said. "You really don't want to go to the rink to be honest, you want to stay away. But Patty was there, and everybody was happy to see him and that showed in our game." Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary, which has lost two straight and three of its last four. The Flames were playing their third road game in four days and second in two days. Marleau and Couture each had an assist on Meier's first goal of the season just over three minutes into the game. Labanc scored midway through the first to give San Jose a 2-0 lead. Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl assisted on Labanc's second goal of the season. The Flames scored at 6:43 of the second period, when Lindholm redirected T.J. Brodie's shot off a face off. San Jose extended its lead to 3-1 when Hertl scored San Jose's first short-handed goal of the season with 1:45 left in the second period. Cam Talbot had 17 saves in his Calgary debut. The 31-year-old, signed a one-year free agent contract with the Flames in the offseason after splitting time last season between Edmonton and Philadelphia. "Cam was good. No issue there," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "I thought he moved the puck well when he had his goalie touches." The Flames were 0 for 4 on power plays. "Although we didn't show it, we're the better team," Flames center Mikael Backlund said. "We put pressure on them all night. Our power play has to be better . We'll get better from this game." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 Frolik scores in his 800th NHL game, Flames beat Flyers 3-1 Game # 7 3 1 Michael Frolik's first-period goal gives the Flames the lead for good in the team's 3-1 win over the Flyers. By Associated Press Updated: 5 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Michael Frolik lost his helmet on his first shift and scored on his second. Frolik scored in his 800th NHL game and the Calgary Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Tuesday night. Frolik scored the 154th goal of his 13-season career, fifth as a member of the Flames. The 31-year-old Czech has also played for the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets. "Eight hundred, it's a special number and I was definitely excited for sure," Frolik said. "Couldn't go better, to score on the second shift." Andrew Mangiapane also scored, and Elias Lindholm added an empty-net goal for Calgary, which snapped a two-game losing skid. David Rittich made 21 saves and improved to 3-2 on the season. Defenseman Matt Niskanen scored early in the third period as the Flyers closed within 2-1. Brian Elliott made 35 saves in his first start of the season for the Flyers. With Elliott pulled for an extra attacker, the Flyers couldn't produce an equalizer in the final two minutes of regulation. Elliott stopped Lindholm twice in the first four minutes of the third. "If there is anything positive to take from tonight's game, I would say it's the play of our goaltender Brian Elliott who played a really strong game," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault. "He did what a goaltender is supposed to do, which is give your team a chance to win. He gave us a chance to come back in the third. "We definitely did not play the way we wanted to. We didn't execute and we didn't make any plays with the puck. "We're going to have an opportunity to jump back tomorrow and do a better job." Travis Konecny fed Niskanen in the high slot from behind the net for Philadelphia's first goal of the game at 4:58. Konecny's assist was his seventh point in four games. The Flyers opened their regular season in Prague against the Chicago Blackhawks and returned to Philadelphia for one home game before hitting the road again in Western Canada. "It hasn't seemed to affect us. Maybe it did tonight. I don't know," Niskanen said. "It's not an ideal situation but I don't think anybody in here is going to use that as an excuse. "We just had two days off. We should be fresh, ready to go. We weren't good enough in the first two periods." Trailing by a goal, Philadelphia pressed early in the second period. Rittich stopped Oskar Lindblom in the first minute and shut down James van Reimsdyk twice in the slot four minutes in. Mangiapane made it 2-0 at 14:15. Flames captain Mark Giordano dished the puck to Mangiapane at the point, and his low knuckler beat Elliott on the stick side. Frolik scored at 1:35 of the first period. He knocked down a clearing attempt by Flyers defenseman Justin Braun and whipped the puck over Elliott's glove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 Flames pull away in 3rd, beat Red Wings 5-1 Game # 8 5 1 The Flames get out to an early lead and never look back as they beat the Red Wings 5-1. By Associated Press 7 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Sam Bennett, Derek Ryan and Mark Giordano scored in a 5:18 span of the third period to break open a close game in the Calgary Flames' 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Bennett gave Calgary a 3-1 lead at 3:29, Ryan connected at 4:57 and Giordano added a power-play goal at 8:47. Andrew Mangiapane and Elias Lindholm also scored and David Rittich made 27 saves. Darren Helm scored for Detroit. The Red Wings have lost three in a row to fall to 3-4-0. Mangiapane scored midway through the first period and Lindholm made it 2-0 on a power play halfway through the second. Helm struck 28 seconds later for Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 Carter helps Kings beat Flames 4-1 to snap 3-game skid Game # 9 1 4 Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Todd McLellan was beginning to worry about his Los Angeles Kings doing the right things but not getting the desired results for their hard work. The first-year coach can breathe a little easier now. The Kings played one of their most complete games of the young season with a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night to snap a three-game losing streak. "You eventually get concerned about the guys giving what they have and not getting rewarded. Will they begin to cheat, take shortcuts or wander from the program? They didn't do that and that's a good sign," McLellan said. Jeff Carter, who was one of seven Kings to get on the scoresheet, led the way with a goal and assist while Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for his first victory in four starts. Tyler Toffoli, Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk also scored for the Kings, who put the game out of reach with a three-goal second period. Quick was on track to get a shutout until Mikael Backlund scored on a penalty shot with 2:10 remaining. "We played great. We did a good job taking away their main threats along with winning faceoffs," Quick said. David Rittich, who came in with a 2.55 goals-against-average, allowed four goals on 28 shots in two periods. Cam Talbot came in for the final 20 minutes and made eight saves for the Flames, who have dropped three straight road games. "I think our first period was ok. It is a tough building and we were down one goal," Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic said. "It was probably in the first seven or eight minutes of the second period where the game got away from us. We need a better pushback from the group." Toffoli scored 75 seconds into the game to end the goal drought at 136 minutes, 51 seconds. The Kings' center got the puck on a pass from Blake Lizotte just outside the Calgary zone, made a nice move past two Flames defenders and put a wrist shot past Rittich for his third goal of the season. It was only second time this season the Kings scored first. "If we're going to start a game, that's the best way to do it," McLellan said. "You could kind of feel a little bit of relief on the bench and then it was time to go back to work and the guys built off of it. We needed it and finally got rewarded." Carter got his first goal of the season 15 seconds into the second when his backhand went off the skate of Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano and found its way into the net. Kopitar scored the Kings first short-handed goal of the season five minutes later when he beat Rittich on his glove side on a breakaway. Los Angeles came into the game with the league's second-worst penalty-kill unit but was 5 of 5 against the Flames. Kovalchuk then added a power-play goal at 8:58 with a slap shot from just beyond the left faceoff circle after a cross-ice pass from Michael Amadio. It was the Kings' first goal with the man-advantage in six games and snapped skid where they were 0 for 19. It is also the third goal of the season for Kopitar and Kovalchuk. "For us today the scoring was great, but the checking was better and that allowed us to play with a lead," McLellan said. "I thought for tonight 52 minutes of our play was good. Then with eight minutes we strayed from it. We still have a lot to learn from it. We still see old habits slip in. There are things that need to be addressed and fixed." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 Backlund propels Flames to 2-1 victory over Ducks GG Game # 10 2 1 Associated Press Updated: 11 hours ago ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Cam Talbot and Michael Stone haven't played much through the first three weeks of the Calgary Flames' season. They made the most of their opportunities Sunday night. Talbot made 29 saves and Stone scored the Flames' first goal as they rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Mikael Backlund broke a tie with 11:03 left, and Calgary snapped a three-game road losing streak, bouncing back from a disappointing 4-1 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday which some called "embarrassing" due to their effort. "I thought everyone took accountability for last night," Talbot said. "I liked our work ethic and dedication in our zone to get the pucks out." It was Talbot's second start and first win with the Flames. The seven-year veteran, who was with Edmonton and Philadelphia last season, signed with Calgary as a free agent. He allowed up an early second-period goal to Jakob Silfverberg but stopped Silfverberg on a breakaway midway through the period before making 11 saves in the third, many on one-timers. Nick Ritchie had a point-blank chance in front of the net but could not convert. "When they pushed, Talbot was there," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "The work he has had with us has been good. We have a lot of confidence in him and as we get busier you will see him more." Stone -- who was playing in only his third game -- tied it at 15:32 of the second with a one-timer from near the blueline for his first point. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson didn't get a clear look as Calgary's Sean Monahan and Anaheim's Michael Del Zotto were battling in front of the net when Stone's slap shot got through. "It felt good to contribute, it's been a while since I've done that," Stone said. "To get in there and get rewarded was nice." Backlund scored when he got a pass from Matthew Tkachuk on a 2-on-1 rush after a neutral zone turnover and beat Gibson with a snap shot from the right faceoff circle. "I don't think Gibson expected an early pass. I was going to catch it and just changed my mind," said Backlund, who has a goal in two straight games. Gibson made 27 saves for Anaheim, which lost for the first time in five home games. Silfverberg opened the scoring 12 seconds into the second when he beat Talbot top shelf from the left faceoff circle after taking the pass from Hampus Lindholm. Silfverberg -- who has five goals this season -- has scored in three straight games. "I thought we had numerous chances to not only tie it but go ahead by a couple and we just couldn't get it in the net," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 Carlson scores 2 to help Capitals beat Flames 5-3 Game # 11 2 5 By Associated Press 4 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Alex Ovechkin is starting an early-season campaign for teammate John Carlson to win this season's Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. "Johnny for Norris. That's a hashtag right now," the Capitals captain said after Carlson's two goals helped the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Carlson scored and added an empty-netter for an NHL-leading 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 11 games. The 29-year-old American is the fourth different defenseman in NHL history to register 20 points or more in October joining Paul Coffey (1981, 1988), Al MacInnis (1988) and Brian Leetch (1990). "It's a great thing obviously. I don't know what to say," Carlson said. He has three games remaining this month to better the high of 25 points in 13 games set by MacInnis when he was with Calgary. Ovechkin had a goal and an assist and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Chandler Stephenson got the credit on an own-goal by the Flames. Braden Holtby finished with 32 saves. "We're a dangerous team when we're doing the right things," Carlson said. Elias Lindholm, Tobias Rieder and Austin Czarnik scored for the Flames. Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots in his second straight start. "For good stretches of the game I felt we played well and carried the game, but ultimately it doesn't matter," Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "We still didn't get any points tonight. ... They're a good hockey team, probably the best we've played this year. That was a good measuring-stick team." Wilson pushed Washington's lead to 4-2 on a feed from Lars Eller to beat Talbot under his left pad with 7:26 left in the third period. Carlson's empty-netter with 1:45 remaining maid it a three-goal game before Rieder capped the scoring with 16 seconds to go. Ten seconds after Czarnik pulled the Flames even at 2-2 in the second, Ovechkin quieted the Saddledome with a go-ahead goal with 3:25 left in the period. The Capitals' captain took a backhand pass from Nicklas Backstrom on a 2-on-1 and wired the puck home for his seventh of the season. Czarnik scored his first by pouncing on a loose puck and sweeping it past Holtby during a goal-mouth scramble for a T.J. Brodie rebound. Talbot mishandled Carlson's off-speed shot from the boards for Washington's first goal of the game 35 seconds into the second period. "Pretty lucky," Carlson said. "I've had some good fortune this month." Stephenson's centering pass from behind Calgary's net deflected off Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson and in at 2:41 to make it 2-0. Lindholm halved the deficit with a power-play goal at 3:19, his team-high sixth goal. The Swede wristed a cross-ice feed from Johnny Gaudreau over Holtby's glove. Calgary outshot the Caps 15-9 in a scoreless first period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 Matthew Tkachuk leads Flames past Panthers 6-5 in shootout Game # 12 6 5 SO By Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano was pleased with the way teammate Matthew Tkachuk delivered in the clutch. Tkachuk scored twice in regulation and again in the shootout as the Flames recovered from squandering three leads and beat the Florida Panthers 6-5 on Thursday night. "In big games, (Tkachuk) is always going to be there," Giordano said. "You always want the puck on his stick, it seems, in high-pressure situations. He makes plays under pressure. That's what makes him so good." However, Tkachuk wasn't pleased with the way his team blew three leads. "We're lucky. That's obviously a big two points, but we don't want to get comfortable in games like that," Tkachuk said. "We've got a two-goal lead in the third you have to put it away." Sean Monahan also scored in the shootout for Calgary, which converted both tiebreaking attempts on Sergei Bobrovsky. David Rittich thwarted Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov to secure the victory. Austin Czarnik, Mark Giordano and Sam Bennett scored in regulation for Calgary. Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Josh Brown, Evgenii Dadonov and Mark Pysyk scored for Florida. Barkov had four assists. Florida got its first lead at 14:59 of the third period. Pysyk got open in the slot, took a feed from Frank Vatrano and sent a 30-foot wrist shot through Rittich's pads. Calgary responded at 17:17. Bennett broke to the net, shot the puck and collected his own rebound to score. "We got a big goal there, obviously, all of a sudden it's 5-4 (Florida) but then they get a fortunate bounce on their goal," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "Then in overtime, anything can happen and we've been snake-bit a little bit in overtime and in the shootout." Florida has points in its last seven, but only three of the games have been wins. "You want to squeeze out every point you can and when you come back the way we did from a 4-2 deficit, you try to find the positive in that," said Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who played in his 400th NHL game.. Rittich's five goals allowed came on 23 shots. Bobrovky faced 24 shots. Tied 2-2 after two periods, the Flames surged in front 4-2 on Tkachuk's second goal of the game 32 seconds into the third and Giordano's goal at 5:16. Calgary had more chances. Sean Monahan, held without a goal in his last 10 games, was stopped on a breakaway, then robbed on a one-time shot. The Flames also hit two posts. The Panthers pulled within one on Brown's first goal of the season at 6:20. Florida tied it just over two minutes later when Dadonov converted Huberdeau's pass on a 2-on-1. Down 2-1, the Panthers tied it for the second time in the second period at 15:15 when Weegar got open in the slot, took a feed from Barkov, and beat Rittich on his blocker side from 40 feet out. Calgary had taken the lead at 11:59 of the second when Tkachuk converted a give-and-go with Michael Frolik, who also had the primary assist on Tkachuk's goal in the third. Flames coach Bill Peters thought they were in control when Giordano made it 4-2, but they quickly lost that control. "We were in a good spot right there, and they pushed, we didn't handle it very well, recovered, broke down a little bit," Peters said. "Huge goal by (Bennett), he got us into overtime, and then the shootout." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 Bryan Little scores in overtime to lift the Jets to a 2-1 victory vs. the Flames. By Associated Press Updated: 13 hours ago Game # 13 1 2 OT REGINA, Saskatchewan -- Bryan Little picked a big stage to get his first goal of the season. Little scored at 3:04 of overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night in the Heritage Classic outdoor game. Little scored off a 2-on-1 with Kyle Connor, tucking the puck under goalie David Rittich at the corner of the net. "It's pretty cool," Little said. "It was one of those games where I pretty much didn't have any chances. Then you get a 2-on-1 like that in overtime. I'll admit I really didn't do too much. I just went to the net and put my stick on the ice and Kyle made a great pass. But it was definitely a great feeling." Little missed the first nine games of this season with a concussion. The longest-serving Jet in his 13th NHL season wasn't able to play in the 2016 Heritage Classic at Winnipeg's IG Field because of a knee injury. "It was definitely frustrating last time watching from the sidelines and not getting to experience it," Little said. "When I heard we were playing outside I had this circled on the calendar. Definitely lived up to everything." Josh Morrissey also scored and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 29 shots to help Winnipeg win Canada's first outdoor game in a non-NHL city. Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary and Rittich had 43 saves in his first outdoor start. The NHL's 28th outdoor game since 2003 took place at the 33,350-seat Mosaic Stadium, which was built in 2017 to be the new home of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders, and was sold out and liberally sprinkled with Flames red, Jets blue and Roughrider green. "As soon as we walked out of the tunnel, the crowd was electric," Morrissey said. "It was completely full and as a player, it was just an awesome time and I think the city and the province really embraced it." Wind gusts between 17 and 27 miles per hour put wind-chill at around 14 degrees at puck drop. Snowflakes began dusting the Stadium a few hours prior to the game and intensified after the opening faceoff. As snow accumulated between scrapes, puck handling, shooting and passing became laborious. "It feels right," Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "It feels like that's how hockey should be and how legends of the past grew up playing. You hear all the greats talk about growing up and playing on the outdoor rink. It's cool to play in that environment where it's snowing, it's causing the ice to be slower, you're falling, you're losing the puck, it bounces all over the place." There were plenty of scoring chances as each team had 26 shots on goal through the first 40 minutes. With Flames center Sean Monahan serving a tripping penalty, the Jets couldn't score on a 4-on-3 advantage in overtime. Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler put the puck off the crossbar with seconds remaining in the penalty. Morrissey pulled the Jets even with 4:11 left in regulation with a power-play goal. With Flames captain Mark Giordano serving a hooking penalty, Patrick Laine fed the Jets' defender from behind the net. Morrissey threaded a shot through traffic to the top corner over Rittich's glove. It was Winnipeg's first goal in an outdoor game. The Jets were shut out 3-0 at Winnipeg's IG Field by Edmonton in 2016. After a scoreless first period, Lindholm's power-play goal with 5:13 of the second was his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Johnny Gaudreau, on Hellebuyck's right, tapped the puck over to Lindholm to shovel it past the Winnipeg goalie. Jets head coach Paul Maurice challenged the goal believing Matthew Tkachuk raised his stick above his shoulders to knock down the puck and and keep it in the offensive zone. However, Maurice was denied, which resulted in a Jets minor penalty for the failed challenge. Winnipeg's Adam Lowry cross-checked Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington into the boards to end the period, which put the Flames on the power play to start the third. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Svechnikov's lacrosse goal leads Carolina past Calgary 2-1 Game # 14 1 2 Associated Press Updated: 7 hours ago RALEIGH, N.C. -- Andrei Svechnikov spends a few minutes during most practices sharpening his lacrosse-style shot, scooping the puck on his stick blade and tucking it over an unsuspecting goalie's shoulder. With the Carolina Hurricanes in need of a goal Tuesday night, he broke it out -- and tied the game. Svechnikov scored twice in the final 10:47, starting with that spectacular tying goal , and the Hurricanes rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 2-1. "He's tried it so many times," goalie Petr Mrazek said. "He's trying it during practice, after practice. He's got a lot of moves like that he's trying. He's a kid. It's good that one went in tonight." Svechnikov earned a spot in the highlight reels by bringing the puck behind the net, lifting it up on his stick blade, and sneaking it over goalie David Rittich's right shoulder. "I went behind the net, and I felt like I should try that," Svechnikov said, adding that his brother taught him the maneuver. "I actually practiced that move this morning, it was a great shot for me." He followed that with a power-play connection with 7:25 remaining -- his second goal with the man advantage in two games -- to help the Hurricanes win their second straight and beat ex-coach Bill Peters for the first time in three tries. Elias Lindholm scored against his former team for the second straight year and Rittich made 26 saves for the Flames. They started their five-game road swing with two straight losses and have dropped four of six. Peters left Carolina before last season to take over as Calgary's coach and won both meetings last year. Calgary had 25 shots on goal through two periods, but just four in the final 20 minutes. "You don't execute with the puck, you're not going to get any shots, right?" Peters said. "Through 40 (minutes), it was fine. And then all of a sudden, the execution wasn't where we needed it to be and we played a little slower and they took advantage." Mrazek stopped 28 shots -- including three in the final 90 seconds -- and helped kill a tripping penalty to Dougie Hamilton with 2:32 to play. The Hurricanes average 3.27 goals and have scored at least two of them in every game, and none were more impressive than Svechnikov's first. That one -- which Hamilton called "unreal to see" -- filled plenty of fans' social media feeds. The next one won it. He took a feed from Hamilton in the circle and snapped the puck past Rittich, giving the second overall pick in the 2018 draft his second career power-play goal. "Obviously when you score, you've got more confidence," Svechnikov said. "I scored last game and I'm like, I have to shoot again." All three goals were scored by players picked by the Hurricanes in the first round. Lindholm was the target of boos all night from the Carolina fans -- especially after his one-timer with 6:56 left in the first, his team-leading eighth goal, put the Flames up 1-0. Lindholm, taken by the Hurricanes with the fifth overall pick in 2013, spent his first five NHL seasons with Carolina but was dealt to Calgary before last season as part of the five-player trade that sent Hamilton and Micheal Ferland to the Hurricanes. He has scored in each of his two games as a visitor at PNC Arena, and after his first game back last season, Lindholm mocked his former team's "Storm Surge" celebration by sarcastically clapping over his head on his way off the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 1, 2019 Author Share Posted November 1, 2019 (edited) Tkachuk's trickery sends Flames past Predators 6-5 in OT By Associated Press Updated: 14 hours ago Game # 15 5 4 OT NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Matthew Tkachuk didn't think a comeback win was possible after Calgary's terrible start. Then, he scored a pair of improbable goals for a come-from-behind win. Tkachuk scored the tying goal with 40 seconds left in regulation and the winning goal with 1.4 seconds left in overtime on a between-the-legs shot as the Flames' beat the Nashville Predators 6-5 on Thursday night. Calgary rallied from a three-goal deficit after Nashville took the game's first 14 shots. "I didn't think it was going to be possible after the first 20 minutes or first 10 minutes," Tkachuk said. "We were all over them in that third period and that's the way we need to be to be at our best." On the winner, Tkachuk skated in front of the net against two Nashville defenders, let the puck slip between his legs and flipped a shot that beat Predators goalie Pekka Rinne high to the stick side. Derek Ryan, Rasmus Andersson, Elias Lindholm and Alan Quine also scored for the Flames. Austin Watson scored twice, Calle Jarnrkok scored two short-handed goals and Nick Bonino had a goal as the Predators saw their four-game win streak halted. "I think this comeback kind of gives us confidence that we can be down in the third, even though we don't want to be, and we can come back," Tkachuk said. "So I guess that's the positive we can take." Tkachuk's rebound goal with 40 seconds left tied the game at 5 and forced overtime. Calgary's David Rittich made 31 saves. Rinne made 21 saves. Quine's first goal tied it at 4 with 3:21 left. Watson gave Nashville a 5-4 lead with 1:22 remaining. Lindholm scored his team-leading ninth goal from close range, narrowing the gap to 4-3 of the third period. "A lot of good things in the third period and it looks a lot more like us, right," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "We put the work boots on and played with some speed and possessed the puck. It should be a springboard to bigger and better things." Calgary didn't take its first shot until about six minutes remained in the first period. Bonino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead when he scored on a backhanded rebound at 5:33 of the first period. It was his fourth straight goal, including a hat trick in Nashville's 3-0 win over Chicago on Tuesday. The center leads the Predators with seven goals. Watson scored on assists from Colton Sissons and Matt Irwin, increasing Nashville's lead to 2-0 at 10:15 of the first. Watson signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract extension earlier in the day. Ryan scored on the Flames' second shot, a wrist shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle, narrowing the gap to 2-1 at 15:27 of the first. Calgary almost tied it when Johnny Gaudreau's wrist shot bounced off the right post before Rinne smothered the rebound in the crease 18 minutes into the first. The Flames missed another chance to tie when a shot hit the post again early in the second period. Jarnkrok scored his first short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway after a Calgary turnover, sending a wrist shot into high near post past Rittich, boosting Nashville's lead to 3-1 at 4:36 of the second period. Jarnkrok scored his second short-handed goal on another 2-on1 after a Flames turnover, firing a wrist shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle past Rittich for a 4-1 lead at 18:52 on the second. Anderson narrowed the deficit to 4-2 in the third. Edited November 1, 2019 by Brewin Flames Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 Rittich stops 43 shots as Flames beat Blue Jackets 3-0 Game # 16 3 0 By Associated Press 18 hours ago COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Calgary's Sean Monahan ended a personal 13-game scoreless streak with a goal that proved to be the winner. Monahan, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk scored, and David Rittich recorded the shutout as the Flames beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 Saturday night. The Flames (8-6-2) won their second game in two nights and dealt Columbus its fourth straight loss, and second straight at home. Rittich stopped 43 shots for his seventh victory and second shutout. "Rittich was dialed in and in control all night long," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "It was a real good effort by him. He's been solid all year." Columbus (5-6-3) outshot the Flames 43-29 and goalie Joonas Korpisalo lost his third straight start. Monahan got the Flames on the board early, beating Korpisalo with a high shot from right in front of the net at 3:44 of the first period. Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau assisted on Monahan's third goal of the season. It was his first goal since Oct. 5. "You play in this league a long time, you are going to go through stretches and not find the back of the net," Monahan said. "You've got to focus on the little things. That what I tried to do." Calgary led 2-0 after Korpisalo chased a wide shot by Derek Ryan, leaving an open net for Bennett, who buried the puck at 8:20 of the second period for his third goal of the season. Matthew Tkachuk made it 3-0 with an empty-net goal at 17:21 of the third. Jackets captain Nick Foligno said letting opposing teams get on the board first has been a challenge for Columbus. "I think the real tale of this game is honestly our start," he said. "For whatever reason, we have a difficult time setting the tone of how we want to play. I think that's the difference in the game." Coach John Tortorella agreed. "Our start was terrible," he said. "After that, I thought we played hard. Did we make a lot of plays? No. We just didn't execute. It's unacceptable how we started the game." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Vrana gets 1st career hat trick, Caps beat Flames 4-2 Game # 17 2 4 By Associated Press Updated: 14 hours ago WASHINGTON -- Washington's newly crowned championship baseball team provided the cheers. Jakub Vrana supplied the goals. Two days after his first multigoal game of the season, Jakub Vrana got his first career hat trick as the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 Sunday night. With the World Series-winning Washington Nationals looking on, Vrana scored twice in the first period before putting the Capitals up for good with a breakaway goal late in the second. The hat trick also completed Vrana's first career consecutive multigoal games. "I'm not that surprised," said Capitals center Lars Eller, who added a power-play goal in the third period. "He has it in him. I don't expect him to score three every night but he's got that kind of talent that he can do that once in awhile.". Vrana praised the Nationals, who roused the home crowd throughout the evening by taking the World Series trophy on the ice before the game and celebrating each Capitals goal in animated fashion. The Capitals previously took the Stanley Cup to Nationals Park after winning it in 2018. "That was unbelievable," Vrana said. "It just brings me a little memory from when we won. They brought us lots of energy." Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson each had two assists for the Capitals, who have won eight of nine and lead the NHL with 25 points. Ilya Samsonov stopped 25 shots. Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane scored for Calgary, and Cam Talbot finished with 28 saves. The Flames finished 2-2-0 on a four-game road trip. Calgary earned only two power plays while extending its streak without a goal on the man advantage to a season-high four games. "I thought the effort was there," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "We needed that kill in the third, the first one. We needed to keep it at 3-2 there. They got a little bit of wiggle room, and then we couldn't find a way to get the next one." Vrana now has nine goals through 16 games, with the 23-year-old Czech well on pace to exceed his previous high of 24 from last season. After Mangiapane opened the scoring, Vrana got his first goal when Wilson found Kuznetsov down the right. Kuznetsov sent a cross-ice pass to Vrana, who beat two Flames defenders down the ice and Talbot to his stick side. Vrana gave Washington its first lead with 4:52 left in the first when he was first to the puck in the offensive zone after Kuznetsov had it poked away and beat Talbot with a wrister to the top left corner. Lindholm got his 10th of the season to tie the score with 1.6 seconds remaining before the first intermission, but Vrana gave Washington the lead for good with 4:55 left in the second. This time Kuznetsov found him from Washington's own zone for a breakaway, and while Talbot made a pad save on Vrana's first effort, he couldn't keep out the rebound. "I just tried to find the space there," Vrana said. "Kuzy, it was a great (pass) for me. I was just skating, and I had a breakaway." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 Tkachuk scores in OT to give Flames 4-3 win over Coyotes Game # 18 4 3 OT By Associated Press Updated: 3 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- This time, Matthew Tkachuk didn't need an acrobatic move to deliver the winning goal. Just a sharp-angled wrist shot between the pads of goalie Antti Raanta. Tkachuk scored with 34 seconds on the clock in overtime to give the Calgary Flames a 4-3 comeback victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. It was the second OT goal in less than a week for Tkachuk, who went between the legs for a highlight-reel stunner last Thursday in Nashville. "This one was just a normal shot," Tkachuk said with a chuckle. "This year is kind of the first time I'm starting to play consistently 3-on-3, so just still trying to get used to it." After the Flames trailed 3-1 late in the third period, Tkachuk and Mark Giordano scored in a 49-second span to tie it. Johnny Gaudreau also had a goal for Calgary, and David Rittich made 34 saves -- five in overtime. "We really had no business other than Ritter to win that game in my opinion," Tkachuk said. "We played better in the third, but in the first we played right into their hands." The 21-year-old forward, who signed a $21 million, three-year contract in September, scored the tying goal in Nashville with 39 seconds remaining in regulation and the spectacular winner with just two seconds on the clock in OT. His decisive goal Tuesday came on an extended shift. "I recognized that they had a couple guys that were tired over there that were out there for a full shift before me," he explained. "I thought, why not try to take advantage of one more time? And did one more kind of lap and then got the puck and put it in." Clayton Keller, Christian Dvorak and Vinnie Hinostroza scored for the Coyotes. Raanta started in net for Arizona and stopped 39 shots after Darcy Kuemper earned the win in overtime the previous night at Edmonton. "We had four breakaways. We had three or four empty nets to make it 4-1, but we didn't," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "Their goalie played really well tonight. That's what I saw." With Rittich pulled for an extra attacker, Giordano threaded a low shot through traffic to score stick side at 17:19 of the third. Tkachuk sparked the rally when he beat Raanta with a shot from the top of the circle for a power-play goal at 16:30 while Barrett Hayton was serving a tripping penalty. Hinostroza pounced on a turnover behind Calgary's net and beat Rittich's glove at 10:31 for his first of the season. Gaudreau halved a 2-0 deficit with a power-play goal at 17:16 of the second. The winger ended Calgary's 0-for-13 drought with the man advantage. With Carl Soderberg serving a hooking penalty, Gaudreau redirected Tkachuk's cross-ice pass by Raanta to end a 12-game streak without a goal. After Raanta denied a breaking Mark Jankowski to open the period, Dvorak tipped an off-speed shot by Phil Kessel past Rittich at 4:09. Rittich turned away Michael Grabner on a breakaway with his right pad with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the period. Keller scored at 8:29 when Calgary turned the puck over in its zone near the blue line. Nick Schmaltz in the high slot dished to Keller for a top-shelf one-timer. The 23-year-old Schmaltz got his team-leading 14th point of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 Hanifin has goal, 2 assists, Flames rally past Devils 5-2 Game # 19 5 2 Associated Press Updated: 13 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Propelled by Noah Hanifin's biggest game as a Flame, Calgary turned in its most complete effort of the season. Hanifin had a goal and two assists, and the Calgary Flames scored four times in the second period to beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 Thursday night. Hanifin completed his first three-point game with Calgary and the fourth of his career. It came in the first game after coach Bill Peters, frustrated with his team's inconsistent play all season, shuffled all three of his defensive pairings. Hanifin's only partner since he was acquired by the Flames two seasons ago, Travis Hamonic, moved to the top pairing, alongside reigning Norris trophy winner Mark Giordano. Hanifin's new partner was Rasmus Andersson, promoted from the third pairing. "Sometimes it's good to freshen things up a bit and play with someone new," the 22-year-old Hanifin said. "Things were running a little stale for a bit so I thought that helped tonight." Derek Ryan, Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau also scored for Calgary. Elias Lindholm had an assist to extend his point streak to nine games. "That was a big step for our team to play a whole, solid 60 minutes. I don't know if we've done that at all," Backlund said. Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, and Nikita Gusev also scored. The Flames won their second straight to open a four-game homestand and improved to 6-1-1 at home this season. David Rittich made 21 saves for Calgary. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 33 shots. Hanifin's points came on three consecutive goals after Gusev gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 5:21 of the second. On the tying goal, Hanifin showed poise in carrying the puck from the blue line along the sideboards and around the back of the net before centering a perfect pass to Monahan, who one-timed his fourth of the season. It was just the second goal in 17 games for the perennial 30-goal scorer. The go-ahead goal by Backlund at 14:53 deflected off Devils captain Andy Greene. The Flames power play struck again with 14 seconds left in the second. Hanifin's shot from the blue-line beat Blackwood, who was screened by Milan Lucic. Gaudreau put the game away in the third, getting behind Matt Tennyson and scoring on a nice backhand. "We had a pretty good first there. The second, once again, we started trying to play a little too much east-west instead of a north-south, direct game like we've been doing quite well here lately," Greene said. "We didn't sustain enough pressure in the offensive zone. We were kind of one-and-done." Having Hanifin and Hamonic separated caused a good-natured stir in the Flames dressing room. "All the guys were calling us `The Inseparables," Hanifin said with a chuckle. "Tonight we were separated so we were getting it from the guys tonight. But I thought he was great with (Giordano) tonight and I thought me and (Rasmus Andersson) had some good success, too." Game notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Perron scores in OT to lift Blues past Flames 3-2 Game # 20 2 3 OT By Associated Press Updated: 2 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- David Perron is making a habit of scoring game-winning goals. Perron scored a power-play goal 2:46 into overtime to lift the St. Louis Blues to their seventh straight win, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. After TJ Brodie was sent off for holding in the extra period, the Blues took advantage with Perron's eighth of the season -- and fifth that proved to be the deciding goal -- on a one-timer off a pass from Ryan O'Reilly. "I haven't been out on 4-on-3's that much in my career so you kind of have to get a feel for it the first few seconds," Perron said. "The guys did a good job. O'Reilly put it right in my wheelhouse there and I was able to put it home." Ryan O'Reilly and Ivan Barbashev also scored for St. Louis, and Jordan Binnington stopped 27 shots to help the defending Stanley Cup champions complete a perfect four-game trip and with their fifth straight away from home. It was also the Blues' fifth overtime win this season -- each coming during their current streak. "We're just finding a way to get it done," O'Reilly said. "We're confident going into these situations. We're not flustered even though we wanted to hold them off the right way. We're confident. (Binnington) back there was playing unbelievable, poised. We're just confident." O'Reilly has four goals and seven assists during the winning streak, and Perron has three goals and seven assists to give the Blues the second-best record in the NHL second at 12-3-3. They are just two points behind the Washington Capitals. "They've got a lot of guys, who can get a lot of looks," Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic said. "I felt like we didn't give them much, but obviously, they know how to put it in." Matthew Tkachuk and Hamonic scored in a 5:05 stretch late in the third period to tie the score for Calgary after St. Louis led 2-0. David Rittich finished with 25 saves. Tkachuk pulled the Sharks within one with 9:01 left in regulation as he scored his 10th off a centering pass from Andrew Mangiapane. "Probably the best team we played this year, just the way they're able to grind you and wear you down and play in the offensive zone and play the right way, finish their hits," Tkachuk said. "They're a playoff team. They showed it last year and they're right in form this year." With the teams playing 4-on-4 due to coincidental minor penalties, Hamonic tied it with 3:56 remaining as he shoveled a backhander past Binnington. Barbashev got the Blues on the scoreboard 3:17 into the game with a wraparound into the open side of the net. O'Reilly made it 2-0 with 6:54 remaining in the second with his fifth goal and team-leading 18th point. With the Blues on the power play, he sent a one-timer off a pass from Perron inside the far goal post . Earlier in the second, Calgary had squandered a chance to tie it as Michael Stone sent a shot over the net from 30 feet out after he was set up in the slot on an odd-man rush by Mikael Backlund. "In the second, we came down the pipe a couple of times and had some good looks," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "I think you can learn from a game like this. I think there were times when we spent a little bit more time in the D zone than we wanted to and we weren't clean breaking out." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 14, 2019 Author Share Posted November 14, 2019 Pavelski leads surging Stars to 3-1 win over Flames Ga Game # 21 1 3 Associated Press Updated: 8 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- The first NHL goal for 29-year-old Dallas forward Justin Dowling will be a memorable one for many reasons. For one, it was the game-winner as the resurgent Stars continued their strong play with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Second, it came in his hometown before a bunch of friends and family. Third, his mom missed it because she was in the beer line at Scotiabank Saddledome. "That's why we've got TV and highlights and everything," Dowling said with a smile. "So she'll see it eventually. It's OK. I'm just happy they were here." Undrafted out of Swift Current in the Western Hockey League, Dowling has played 495 games in the minors. Wednesday was his 34th NHL game. "It felt great," said Dowling, who entered with just three career assists. "I've had a lot of close calls with pucks sitting on goal lines, hitting posts. I think my first game last year I had one disallowed. Long time coming, but it feels good. A lot of weight off my shoulders." Dowling toe-dragged around Calgary goalie Cam Talbot and fired from a sharp angle just inside the far post to make it 2-0 at 6:38 of the third period. "Your first NHL goal in your hometown for the game-winner. It doesn't get much better than that," Stars goaltender Ben Bishop said. "I don't think you can draw it up as a kid any better. ... Maybe if he was playing for the other team, but I'm glad he's on ours." The unassisted goal on a 2-on-1 came just seconds after the Flames blew a chance to pull even. Mark Giordano and Mikael Backlund went back and forth with short passes on a 3-on-1 before Backlund fired wide from directly in front. "Unfortunately, we had a 3-on-1 the other way and we didn't bear down when we needed to. Instead of 1-1, it's 2-0 and that's just how hockey goes sometimes," Talbot said. Joe Pavelski scored twice for Dallas, including into an empty net. The Stars are 8-1-1 after stumbling to a 1-7-1 start this season. "We've had a good little stretch but we're not out of the woods by any means. We're one game (above .500). Our team's got higher standards than that," Pavelski said. Sean Monahan scored for the Flames (10-8-3), who lost for just the second time in regulation at home (6-2-2). "Tight game the whole game," Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "That second goal hurt a little bit when they got it, then we got one right back and it's still a one-goal game. We gave a little bit of a push in the third, but not enough." Bishop made 24 saves to improve to 6-5-1. Talbot turned aside 29 shots but fell to 1-4-0. He was especially sharp in the second, keeping the Flames close in a period when they were outshot 18-6 but only gave up one goal. Dallas grabbed the momentum early in the second thanks to a goaltender interference penalty on Sam Bennett. It was on the sixth shot of that power play that Pavelski put a bouncing puck past Talbot. "I gave up a few too many rebounds in the second period, made myself and some of the guys work a little extra hard. But overall, I made a lot of key saves when we needed it in the second period to keep it a one-goal game heading into the third," Talbot said. "Just needed that one more save in the third to make it more attainable." Monahan's power-play goal cut Calgary's deficit to 2-1 at 9:57 of the third. Both teams had eight shots on goal in a scoreless first period. Calgary had the better chances, but could not solve Bishop. The best opportunity came in the opening minute when Andrew Mangiapane appeared to have Bishop beaten, but couldn't tuck the puck behind his outstretched pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 Coyotes G Kuemper fights Tkachuk, shuts out Flames Game # 22 0 3 By Associated Press Updated: 19 hours ago GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Darcy Kuemper's play in goal was the driving force in the Arizona Coyotes' run toward a playoff berth that came up just short late last season. His actions Saturday only further endeared the veteran to his teammates. Kuemper stopped 37 shots for his second shutout of the season and slammed an opponent to the ice during a brawl in the second period, and the Coyotes beat the Calgary Flames 3-0 Saturday. "It happens. A little bit of fun, but then we got back to work," Kuemper said. "That's a big part of our success, is how tight we are as a group. We want to have each other's back out there." After Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau cross-checked Arizona's Jason Demers late in the second period while Demers was down on the ice, Kuemper put the Flames' Matthew Tkachuk in a headlock and flipped him off his feet. Tkachuk came up swinging and landed a few blows on Kuemper in a dustup that also included Calgary goaltender David Rittich barreling in from the other side of the rink. The crowd chanted Kuemper's name as he returned to the net. Three Flames and two Coyotes combined for 14 penalty minutes. Vinnie Hinostroza served Kuemper's four-minute roughing penalty, and Rasmus Andersson sat for two minutes on Rittich's behalf. "It's nice having my security guard back there, Darcy," Demers said. "We've been building towards something the last couple of years, and this season feels different for us." Demers said he thought the Flames felt he went down too easy on a hit that preceded the fracas. "Just trying to give it to him a bit, we didn't like that too much," Tkachuk said. "Whenever something happens when Johnny's involved, you've got to stick up for him." Derek Stepan, Carl Soderberg and Lawson Crouse scored, and Arizona won for the third time in four games. Rittich stopped 22 shots, and Calgary lost its third straight. Stepan was in the right spot to knock down Rittich's clearance at 6:35 of the second period. The attempted pass up the ice hit Stepan in the wrist, and the puck came down to Stepan's stick for a shot. Stepan smiled sheepishly after his third goal of the season and first since Nov. 4 at Edmonton. "It was kind of a gift. You're kind of just standing in a spot and you get a freebie," Stepan said. Moments later, Soderberg scored off a pass from linemate Crouse. It was Soderberg's sixth goal of the season. The Coyotes' best scoring opportunity of the first period came when at the 11:31 mark. Crouse passed to Soderberg for a shot from close range, but the attempt to stuff the puck into the net was unsuccessful as Rittich blocked it. "We had some good looks but just couldn't find (the net)," Flames coach Bill Peters said. Arizona also had back-to-back power plays at 13:03 and 14:59 of the first but were denied. The Coyotes' power play is just 1 for its last 24 after going 0 for 4 Saturday. Crouse rolled in an empty-net goal with seven seconds to play to finish off the win. "He was a beast out there," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said of Crouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 18, 2019 Author Share Posted November 18, 2019 Karlsson scores two, Fleury and Vegas blanks Calgary, 6-0 G Game # 23 0 6 By Associated Press Updated: 14 hours ago LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights can finally be proud of a third period. They went into their game against Calgary having held leads in six of their previous eight games and led by two in three of them. However, they've struggled to finish and were mired in a five-game losing streak. The Golden Knights left no doubt on Sunday. William Karlsson had his third straight multipoint game, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 shots to earn his league high-tying 10th victory this season and Vegas got four third-period goals to douse the Flames 6-0. Fleury, who improved to 14-4-1 all-time against Calgary, got his fifth career shutout against the Flames and 58th all time, which moved him into a tie for 19th in NHL history with Jon Ross Roach. "It's been a rough patch, everybody's getting all frustrated and sometimes confidence was so low going into the third (period), if we're behind (or) even if we're ahead teams would come back on us," said Fleury, who is one victory shy from 450 for his career. "We haven't been scoring as much lately, to see so many guys get goals tonight, it's good. It boosts everybody's confidence. Everybody feels a little better and it's gonna carry to the next game." Karlsson, the only player to have appeared in each of Vegas' 186 all-time regular-season games, had two goals and an assist. He now has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) over the last 11 games and leads the team with 23 points. "This is what we need, two huge points for us and now we just look forward," Karlsson said. "I think we executed very well, just overall a very good game." Paul Stastny, Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and Cody Eakin also scored for Vegas, while Nate Schmidt had four assists, a new career-high for the defenseman for points in a game. Vegas, which is now 6-2-0 against opponents from the Pacific Division, also snapped a three-game home losing skid and improved to 2-4-3 in its last nine overall. "We really moved the puck well," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "We're all about playing fast and speed and transition and I thought it was real good. It's good for our team, it's good for our confidence, now we just gotta continue to play that way." Calgary, which has never won inside T-Mobile Arena, dropped to 1-3-0 in the second game of a back-to-back this season after losing in Arizona on Saturday. "I thought we battled through 40 (minutes), and had a tough one in the final 20," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "It was a little deflating in that regard. It feels like it's just hard to get (the puck) to go in right now." The Golden Knights got on the board midway through the first period when Karlsson skated in on an odd man rush with Max Pacioretty but kept the puck and fired it past Cam Talbot, who finished with 31 saves and dropped to 1-5-0 this season. Stastny notched his 698th career point, when he gracefully deked around Mark Giordano and fired a wrist shot by Talbot midway through the second period, while Pacioretty seized momentum for the Golden Knights by making it 3-0 early in the third. Eakin scored the most meaningful goal of the night, after struggling to find the back of the net through the first 21 games. Eakin capitalized took a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and flipped it past Talbot with a little more than five minutes left for his first goal of the season. "It felt good," said Eakin, who now has 99 career goals. "I've been doing it long enough and bad stuff happens where you go through something like that you can just do what you do best. Sometimes when you go through a rut like that where you're not producing, things get a little tougher and you feel like you're skating in sand. It's nice to get that one." Mark Stone snapped a six-game scoreless drought with a one-timer from one knee over Talbot's stick to make it 5-0, and Karlsson's second goal of the game came on a backhand with 2:31 left in the contest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 Burakovsky scores twice, Avalanche beat Flames 3-2 Game # 24 2 3 By Associated Press Updated: 5 hours ago CALGARY, Alberta -- Andre Burakovsky got promoted to Colorado’s top line Tuesday night and took full advantage. Playing with Nathan MacKinnon and Joonas Donskoi, the Austrian forward scored twice to lead the Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the slumping Calgary Flames. “Sometimes that just happens. Every shot you have goes in somehow,” said the 24-year-old Burakovsky, who has netted five of his 10 goals this season in the last three games. “I’ve been playing with great players and they’re giving me a lot of looks.” The opening at left wing on the top unit was the result of a head injury sustained in Colorado’s previous game by Matt Calvert, who has been placed on injured reserve. “(MacKinnon) can do so much with the puck. Normally a guy could need a little bit of support, but he’s kind of dancing off guys easy and using his speed to create space for himself,” Burakovsky said. “When you play with him, the challenge for the other guys is to find the open ice because when you do, the puck is going to come.” MacKinnon assisted on both of Burakovsky’s goals to give him 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his last six games. Vladislav Kamenev also scored for Colorado (13-6-2), which has won five of six. The Avalanche are 3-1-0 on a five-game road trip that wraps up Thursday in Minnesota. Derek Ryan and Andrew Mangiapane scored for Calgary (10-11-3), which has lost five straight -- the last four in regulation. Philipp Grubauer got the win in his first game back after missing five with a lower-body injury. He had 31 stops to improve to 7-3-2. Colorado was missing five regular forwards who are sidelined: Calvert, Mikko Rantanen (lower body), Gabriel Landeskog (lower body), Colin Wilson (lower body) and Tyson Jost (upper body). “It was huge, guys stepping up,” Grubauer said. “Hopefully we get a couple guys back, but it was definitely nice to see, to get those performances.” David Rittich made 23 saves for the Flames and fell to 9-6-3. The Avalanche opened the scoring 3:21 in when Burakovsky took a cross-ice pass from MacKinnon and fired a shot just inside the post. Before the first period was over, Burakovsky made it 2-0 at 18:45 by ripping a shot under the crossbar shortly after a faceoff win by MacKinnon. “He’s got as good a shot as anyone on our team and we need to see him keep using it more,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. The 2-0 lead for the Avs came despite being outshot 13-7. Kamenev, set up by J.T. Compher on a 2-on-1, made it 3-0 at 13:15 of the second before the Flames got on the board at 17:41 when Ryan beat Grubauer under the crossbar. The goal ended Calgary’s scoreless streak at 167 minutes, 44 seconds, dating back to the third period against Dallas last Wednesday. The Flames were shut out in both games on their weekend trip to Arizona and Vegas. “Before the game there's a lot of energy in the dressing room, energy on the bench,” said Ryan, who has four goals. “We give up a couple goals and all of a sudden the body language goes down a little bit, guys are frustrated, guys are down on themselves, down on each other.” Calgary has fallen behind 16 times in 24 games. “I thought we were more engaged today than in other games,” Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk said. “But it's tough, playing from behind all the time. We've got to change that because this is a very, very, very important road trip for us and we want to play better on the road.” Calgary drew within one on Mangiapane's fourth goal at 15:44 of the third, setting up a furious finish. But despite getting a power play for the last 21 seconds and pulling their goalie, the Flames couldn’t take advantage of the 6-on-4. Calgary also has run into injury issues with Travis Hamonic (lower body) and Sam Bennett (upper body) the latest to be sidelined. “There is adversity for sure. There is adversity in the fact that we haven’t won recently, adversity in the fact we’ve got some guys down, but that’s everybody in the league,” Flames coach Bill Peters said. “Across the league you’re going to hit it at some point, where you’re banged up, lots of injuries. Nobody feels sorry for you when it happens.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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