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Binnington makes 40 saves to help Blues beat Flames 5-0

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Game # 25
 
Flames Hockey Forum 0 Blues Hockey Forum 5

By
Associated Press
Updated: 14 hours ago

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis defenseman Vince Dunn set the tone for the Blues with a crunching hit that drew a retaliation penalty.

 

"I think it energized everybody in the whole city of St. Louis," goalie Jordan Binnington said after stopping 40 shots for his sixth career shutout in St. Louis' 5-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. "It was big."

 

Oskar Sundqvist scored twice, Zach Sanford had a goal and three assists, David Perron and Dunn also scored and Robert Thomas added three assists to lead the Blues to their largest victory margin of season. St. Louis also improved to 9-1-2 in their last 12 games.

 

Dunn's open-ice check on Andrew Mangiapane midway through the second period woke the crowd and the Blues. Perron capitalized with a power-play goal to push the lead to 3-0.

 

Binnington, who helped the Blues to their first Stanley Cup title last season, got his first shutout this season. His biggest save came late in the second when he halted Johnny Gaudreau on a breakaway.

 

"They threw a lot of pucks to the net and we did a good job weathering the storm," Binnington said. "We were patient and we stayed composed."

 

David Rittich finished with 26 saves for Calgary, which has lost six in a row while being outscored 23-5.

Sanford converted on a one-timer off a pass from Thomas with just under eight minutes left in the first to get the Blues on the scoreboard. He finished with his first career four-point game.

 

Sundqvist converted on a breakaway midway through the second period for a 2-0 lead. He added his sixth of the season early in the final period. It was his first two-goal game since scoring twice in a 5-3 win over Vegas on Nov. 1, 2018.

 

Dunn capped the scoring near midway through the third with his fourth of the season. He was just as proud of his hit as he was of his goal.

 

"It's just part of the game," Dunn noted. "If the guy cuts in and gets around me, it's a breakaway. I'm not trying to hurt anyone."

 

Mangiapane did not return to the game.

 

"It was a solid hit -- we love it," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. "A good clean hit."

 

 

Calgary has been shut out in their last three road games for the first time in franchise history.

The Flames held a players-only meeting after the contest that lasted roughly 10 minutes.

 

"Just a lot of honesty between guys," captain Mark Giordano said. "We all love each other in here. Right now, we have a lot of guys that are trying to be the guy who's going to change the tide and change the momentum."

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Tkachuk's shootout goal helps Flames top Flyers, end skid

Game # 26
 
Flames Hockey Forum 3 Flyers Hockey Forum 2 SO

By
Associated Press
1 day ago

PHILADELPHIA -- The Calgary Flames used a fortunate bounce to pick up a sorely needed win.

 

Matthew Tkachuk scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Saturday to stop a six-game slide.

 

"It feels good, obviously," Flames coach Bill Peters said. "We needed it."

 

Lindholm tied it at 2 when he scored with 1:23 left in regulation. After David Rittich was pulled in favor of an extra attacker, Rasmus Andersson's slap shot from the point went wide of the net.

 

But it ricocheted off the back boards to a wide-open Lindholm, who knocked in his 11th of the season.

 

"We got a little bit of a bounce, but we were due for a bounce," Peters said. "It's crazy. Some of the stuff that hasn't gone in was challenging. We were due."

 

Andrew Mangiapane also scored for the Flames, who were shut out in their previous three road games as part of their skid.

 

"It just feels really nice to be back in the win column," Andersson said. "It felt like a long time ago. We're all excited in here."

 

Kevin Hayes and Jakub Voracek scored for Philadelphia, which lost for the fifth time in six games.

 

"We played extremely well but just came out on the wrong side of a shootout," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said.

 

Rittich made 27 saves and stopped all three Flyers attempts in the tiebreaker. Tkachuk, Calgary's second shooter, scored on a backhander that went through Carter Hart's legs.

 

Philadelphia grabbed a 2-1 lead with 3:46 left in regulation when Hayes capitalized on a stellar hustle play by rookie forward Joel Farabee.

 

Rittich tried to play the puck behind the net, but Farabee forced him into a turnover. Hayes then converted a backhander for his sixth of the season and second in as many games.

 

Mangiapane tied it at 1 1:01 into the third period, stopping the Flames' long scoreless road drought. After a turnover by Flyers rookie Morgan Frost in his third career game, Mangiapane's wrist shot went off defenseman Philippe Myers and past Hart.

 

Calgary's previous road goal had come Nov. 3 at Washington with two seconds left in the first period, a span of 261 minutes, 3 seconds between road scores.

 

"You have to stay positive," said Mangiapane, who played with a full face shield after breaking his nose in Thursday's 5-0 loss at St. Louis. "As of late, goals haven't been bouncing our way.

 

Eventually they would."

 

Flames star Johnny Gaudreau, a South Jersey native who attended nearby Gloucester Catholic High School, had the secondary assist on Lindholm's goal. He has four goals and 10 assists in 11 games against the Flyers.

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Guentzel scores in OT, Penguins beat Flames 3-2

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Game # 27
 
Flames Hockey Forum 2  Penguins Hockey Forum 3 OT
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 15 hours ago

PITTSBURGH -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan thought Alex Galchenyuk was working hard, even during a 14-game goal drought to start his tenure in Pittsburgh.

 

It finally paid off Monday night.

 

Galchenyuk scored his first goal with the Penguins and Jake Guentzel beat David Rittich on a rush 4:04 into overtime to lift Pittsburgh over the Calgary Flames 3-2 Monday night.

 

"The first one is a bit of a relief for him," Sullivan said. "He works extremely hard, he's one of our hardest-working guys in practice and he puts a lot of pressure on himself to help us win. We're thrilled for him."

 

Jared McCann scored his ninth goal for the Penguins. He and Galchenyuk also had assists, helping Pittsburgh get a point for the 11th time in 13 games -- eight of those 13 have gone to overtime.

 

Tristan Jarry stopped 32 shots and has allowed two goals or fewer in six of seven games.

 

"For whatever reason, it didn't seem like we had a lot of jump, especially early in the game," Sullivan said. "Tristan was big for us. He made some timely saves."

 

Dillon Dube scored his first of the season for Calgary and second NHL goal. Sean Monahan added his sixth on a power play as the Flames lost for the seventh time in eight games.

 

Calgary snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday with a shootout win at Philadelphia but couldn't make it two in a row. The Flames have been outscored 28-9 in their past eight games with three shutouts after winning four of their previous five. Rittich stopped 35 shots.

 

"I thought we had a good first period, took the lead, had some good chances," Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau said. "They kind of pushed back and I think we pushed back at the end of the second into the third period. A lot of chances both ways ... just didn't get the extra point."

 

Jarry stopped Gaudreau on a breakaway prior to Guentzel's overtime goal. Guentzel has points in 11 of Pittsburgh's 14 home games and a goal in six of its last seven at home. He's scored in a career-best five straight home games.

 

"I just tried to use the defenseman as a screen," Guentzel said. "I'm glad it went in."

 

Dube opened the scoring at 7:34 of the first period when his blocker-side wrist shot from below the left circle beat Jarry.

 

Galchenyuk tied it at 11:49. Dominik Kahun put a shot on goal off the rush, and the rebound came to Galchenyuk in the slot. The Penguins acquired Galchenyuk -- a former 30-goal scorer -- from Arizona in June for productive wing Phil Kessel.

 

"Obviously, every season you go through slumps," Galchenyuk said. "Last year, I went through 17 games, but this time was harder because you want to get the first one with the new team. I'm happy to get that over with now."

 

Kessel was an important piece to Pittsburgh's run to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and '17, but he was traded to Arizona for Galchenyuk as part of an offseason shakeup after the Penguins were swept by the New York Islanders in the opening round of the playoffs last spring.

 

PETERS ACCUSATIONS

 

Flames general manager Brad Treliving says the team is looking into an accusation that head coach Bill Peters directed racial slurs toward a Nigerian-born hockey player a decade ago in the minor leagues, then arranged for the player's demotion when he complained. 

 

Akim Aliu posted the claims on Twitter on Monday, suggesting the incident happened in the Chicago Blackhawks system when Peters coached there during the 2009-10 season.

 

Peters did not speak to reporters after the game. Treliving said the Flames "take these matters very, very seriously" and "will address it and get back to you people once we have a chance to speak internally."

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Lindholm scores in OT, Flames beat Sabres 3-2

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Game # 28
 
Flames Hockey Forum 3 Sabres Hockey Forum 2 OT

By
Associated Press
Updated: 6 hours ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Flames captain Mark Giordano was thoroughly impressed with how Calgary rallied rather than unraveled.

 

Following two-plus days of facing questions regarding the uncertain status of coach Bill Peters, the Flames showed no signs of being distracted with Elias Lindholm scoring on a wraparound 1:17 into overtime of a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

 

"It's a four-game trip that's had a lot of adversity," Giordano said. "I think guys, what we did as players, we said to one another this is almost a way to get away from everything off the ice right now by playing games, practicing. And I thought we did a good job of that."

 

Peters has been accused of using racist slurs against Nigerian-born player Akim Aliu 10 years ago while the two were in the minors.

 

And Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour earlier Wednesday backed another former player's allegation that Peters kicked and punched players on the bench during his previous four years coaching Carolina.

 

Following the game, Flames general manager Brad Treliving confirmed he received a letter of apology from Peters, in which the coach acknowledged using offensive language in dealing with Aliu.

 

The letter was initially obtained and posted on Twitter during the third period by TSN, a Canadian sports cable network.

 

Without specifically referencing the words he used, Peters said his comments to Aliu were the source of both anger and disappointment. He added, the incident was made in a "moment of frustration and does not reflect my personal values."

Peters says he regretted the incident and apologizes to anyone negatively affected by it.

 

The letter was released while Peters is away from the team while the Flames and the NHL conduct an investigation into the matter.

 

Matthew Tkachuk scored 4:02 into the third period to force overtime by tying the game at 2 a little over two minutes after Victor Olofsson scored for Buffalo.

 

Tkachuk then set up Lindholm's overtime goal as Calgary improved to 2-0-1 in its past three and closed a four-game road trip that began with a 5-0 loss at St. Louis.

 

"It's huge. Obviously, a lot of things going on right now. We can only affect what's going on out on the ice," Lindholm said. "We got the two points at the end, and that's all that matters."

 

TJ Brodie also had a goal and assist, and David Rittich stopped 34 shots with associate coach Geoff Ward behind the bench.

 

Jimmy Vesey also scored for the Sabres who dropped to 2-8-3 in their past 13 -- and after getting off to a 9-2-1 start to the season. Linus Ullmark made 26 saves.

 

"It's definitely frustrating, the final result," first-year Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said.

 

"We definitely had the chances to put it away after 2-1, and the inability to do that and then have a D-zone breakdown to allow them back into the game is really, really disappointing," Krueger added. "It's a painful situation that we have to manage and use in the right way."

 

The game was decided when Tkachuk beat a Sabres defender to the puck deep in Buffalo's zone and slid a pass behind the net to Lindholm.

 

Lindholm came out untouched at the right post and circled atop the crease before scoring inside the opposite post.

 

Brodie's goal with 2:55 left in the opening period came in his second game two weeks after experiencing a frightening moment in practice when he began convulsing after falling to the ice. A series of neurological tests came back negative and the 29-year-old play-making defenseman was cleared to return in a 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Monday.

 

Despite the win, the Flames continued their offensive struggles in scoring two or fewer goals in regulation for the ninth consecutive game. It's a stretch in which Calgary has been out-scored 30-12 and shut out three times.

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Lindholm scores twice, Flames beat Senators 3-1

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Game # 29
 
Flames Hockey Forum 3  Senators Hockey Forum 1
 
 
Associated Press
Updated: 16 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Make it two wins in as many games for Calgary Flames interim head coach Geoff Ward.

 

Elias Lindholm scored the deciding goal late in the third period and added an empty-netter, leading the Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

 

Ward was also a winner on Wednesday night, when Calgary beat Buffalo 3-2 in overtime.

 

Calgary head coach Bill Peters resigned on Friday amid allegations of racial slurs and physical abuse of players in previous jobs.

 

Peters' resignation came after a lengthy process that included investigations by the Flames and the NHL.

 

"The group's been real resilient this week. They've found ways to pull together and it's evident on the bench tonight," said Ward, who has never previously been an NHL head coach.

 

Dillon Dube also scored for Calgary (13-12-4). The Flames improved to 3-0-1 in their last four games.

 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau had his team-leading 14th goal for Ottawa (11-15-1), which lost its fourth straight. The Senators have scored just four goals in that span.

 

David Rittich made 26 saves and improved to 12-7-4. He was making his sixth consecutive start and league-high 23rd start for the season.

 

Marcus Hogberg had 24 saves for Ottawa in his first start of the season and the fifth of his career.

 

"I think he played real solid the whole way," said Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot. "He made some big saves, that (Johnny Gaudreau) breakaway there, and plenty more during the game. We were lucky to have him. He was ready for it, ready for the challenge, and he played real well."

 

The Senators' third round pick in 2013, Hogberg is up from Belleville of the American Hockey League while Craig Anderson (lower body) is sidelined.

 

Anderson is not expected to be out long, but Hogberg got some game action with Anders Nilsson having played Friday night in Ottawa's 7-2 loss in Minnesota.

 

Lindholm's 13th goal of the season came less than a minute after Pageau had tied it.

 

Sean Monahan backhanded the puck high in the air and over defenseman Ron Hainsey, who put his arm up, but couldn't reach it.

 

As it landed behind him, Lindholm was there and quickly fired the puck over the shoulder of Hogberg.

 

"He made a great play at the net to get that puck up from where he was," Ward said. "We've talked about it a lot. When there's not ice in front of you, get the puck behind and skate onto it."

 

Pageau ruined Rittich's bid for a shutout at 14:49 when he burst down the right side and fired a puck over the Czech goaltender's shoulder.

 

Forced to pull the goalie while on a penalty kill, Lindholm rounded out the scoring with his 14th goal of the season.

 

The Flames opened the scoring late in the first period. Artem Anisimov won a defensive zone face-off against Milan Lucic, but in pulling it back on his backhand, the puck glanced off the skate of Anthony Duclair and went right to Dube, who kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and sent a backhand past Hogberg.

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Lucic scores 1st goal with Flames in 4-3 win over Sabres

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Game # 30
 
Flames Hockey Forum  4 Sabres Hockey Forum 3
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 15 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- It took 28 games, but Milan Lucic finally has his first goal with the Calgary Flames.

Lucic scored early in the third period to open three-goal lead, and the Flames held on to beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Thursday night.

 

"A little bit of relief. It's always nice to get the first one with your new team," said Lucic, who had been held to four assists this season.

 

"My teammates all along have been sticking with me and building me up, because it took longer than I hoped and probably a lot of people hoped, but good on everyone for all of the support."

 

Tobias Rieder, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Monahan also had an assist for his first multipoint game since Nov. 7.

 

Interim coach Geoff Ward improved to 3-0-0 since taking over for Bill Peters.

 

Sam Reinhart, Jake McCabe and Jack Eichel scored for Buffalo, which earned at least one point in its previous four games. Eichel extended his point streak to 11 games (10 goals, 10 assists).

 

"We really came out strong in the first and it got away from us a little bit in the second," Reinhart said. "We got away from our game plan a little bit. I think our forwards didn't do a good enough job of recognizing when we were turning pucks over in the offensive zone and our gaps weren't as good as a result, which gave them more time and space."

 

The Sabres' special teams let them down. Buffalo went 1 for 8 on the power play, gave up a short-handed goal and allowed Calgary to score once on its two chances with the man advantage.

 

"I feel like we didn't play well at all," Sabres wing Victor Olofsson said. "Started OK and then Calgary, I thought they took over. They were a lot better than us today up until the last few minutes of the game where we kind of woke up and we fought to the end, but couldn't get that last one in."

 

The Saddledome crowd roared at 3:58 of the third when Lucic finished off a passing sequence with Derek Ryan, who had two assists, and Dillon Dube for his first goal since last season's finale with Edmonton.

 

Choruses of "Looo" echoed throughout the building as Lucic hugged his linemates in the corner after putting Calgary ahead 4-1.

 

"I'm more than excited that I was able to do it in front of the home fans. I think they stuck with me, throughout the whole season so far, never gave up on me," Lucic said.

 

After the game, it was the goal everyone wanted to talk about.

 

"He's one of those guys who's really well-respected, obviously, in this locker room and in the league," Monahan said. "So when a guy like that scores a goal like that, there's a lot of emotion that goes into it and we're all really happy for him."

 

Ward and Lucic spent seven years together in Boston going back to when Lucic broke in with the Bruins.

 

"He's a guy who comes to work every day. He's a real good pro, he's team-first all the time, so to see him finally break through, it was awesome," Ward said.

 

Another ex-Oiler who scored a big goal was Rieder. Playing his 400th NHL game, his short-handed breakaway goal at 11:18 of the second snapped a 1-all tie and gave Calgary the lead for good.

 

"It always feels good, especially on the PK," said Rieder, who has two goals after failing to score in 67 games last season. "It was at the right time of the game as well. It got us going."

 

The goals by McCabe and Eichel came in the last three minutes -- Eichel's with the goaltender pulled -- to set up a furious finish.

 

David Rittich made 26 saves to improve to 13-7-4. Linus Ullmark, who had 25 stops, fell to 7-6-2.

 

After successfully killing off three straight first-period power plays for the Sabres, the Flames tied it 1-all at 16:42 by converting their first man-advantage.

 

Set up by Monahan, Gaudreau skated to the faceoff dot and ripped a shot into the top corner for his sixth goal of the season.

 

Gaudreau, who scored 36 times last season, entered without a goal in 10 games and with just two in his past 24 games.

 

At 15:02, Calgary surged in front 3-1 when Mikael Backlund set up Monahan for a one-timer from a sharp angle. It was the seventh goal of the season for Monahan, who is coming off consecutive 30-goal seasons.

 

Buffalo opened the scoring 3:29 into the first period when Reinhart redirected Rasmus Ristolainen's point shot past Rittich.

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Dube helps Flames beat Kings 4-3 to stay perfect under Ward

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Game # 31
 
Flames Hockey Forum 4  Kings Hockey Forum 3
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 13 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Dillon Dube has made a big impact on the Calgary Flames’ since being called up from the minors three weeks ago. He’s also helped Milan Lucic turn his season around.

 

Dube and Lucic each had a goal and an assist as the Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 Saturday night for their fourth straight win.

 

With the Flames up 3-2, Dube scored his third goal in nine games this season, neatly burying a rebound of Derek Ryan’s shot at 1:29 of the third period. The sequence started with Lucic’s outlet pass.

 

“It's great to see when a young guy comes in and provides what he's been providing, it sometimes re-energizes us older guys to play the way that we can,” Lucic said. “I talk about my game moving in the right direction since the Las Vegas game when he got called up and he's been a huge part of me turning it around.”

 

Dube made the Flames out of training camp last season, but eventually spent most of the year in the minors. In 25 games with Calgary, he only scored once.

 

“It's a credit to (Lucic) and (Ryan),” Dube said, about how well he's fit in on that line this season. “When I came up to play with them, we all complement each other really well and it's easy playing with them.”

 

Interim coach Geoff Ward believes starting this season in the AHL was good for Dube, allowing him to learn and develop.

 

“He shows more confidence with the puck,” Ward said. “Last year he was trying to get rid of it right away which is a sign of a player that maybe isn’t ready to play at this level yet, but now he’s playing with the puck and allowing his skill to stand out.”

 

Zac Rinaldo and Sean Monahan also scored to help Calgary earn a point in six straight games (5-0-1) and remain perfect in four games under Ward.

 

Cam Talbot, making his first start since Nov. 17, overcame a shaky start and finished with 30 saves to end a four-game losing streak.

 

Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar each had a goal and an assist for Los Angeles, and Matt Roy also scored as the Kings led 2-0 before falling to 0-10-1 in their last 11 on the road. Jack Campbell finished with 26 saves.

 

“We've played very well with the lead,” Doughty said. “So after the first period, with that good start, we felt pretty comfortable in here, maybe too comfortable. We didn't push enough in the second. Maybe sat back a little bit too much and we allowed them back in the game.”

 

Roy pulled the Kings back within one with 5 1/2 minutes to go.

 

Talbot’s best stop of the night was a glove save on Roy, looking for his second goal, with just over a minute remaining.

 

“From a team standpoint I think we did a lot of good things,”Campbell said. “Individually, if I give up four, it doesn’t matter what I did out there. It’s not good enough.”

 

Monahan gave Calgary its first lead of the night at 11:46 of the second to put the Flames up 3-2. While Monahan’s shot was perfectly placed inside the post, it was set up by a great rush up the ice by Johnny Gaudreau.

 

The Kings got off to a 2-0 lead on a pair of first-period power-play goals from Kopitar and Doughty, the goals coming 6 and 13 seconds into their only two man-advantages of the first period.

 

Lucic started the Flames’ comeback on the power play with his second goal of the season, second in two games and 200th of his career on a slap shot with 1:46 left in the opening period.

 

The Flames tied it 3:01 into the second on a slick move from Rinaldo, who cut across the top of the crease and buried his first of the season.

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Monahan's goal in OT gives Flames 5-4 win over Avalanche

dm_191210_Monahan_Flames_goal_default.jp
 
Game # 32
 
Flames Hockey Forum  5  Avalanche Hockey Forum 4 OT
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 5 hours ago

DENVER -- The Calgary Flames have traded controversy for good fortune and turned their season around. They even found a way to beat the Colorado Avalanche.

 

Sean Monahan scored 2:09 into overtime and the Flames rebounded after losing a two-goal lead to beat the Avalanche 5-4 on Monday night.

 

Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Derek Ryan also scored and David Rittich made 28 saves for Calgary, which has won five in a row under interim coach Geoff Ward and finally broke through against Colorado this season.

 

Andrew Mangiapane and Michael Frolik scored 1:27 apart to start the third period for Calgary.

 

Ward took over for Bill Peters, who resigned after it was disclosed he directed racist slurs at a Nigerian-born player in the minors a decade ago and kicked and punched players behind the bench during his recent stint with Carolina.

 

Calgary was 11-12-4 under Peters but has yet to lose with Ward behind the bench.

 

"We're having fun right now, we're enjoying it," Monahan said. "When you come to the rink and you're working for the guy next to you, and to see smiles on guys' faces, that goes a long way."

 

The smiles were out again after the Flames beat a team that's had their number. Calgary has struggled against the Avalanche of late, starting with the first round of the 2019 playoffs when eighth-seeded Colorado won in five games. The Avs won the first two meetings this season as well.

 

Monahan ended the frustration when got a pass from Dillon Dube and beat Colorado goalie Pavel Francouz, who finished with 28 saves.

 

"Dubes made a sick toe-drag right in the middle of the ice," said Tkachuk, who scored his 200th career point with his goal. "Monny was showing off his speed there going wide and he did an unreal move going that fast with a guy on him right over the glove."

 

Colorado had won six straight, including three on an Eastern Conference road swing that ended Saturday in Boston. Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Ryan Graves and Joonas Donskoi scored for the Avalanche.

 

"We looked tired. We didn't have a lot of energy. Execution was poor," coach Jared Bednar said. "It's a tough game coming back off a week road trip, three tough games, all big wins, coming in and playing a hungry team that's on top of their game."

 

Mangiapane broke a 2-all tie when he scored his sixth goal 12 seconds into the third period. Frolik made it 4-2 at 1:39, but the Avalanche rallied. MacKinnon's 19th at 3:59 got Colorado within a goal, and Donskoi's 13th at 10:45 tied it again.

 

MacKinnon had an assist on Donskoi's goal and played 14 of his team-high 29 shifts after the second period.

"He dominated the last 17 minutes," Bednar said. "I was double shifting him, he was buzzing and he ended up being part of two big goals for us and he almost had another one in overtime."

 

The Avalanche took an early lead on Graves' fifth goal in the first period, and the Flames tied it on Ryan's tip at 9:33 of the second. Nichushkin's fifth goal in eight games, and fifth of the season, 31 seconds later gave Colorado the lead again, but Tkachuk scored seven seconds into a power play to tie it.

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Flames' win streak at 6 games with 5-2 win over Coyotes

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Game # 33
 
Flames Hockey Forum 5 Coyotes Hockey Forum 2
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 5 hours ago

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- An early-season coaching change could have derailed Calgary's entire season.

Instead, it seems to have revitalized the Flames. Even on the second game of a back-to-back, there's no slowing them down.

 

Sean Monahan scored for the fourth straight game, Cam Talbot stopped 46 shots and the Flames extended their winning streak to six straight games under interim coach Geoff Ward with a 5-2 win over the listless Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.

 

"It's extremely gratifying that when we're playing the right way and everyone's buying in, that this is how successful we can be," Talbot said.

 

Calgary played the night before, but had the early energy, scoring two goals on its first four shots in the opening 4:03. The Flames kept on scoring, improving to 7-0-1 their past eight games following a six-game winless streak (0-5-1).

 

Michael Frolik and Zac Rinaldo each had a goal and an assist. Johnny Gaudreau and Milan Lucic also scored for Calgary, which closed within two points of the Pacific Division lead after an indifferent start to the season.

 

"You work hard, you work hard, you eventually get rewarded," Rinaldo said. "Things open up and things become a little easier to you. That's what's happening right now. Our whole team has worked really hard and the floodgates are opening."

 

The Coyotes had numerous good chances jump over their sticks before Jakob Chychrun scored in the closing seconds of the second period. Phil Kessel scored in the game's final minute and Antti Raanta allowed five goals on 29 shots, but didn't get much help from Arizona's defense.

 

"We had some chances, but we gave them two or three goals right off the bat and you're chasing the game from there," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.

 

"They scored on their chances and played a good road game."

 

Calgary had a big shakeup on Nov. 29, when Bill Peters resigned after it was disclosed he abused former players while coaching in Carolina and the minors.

 

The change in leadership has done nothing to slow the Flames, who won their fifth straight under Ward with a 5-4 overtime victory over Colorado on Monday night.

 

The Coyotes had been nearly as good, returning to the desert after a 3-1 road trip moved them into a tie with Edmonton atop the Pacific Division.

 

Arizona had to rally from a two-goal deficit to beat the Blackhawks in its previous game and found itself in a similar hole Tuesday night.

 

The Coyotes appeared to have an early goal, but Michael Grabner's shot hit inside of the post and bounced out.

Frolik scored on the ensuing rush after an Arizona breakdown, taking a pass from Rinaldo, faking a shot, then beating Raanta with a backhander.

 

Gaudreau scored two minutes later with a slap shot from the left circle when Raanta was screened by his own man after a face-off.

 

"At the beginning of the year, those are the ones that were going against us," Talbot said. "But I think you play your way into those lucky bounces."

 

Rinaldo made it 3-0 early in the third period, beating Raanta stick side with a one-timer from Frolik from the slot. Another Arizona breakdown, another Calgary goal, this one late in the second period when Monahan skated in alone and beat Raanta with a wrist shot from the left circle.

 

Monahan has five goals with three assists during a seven-game point streak.

 

The Coyotes, after numerous failed scoring chances and bouncing pucks, finally beat Talbot with 10.6 seconds left in the second period on a wrist shot by Chychrun from the left circle.

 

Lucic put the game out of reach in the third period, redirecting a shot by Rasmus Andersson past Raanta.

 

"Just sloppy to start and then we were chasing the game," Coyotes forward Derek Stepan said. "When you're chasing the game, it's hard to catch up when you're not scoring on your opportunities."

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Gaudreau scores twice, Flames rally past Maple Leafs 4-2

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Game # 34
 
Flames Hockey Forum 4  Maple Leafs Hockey Forum 2
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 13 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau delivered two big goals when the Calgary Flames needed it the most.

 

Gaudreau had his first two-goal game of the season and the Flames scored three goals in the first three minutes of the third period, rallying to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Thursday night.

 

"We knew we needed to have a strong push to start the third and we found a way to score three quick ones and play well with the lead," said Gaudreau, who has nine goals on the season.

 

Gaudreau tied it 2-2 just 19 seconds into the third, sending a wrist shot past Frederik Andersen after being set up by Mikael Backlund.

 

Then, after Michael Frolik's third goal in as many games at 1:59 gave the Flames the lead, Gaudreau scored again, his ninth of the season. He deflected Travis Hamonic's point shot through Anderson's legs. The three goals came on three consecutive shots.

 

"Giving up one as quick as we did, it just seemed we got down on ourselves," said Leafs captain John Tavares. "We just didn't have a good response after that and didn't execute very well and gave them too much space in the middle of the ice that let them capitalize on those next couple chances."

 

Hamonic also had a goal for Calgary (18-12-4). Sean Monahan had a pair of assists to extend his point-streak to eight games (5 goals, 5 assists).

 

The Flames improved to 7-0-0 under interim head coach Geoff Ward and moved into a tie with the Edmonton Oilers for second in the Pacific Division.

 

"I'm most proud of how the guys have come together," the 57-year-old Ward said. "They stick up for each other, they play for one another, and we're really starting to see a nice synergy in our team, and right now I'm happy for the guys."

 

Mitch Marner and Tavares each had a goal and an assist for Toronto (15-14-4). The Leafs fell to 2-1-0 on their four-game trip.

 

Shortly after the Flames surged in front, Toronto got a 1:34 two-man advantage, but failed to take advantage as David Rittich made big stops off Tavares. Auston Matthews also put a shot off the post.

 

Rittich finished with 32 saves and improved to 15-7-4.

 

Andersen made 20 saves and fell to 15-8-3.

 

Tied 1-1, Marner's fifth goal of the season at 14:06 of the second gave the Leafs the lead. The right winger completed a give-and-go with Tavares, sending a shot into the top corner.

 

After falling behind early, Calgary tied it 1-1 at 16:23 of the first. Hamonic moved in from the point, took a cross-ice pass from Monahan and beat Andersen with a high shot.

 

Toronto struck first at 8:24 of the first period when Tavares scored into the top corner, over Rittich's blocker, after being set up in front by Marner.

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Hurricanes cool off Flames with 4-0 victory

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Game # 35
 
Flames Hockey Forum 0  Hurricanes Hockey Forum  4
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 19 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Carolina used a hot goalie, a surging power play and a close non-offside call to end Calgary's seven-game winning streak.

 

James Reimer made 32 stops, Brock McGinn scored the opening goal and Warren Foegele added a pair of late short-handed goals and the Carolina Hurricanes topped the Flames 4-0 on Saturday.

 

It's the second shutout of the season for Reimer, who has won five of his past six starts. The 31-year-old was at his best in the first period, keeping the game scoreless in the opening 20 minutes, despite Calgary holding a 12-4 edge in shots.

 

"They're a great team over there and they came out buzzing. I just tried to stay sharp and stay on my angles and luckily pucks hit me," said Reimer, who improved his record on the season to 7-5-0.

 

Down 2-0, when the Flames pressed in the third period, fueled by four power plays in the final 11 minutes, Reimer once again stood tall.

 

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour says his team has confidence whether it's Reimer or Petr Mrazek in the net.

"It's nice that we've got this one-two punch going," Brind'Amour said. "You don't have to ride one guy and you've got a fresh goalie in every night and I think it's really important in today's game."

 

The first goal of the game came just past the 12-minute mark of the second period.

 

Mark Jankowski mishandled the puck trying to exit the Calgary end, enabling the Hurricanes to tag up and go back on the attack with Julien Gauthier -- on a strong play along the boards -- knocking the puck over to Jordan Martinook, who subsequently set up McGinn for an empty net.

 

The Flames challenged the goal for offside, but video review confirmed the call on the ice was correct and Calgary was assessed a delay of game penalty.

 

The Hurricanes power play entered 5 for 11 in their previous three games and it converted that opportunity, with former Flame Dougie Hamilton scoring his 12th goal.

 

"Obviously, we all thought it was offside, then we get a penalty and then they scored again, so it was tough," Flames center Elias Lindholm said.

 

Interim head coach Geoff Ward said afterward that the league got it correct.

 

"The right call was made, 100 percent," Ward said. "We felt like maybe the guy hadn't tagged up when we looked at it. The overhead seemed to look like that, but when we took a look afterward, it was the correct call. If he gets his stick down a fraction of a second quicker, we probably have the offside call there. We just felt it was worth challenging at that point."

 

Carolina has points in five straight (4-0-1). The Hurricanes' five-game road trip will continue Tuesday in Winnipeg.

 

"We're a deep team. When we work hard and forecheck hard, we're really effective," Hamilton said.

 

Calgary lost for the first time since Ward took over from Bill Peters. The 57-year-old had won his first six games after officially being named interim head coach on Nov. 29, matching Mario Tremblay (1995-96 Montreal Canadiens) for the longest win streak by a coach after taking over midseason.

 

"Today was a tough one. It was one of those games where I felt like the team that scored first was going to have a real advantage and I think that that was the case," Flames captain Mark Giordano said.

Despite the stumble at home, Calgary is 8-1-1 in its past 10.

 

"We have built something here that's pretty special, in terms of coming back from our losing streak before that," center Derek Ryan said. "We're in a pretty good spot, so no reason to hang our heads."

David Rittich had 27 stops for the Flames.

 

Foegele put the game away with a short-handed goal at 15:05 of the third, then another into an empty net with 3 seconds remaining.

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Evgeni Malkin scores 400th goal, Penguins beat Flames 4-1

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Game # 36
 
Flames Hockey Forum 1 Penguins Hockey Forum 4
 
 

By
Associated Press
6 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Evgeni Malkin scored his 400th goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

 

The Russian joined Mario Lemieux (690), Sidney Crosby (451) and Jaromir Jagr (439) as the only players in franchise history to reach 400 goals.

 

"Every goal is special," the 33-year-old said. "It's a good number for sure. It's a huge number, but I want more for sure.

 

"I hope I play five, six more years with Penguins and we see what's going on after."

 

Malkin scored Pittsburgh's first empty-net goal in the third period, and Kris Letang added another.

 

Malkin returned to Pittsburgh's lineup after sitting out two games with illness.

 

"I don't care how you get it. Four-hundred goals is an awful lot of goals in this league," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

 

Bryan Rust and John Marino also scored for the Penguins in a third straight win to open a three-game swing through Alberta and British Columbia.

 

Johnny Gaudreau scored for the Flames, who have lost back-to-back games following a seven-game winning streak.

 

"We're generating enough offensively, but the thing you have to remember in this game is, it's not what you make all the time," Calgary coach Geoff Ward said. "It's what you leave. We left a little bit out there that they were able to take advantage of and cash."

 

Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry made 33 saves for his fifth win in six starts for Pittsburgh.

 

Calgary counterpart Cam Talbot stopped 29 shots in his ninth start this season (3-6-0).

 

The Pens have been without captain Crosby for 17 games since his Nov. 14 surgery on a core muscle injury. Pittsburgh is 10-4-3 without him.

 

Forward Sam Bennett was back on the bench for the Flames after 13 games sidelined with an upper-body injury.

 

Trailing 1-0 and outshot 17-6 after the first period, the Penguins struck twice within two minutes starting at 12:13.

 

Jarry denied Milan Lucic on a two-man breakaway with teammate Tobias Rieder late in the second period to preserve Pittsburgh's lead.

 

Rust circled out from behind Calgary's net and threaded a shot that Talbot couldn't get enough of his pads on at 13:35.

 

Marino pulled the visitors even with a power-play goal. The defender wired a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle.

 

Gaudreau bumped Joseph Blandisi off the puck in the defensive zone in the first period to skate the puck up ice.

He dished to Mikael Backlund inside the blue line and headed to the net, where he put a pass from Rieder over Jarry's pad at 16:05.

 

The Flames are 7-2-0 since Geoff Ward's promotion from assistant to interim head coach.

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Max Domi scores in OT, Canadiens beat Flames 4-3

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Game # 37
 
Flames Hockey Forum  3  Canadiens Hockey Forum 4 OT
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 6 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Max Domi's teammates had luck scoring with perimeter shots, so he took his chances in overtime.

 

Domi beat goalie Dave Rittich on an end-to-end overtime rush to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.

 

Domi fired a low slap shot from just above the left faceoff circle that eluded Riitch's glove on the far side at 3:52 of the extra period.

 

"I was absolutely out of gas to be honest," Domi said. "The shift before that we were dancing around pretty good and didn't score. They had a chance, Price made a save and he just kind of kicked it out to me.

 

"I know Gio a little bit from back home. I know how good he is. I'm a big fan of him. He's one of the best defenders in the entire league.

 

"I knew I wasn't going to beat him at the end of a shift like that. Just figured I'd shoot it through him and got lucky with the shot."

 

Nick Suzuki pulled the Canadiens even at 3 with 9:02 left in regulation, deflecting Nick Cousins' pass over Rittich's head.

 

Carey Price made 24 saves, and Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia added goals to help Montreal improve to 4-1 in its last five and 17-12-6 overall.

 

Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist for Calgary. Oliver Kylington scored his first of the season, and Johnny Gaudreau had two assists. Rittich stopped 39 shots.

 

Tkachuk and Lindholm scored for Calgary in the first period, and Gallagher and Armia countered for Montreal in the second.

 

Calgary is 7-3 under interim head coach Geoff Ward, but has lost three in a row.

 

"We knew they were going to shoot pucks from everywhere," Ward said. "Tonight they got pucks to the net and they got a couple big goals. They got one to get them going and they got one to tie it."

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Flames score 3 power-play goals, beat Stars 5-1

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Game # 38
 
Flames Hockey Forum 5  Stars Hockey Forum 1
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 15 hours ago

DALLAS -- The Calgary Flames overpowered the Dallas Stars.

 

Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund scored power-play goals and Calgary beat the Stars 5-1.

 

Elias Lindholm assisted on the Flames' first three goals.

 

"They're getting some nice chemistry," Flames interim coach Geoff Ward said of Tkachuk and Lindholm. "The power play looked like it did for long stretches of last year. The key thing for us tonight was that the puck movement was quick and on the tape."

 

Tkachuk's 14th goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie in the second period. Monahan also scored in the second.

 

Backlund's goal in the third period preceded a short-handed, empty-net goal by Derek Ryan.

 

Lindholm noticed the chemistry with Tkachuk, who had two assists.

 

"The last five or six games, I think we've played well," Lindholm said. "It's a good feeling and he's a good player. Just get open, keep building chemistry, and we'll be fine."

 

Tkachuk agreed,

"(Lindholm's) an easy guy to play with," he said. "He can make some great plays, too."

 

The three power-play goals were also the most allowed by the Stars' penalty killers this season.

 

"Our penalty kill has won us a lot of games. It cost us a game tonight," Dallas interim coach Rick Bowness said, "but it wasn't the only reason we lost tonight. We scored one goal."

 

The Stars were without key penalty killers for four of Calgary's five power plays. Mattias Janmark didn't play after the first period because of a lower-body injury and other penalty killers were in the penalty box for two goals.

 

"We're just out of synch," Bowness said. "(Janmark's) gone, (Radek Faksa's) in the box, (Andrew Cogliano's) in the box. That's our penalty killers."

 

Flames goalie David Rittich made 26 saves and picked up his first career assist on Backlund's goal.

 

Andrew Mangiapane scored Calgary's first goal in the opening period. Denis Gurianov countered 38 seconds later for Dallas.

 

Stars goalie Ben Bishop had 25 saves.

 

The Flames had been 0-2-1 in their previous three games. They are now 7-2-1 under Ward.

 

Dallas has lost three of four and is 3-3-1 with Bowness coaching.

 

Mangiapane took a pass in the slot from Lindholm from behind the net and scored on a shot past Bishop at 12:11 of the first period. Gurianov beat Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin and skated in on Rittich for a wrist shot into the upper right corner of the net.

 

Dallas had the first eight shots on goal in the second period, including three in a span of nine seconds in the first minute.

 

Travis Hamonic had the Flames' first shot 8:02 in, a wrist shot stopped by Bishop. That began a stretch of 10 straight shots, including the goals by Tkachuk at 12:28 and Monahan, on a play similar to Mangiapane's goal, at 14:21.

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Dubnyk records shutout as Wild blank Flames 3-0

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Game # 39
 
Flames Hockey Forum 0 Wild Hockey Forum 3
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 9 hours ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It’s been a tough month personally for Devan Dubnyk, who took time off to attend to a family issue. Now the Wild goalie is back and starting to feel like himself again.

 

Dubnyk recorded his first shutout of the season and Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin each scored for Minnesota in the Wild’s 3-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday.

 

Dubnyk made 22 saves in his third game, and second start, since missing extended time. He earned wins in both of his starts since his return.

 

“I just tried to come back from the break and just go in and feel confident and be myself,” Dubnyk said. “It feels good to go out there and do that and just forget everything else and then see where we are at the end of the year.”

 

Eriksson Ek returned to action after missing four games with an injury and put Minnesota on the board early in the second period. Eriksson Ek took a centering pass from linemate Kevin Fiala and scored past Flames goalie Cam Talbot at 15:09 of the second.

 

Eriksson Ek last played on Dec. 14 against Philadelphia when he suffered an upper body injury. He was activated from the injured reserve on Sunday. Monday’s goal was his first since Dec. 5.

 

“You can tell he adds something to the team,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said of Eriksson Ek. “There was a reason we went a lot of games undefeated and he was one of the big reasons.”

 

Kunin made it 2-0 just over five minutes after Eriksson Ek’s goal. Jordan Greenway fed the puck from behind the net to Kunin, who beat Talbot to his right.

 

“I thought we gave them a few really good chances in the second, and they capitalized on a couple of them,” Calgary captain Mark Giordano said.

 

Calgary had a goal disallowed with 6:01 to play in the third period. Derek Ryan appeared to cut Minnesota’s lead to 2-1, but the goal was reviewed and officials ruled that Ryan kicked the loose puck into the net after Dubnyk made the initial save.

 

Eric Staal added an empty-net goal with 2:43 remaining to seal Minnesota’s 3-0 win.

 

Dubnyk thwarted one of the few good scoring chances Calgary had in the first two periods when he made a pad save on a shot by Matthew Tkachuk midway through the second.

 

Monday’s win helped the Wild bounce back from a lopsided 6-0 loss to Winnipeg on Saturday. That was Minnesota's worst defeat of the season.

 

“Obviously last game wasn't ideal at all, so we wanted to come out and kind of show that it was a fluke and those things do happen,” Greenway said. “We're back and we're ready to go."

 

Minnesota hasn’t played at home much so far this season. The Wild’s 15 games at Xcel Energy Center are the fewest home games of any team in the NHL this season. Minnesota is 10-2-3 at home after Monday’s win. Calgary is 9-10-2 on the road.

 

Talbot stopped 25 shots for Calgary. He drops to 3-7-0 in 11 games this season.

 

Monday marked the second game of a back-to-back for Calgary, which beat the Stars in Dallas by a 5-1 final Sunday.

 

“Everyone plays back-to-backs,” Talbot said. “If you’re not feeling it, try to make the easy play, the smart play and get it deep.”

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Mangiapane leads Flames past Oilers 5-1

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Game # 40
 
Flames Hockey Forum 5 Oilers Hockey Forum 1
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 15 hours ago

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Scoring early in every period carried the Calgary Flames to victory.

 

Andrew Mangiapane had a goal and two assists and the Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Friday night, scoring at 11 seconds, 68 seconds and 57 seconds of the periods.

 

"It sure helps. Any time you can score as quickly in periods as we did, it's helpful. You get to play out in front as opposed to behind and I thought that was a big thing for us tonight," Flames interim head coach Geoff Ward said.

 

"I thought it was our most complete hockey game in a long time. I thought the guys did a good job playing the right way."

 

Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames (20-15-5), who had lost four of five.

 

"We came to each period and we scored right away so it was huge for us," said Calgary goalie David Rittich, who made 28 saves.

 

"The guys did a really good job and they didn't get too much on me. It wasn't that hard of a game, but I'm taking those two points and going home."

 

Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers (20-17-4), who have lost eight of 10.

 

"We've kinda thrown our good start away, but we've given ourselves a chance in the second half here to chase down a playoff spot," McDavid said, adding that the team is clearly in a bit of a funk at the moment.

 

It was a disastrous start for Edmonton as Calgary scored on its first shot of the game. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was muscled off the puck behind the net and Lindholm sent it in front to Mangiapane, who was all alone to score his eighth of the season past Oilers starter Mikko Koskinen. The goal came 11 seconds into the first period.

 

Calgary added to its lead 12 minutes into the opening period as Mangiapane won a battle with defender Darnell Nurse and sent it across to Tkachuk for this 15th.

 

Nurse got some redemption soon afterward as his shot was tipped past Flames goalie David Rittich by McDavid for his 22nd of the year.

 

The Flames made it 3-1 just 68 seconds into the middle period as a soft wrist shot from Monahan trickled through Koskinen's legs.

 

Calgary didn't let up, with Lindholm sending a shot through a screen past Koskinen for his 16th of the season. Four goals on 24 shots prompted a change in net for the Oilers, who sent in Mike Smith.

 

The Flames got another goal early in the third as Backlund beat Smith on a short-handed breakaway just 57 seconds in.

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Myers has 2 goals, assist to help Canucks beat Flames 5-2

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Game # 41
 
 
Flames Hockey Forum 2 Canucks Hockey Forum 5
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 5 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Tyler Myers led the way as the Vancouver Canucks’ power play made the difference against the Calgary Flames.

 

Myers scored twice and added an assist -- all in the first period -- as the Canucks built an early lead and beat the Flames 5-2 Sundy night for their fifth straight win.

 

“I’ve been around long enough to know now they come in bunches,” said Myers, who matched a career high with his fifth two-goal game in his 11 NHL seasons.

 

Myers opened the scoring on a power play 3:29 in, scoring his second goal of the season on a 55-foot wrist shot that beat a partially screened Calgary goalie David Rittich. It marked the sixth game in a row that Vancouver scored first.

 

Just over three minutes later, Myers struck again from the same distance, again on a wrist shot, only this time it came with nobody in front, his low shot squeaking through Rittich’s pads.

 

Tanner Pearson also scored twice and Jake Virtanen had a goal to help Vancouver move past Calgary and Arizona into second place in the Pacific Division. The Canucks are tied in points with the Coyotes, but have a game in hand.

 

“I really liked our game tonight. Right from the start I thought we played simple, direct hockey,” Myers said. “Played fast on the special teams. Played direct. We have to realize that type of game is going to give us success.”

 

Thatcher Demko, making his first start since Dec. 7 with Jacob Markstrom having started the last nine games, finished with 23 saves to improve to 8-4-1.

 

“Obviously our first goal of the year is to get into the playoffs,” Demko said. “You have to be good all year. You cant turn it on late. You’ve got to be solid throughout the season. Staying in the mix and getting back up towards the top of the Pacific is huge for us.”

 

Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin scored for Calgary, which has lost four straight at home. David Rittich was pulled after giving up three goals on seven shots over the first 10:52. Cam Talbot finished with 19 saves in relief.

 

“For whatever reason, they were more prepared to start than we were,” Flames interim head coach Geoff Ward said. “We got outworked early, we got out-executed early, then we found ourselves in a hole and then you start chasing the game.”

 

Virtanen extended the lead to 3-0 when he struck on the power play yet again. The Flames entered the night with the league's second-best penalty kill but Vancouver's fourth-best power-play was 2 for 2 early as Virtanen’s shot deflected in off Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic's stick.

 

“We’ve got to get used to playing with the lead and not take our foot off the gas pedal, keep playing our game for a full 60 (minutes) when we have the lead, kinda stomp on their throats,” Pearson said.

 

That goal ended the night for Rittich, who was pulled for the second time this season.

 

“I was mad, not at my teammates. I was mad at myself,” said Rittich, whose record fell to 17-9-5. “I let three goals in. It wasn't a good game by me.”

 

Calgary finally got on the scoreboard with 1:24 left in the second period. While the teams were playing 4-on-4, Andersson jumped into the rush and neatly buried a rebound of Sean Monahan’s shot.

 

The Canucks restored their three-goal cushion at 6:14 of the third when Pearson collected the puck in front, spun and sent a shot over Talbot's shoulder.

 

Vancouver finished 2 for 5 on the man-advantage while Calgary was 0 for 3.

 

“We put them on the power play too much,” said Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, who had two assists. “We knew they had a good power play. We wanted to stay disciplined and it didn't happen tonight.”

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Kane scores twice, leads Blackhawks to 5-3 win over Flames

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Game # 42
 
 
Flames Hockey Forum 3 Blackhawks Hockey Forum 5
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 15 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Patrick Kane has been the NHL's most prolific goal scorer over the last 10 years, and he closed out the decade in style.

 

Kane had two goals and two assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks raced out to a four-goal lead and held on to beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Tuesday night.

 

Kane finished the decade as the NHL's top scorer with 802 points, just ahead of Sidney Crosby (788). Third was Alex Ovechkin (781).

 

"You've got to play on good teams, you've got to play with good players, you've obviously got to be healthy, got to be consistent," Kane said about the accomplishment. "It's been a fun 10 years. Looking forward to seeing what the next decade brings."

 

Kane set up goals by Olli Maatta at 4:14 and Alex Debrincat at 5:35 and then made it 3-0 at 12:44 of the first period when he cut across the slot and beat David Rittich with a wrist shot from 30 feet out.

 

Kane's 21st goal of the season was the 377th of his career, tying him with Denis Savard for fourth on the Blackhawks' all-time list. The top three are Bobby Hull (604), Stan Makita (541) and Steve Larmer (406).

 

"He had an unbelievable career in Chicago," Kane said about Savard. "Obviously he was my first coach. He's been a great friend and mentor since the day I got here in Chicago. Unbelievable person. Obviously an unbelievable player.

 

"I'm sure that number would've been a lot higher had he spent his whole career in Chicago. Humbled and honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Denis."

 

Kane's second of the game was an empty-netter at 19:59 of the third.

 

Dylan Strome also scored for Chicago (18-17-6), which has won three straight and five of six.

 

Sam Bennett, Michael Frolik and Sean Monahan scored for Calgary (20-17-5). The Flames are winless in their last five at home. (0-4-1).

 

Robin Lehner was excellent in net for the Blackhawks, winning his sixth straight start to improve to 12-6-4.

Among his 41 saves was a highlight-reel stop in the first period when he dove across to make a paddle stop off Johnny Gaudreau, who was set up for what looked like a sure goal by Derek Ryan.

 

Five minutes into the second, Lehner thwarted Andrew Mangiapane on a breakaway.

 

Rittich and the Flames fell behind 3-0 for the second game in a row. On Sunday night, in a 5-2 loss at home to Vancouver, Calgary was down 3-0 less than 11 minutes into the game.

 

Rittich was pulled that night after three goals on seven shots. This time, after three goals on 11 shots, interim head coach Geoff Ward left him in and he was solid the rest of the way, finishing with 26 saves. His record falls to 17-10-5.

 

Chicago made it 4-0 at 9:41 of the second when Strome strolled in uncontested and scored from 25 feet out into the top corner.

 

The Flames got on the scoreboard with six seconds left in the second, Bennett knocking in his first goal since Nov. 2 on a feed from Derek Ryan.

 

Calgary then made it close in the late-going on Frolik's short-handed goal at 15:30, off a Duncan Keith turnover, and Monahan's goal on a Matthew Tkachuk rebound at 16:48.

 

But the Blackhawks withstood the late push over the final couple minutes with Rittich pulled for an extra skater.

The great frustration in the Flames' dressing room was how they fell behind big once again.

 

"We've got to come out with a real aggressive mindset. I think we were a little bit passive the first few shifts and they took advantage of that," said captain Mark Giordano. "Down three, four goals in this league, although we made a good push, it's a tough mountain to climb."

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Gaudreau has goal, assist to lead Flames past Rangers 4-3

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Game # 43
 
Flames Hockey Forum 4 Rangers Hockey Forum 3
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 14 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- The New York Rangers gave up two early goals on breakaways -- one when they had a 5-on-3 power play.

 

As far as coach David Quinn was concerned, that about summed up their latest shaky defensive performance.

Johnny Gaudreau opened the scoring and then set up the winning goal midway through the second period as the Calgary Flames snapped a five-game losing streak at home with a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Thursday night.

 

"We've been giving teams too much, too easy," New York center Mika Zibanejad said. "We make it so hard on ourselves to really give ourselves a chance to win. It's just not good enough."

 

Less than three minutes after New York tied it 3-all, Sean Monahan gave the Flames their third lead at 8:22 of the second when he neatly finished off a pretty tic-tac-toe passing sequence.

 

Gaudreau fed a pass back to Noah Hanifin at the blue line and he immediately zipped a pass in front to Monahan, who used his quick hands to score his 14th of the season.

 

"We were treating this like a must-win," Monahan said. "We lost our last five here on home ice. We wanted to get going."

 

Mikael Backlund and Derek Ryan also scored for Calgary (21-17-5). Cam Talbot made 24 saves to beat his former team.

 

Jacob Trouba, Filip Chytil and rookie Kaapo Kaako scored for New York (19-17-4). Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, a Flames draft pick, had three assists.

 

New York fell to 1-2-0 on a four-game road trip that wraps up Saturday night in Vancouver.

 

"We've just got to play better defense. We're giving up too many goals. You can't score five goals every game, expect to win like that," veteran defenseman Marc Staal said.

 

After getting off to shaky starts, Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist were perfect over the final half of the game. Talbot began his NHL career as Lundqvist's backup in New York for two seasons.

 

Beaten on two of the first three shots he faced, Talbot settled in and improved to 4-7-0.

 

"Not the best start for myself after we got up a couple, but I thought I battled well from there and made some big saves when I needed to," Talbot said. "Give the guys credit -- it could have been pretty deflating after going up 2-0, then giving them both right back. But our guys battled hard. We believed in this room."

 

Lundqvist, who gave up three goals on his first nine shots, ended up turning aside 25. His record fell to 9-9-3.

Down 3-2 after the first period, the Rangers tied it at 5:46 of the second on Kakko's long-range shot through a maze of bodies in front. It appeared Talbot didn't see the puck.

 

Calgary went up 3-2 at 13:18 of the first when Ryan got the puck high in the slot, spun and whipped a shot past Lundqvist.

 

Coming off consecutive home games in which the Flames fell behind 3-0 in the first period, it was Calgary that got the jump on this night with Gaudreau first to a loose puck in the neutral zone and scoring on a breakaway at 6:48.

 

"I was just coming down fast, had a lot of speed, I was going to shoot, last second I decided to go to my backhand and put it through the five-hole," Gaudreau said. "We haven't had great starts the past few games here in the Saddledome, so it was nice to get off to an early lead."

 

Monahan was impressed by the speed his longtime linemate showed.

 

"Johnny came out of a cannon there. He was flying. He was feeling it tonight," said Monahan, who has four goals in his last six games and is up to 14 this season.

 

New York has allowed 23 goals in its last five games, losing three of them.

 

"I don't know how many scoring chances we gave up, but it's the wrong guy to give a breakaway early on there," Lundqvist said. "He's pretty good."

 

Three minutes later, the Flames scored a rare short-handed goal while down two men. Backlund intercepted Tony DeAngelo's cross-ice pass and took off on another breakaway, scoring on a similar move.

 

Backlund has three goals in his last six games after ending an 18-game drought.

 

But with time left still on the two-man advantage, the Rangers went right back to work and answered 26 seconds later with Trouba scoring on New York's first shot of the game.

 

Just 25 seconds later, on the ensuing one-man advantage, New York tied it with Chytil knocking in Kakko's rebound.

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Dube scores in 7th round of shootout, Flames beat Wild 5-4

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Game # 44
 
Flames Hockey Forum 5  Wild Hockey Forum 4 SO
 
 

By
Associated Press
9 hours ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Sitting at the end of the bench, Dillon Dube couldn’t hear his coach call out names, but he kept looking over wanting for his chance in the shootout.

 

For someone who’d never been in that situation before, Dube came through.

 

Dube scored in the seventh round of the tiebreaker to give the Calgary Flames a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.

 

The third-line forward hopped over the boards moments after Flames goalie David Rittich made his sixth save against seven Wild shooters.

 

“It calmed me down a lot knowing I was going. The game's not over if you miss, so that relaxes you a lot,” Dube said.

 

He had no specific plan to beat Alex Stalock.

 

“You see him, you see what he does to most guys coming straight on. Watch and just react to it," Dube said.

Derek Ryan also scored in the shootout for the Flames, 4-0 in tiebreakers this season.

 

"We basically script the first three or four, and after that it's just you go by what your gut's telling you,” Calgary coach Geoff Ward said. “What a move by Dillon. He came out there with a lot of confidence and made a real solid move to get the win."

 

Milan Lucic, Travis Hamonic, Michael Stone and Mark Giordano scored for Calgary, 4-5-1 in its last 10 games after winning seven straight during a stretch of nine consecutive outings with at least a point. Rittich finished with 30 saves through overtime.

 

Marcus Foligno scored twice, and Kevin Fiala and Jordan Greenway also had goals in regulation for Minnesota, which finished 1-2-1 on a four-game homestand by relinquishing a one-goal lead four times.

 

 Ryan Donato scored in the shootout for the Wild.

 

“You can sit there and say, 'We got a point in back-to-back games,' and stuff like that. But when we should've had two (points), against a team we could've caught (in the standings), it's very frustrating,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.

 

Minnesota beat Winnipeg 3-2 in overtime Saturday.

 

Giordano scored on a power play with under 6 minutes to go to tie the score 4-4 as his shot from the left circle went off the stick of Wild defenseman Ryan Suter.

 

Greenway scored at 2:37 of the final period for a 4-3 Wild lead by redirecting a long shot by Jared Spurgeon into the net.

 

The goal came 42 seconds after Stone’s wristshot through traffic tied it 3-3.

 

Replacing Greenway on Minnesota’s checking line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin for the second straight game, Foligno has responded with three goals and an assist. Foligno was held off the score sheet in eight of his previous nine previous games.

 

“We want to crash the net. We want to create chances. We’re playing smart. We got our legs going and our heads up too. We’re finding each other,” Foligno said.

 

Greenway played with Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman on the team’s fourth line.

 

Tied 2-2 in the final minute of the first period, Foligno crashed the net, and amidst a trio of Calgary players, knocked home a loose puck. It marks his eighth career multi-goal game -- first with the Wild -- and first since March 2, 2017, for Buffalo.

 

Foligno put Minnesota up 2-1 midway through the opening period, but Hamonic tied it 5 minutes later with a one-timer from the right dot.

 

Foligno’s goal came 34 seconds after Lucic tied the game on the power play.

 

Minnesota has allowed five power-play goals on 12 penalty kills in its past three games. “It's not that teams are making great plays and beating us. We give pucks away and they put it in the net,” Boudreau said.

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Lindholm leads Flames past Blackhawks 2-1

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Game # 45
 
Flames Hockey Forum 2  Blackhawks Hockey Forum 1
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 5 hours ago

CHICAGO -- Elias Lindholm reached two milestones and shrugged off the significance of each one.

 

Just another night for the steady forward.

 

Lindholm scored twice to reach 300 points in his 500th NHL game, and the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Tuesday for their third straight win.

 

"Obviously, you dream of playing in the NHL but you know, you look back and it's a lot of games and lot of preparation," Lindholm said. "I think you look more towards the 1,000th game, but you know it's a long way there."

 

Matthew Tkachuk had two assists for Calgary (23-17-5), which lost 5-3 to Chicago in their first meeting of the season on New Year's Eve. Cam Talbot made 31 saves in the finale of the Flames' two-game trip with their fathers and other mentors.

 

"It's always special to have them on the road," Talbot said in a crowded visitors' locker room. "To be able to pull out two big wins, obviously where we are in the standings, was huge, but it's more fun to do it when they're up here watching."

 

The Blackhawks (19-19-6) lost key forward Dylan Strome to a right ankle injury early in the second period. Strome has 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games this season.

 

"We'll probably see tomorrow how it looks," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "I'm not sure we'll have an exact date then either, but we'll know if it's days or weeks."

 

Dominik Kubalik scored his 13th goal for Chicago, which had won four of five during one of its best stretches of the season. Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots.

 

The Flames had two 5-on-3 power plays totaling 2:22 and came up empty. Crawford denied Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan with a pair of terrific saves early in the third.

 

The Blackhawks replaced Crawford with an extra attacker with about two minutes left, but the Flames held on.

"It was there for us to take and we just couldn't come up with it," Crawford said.

 

Tkachuk and Lindholm connected for both Calgary goals in the second.

 

Lindholm tied it at 1 just 14 seconds into the period. Tkachuk found the 25-year-old forward in the slot, and he slid the puck between Crawford's legs for his team-high 17th of the season.

 

A turnover by Chicago star Patrick Kane led to the tiebreaking goal with 3:59 left. Tkachuk sent the puck over to Lindholm in the left circle and he converted a one-timer.

 

"Good passes by Chucky," Lindholm said. "The first one was lucky and the second was just another lucky shot. If I get 30 more, I don't think I'll score one more of those. Yeah, it was a nice shot."

 

It was a nice turnaround for Calgary after Chicago controlled much of the action in the first. The Blackhawks outshot the Flames 14-6 in the period, taking on 1-0 lead on Kubalik's deflection in front with 32 seconds left.

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Gaudreau, Talbot lead Flames past Wild 2-1

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Game # 46
 
Flames Hockey Forum 2  Wild Hockey Forum 1
 
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 14 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Cam Talbot prevailed in a goaltending duel and Johnny Gaudreau provided the offense for the Calgary Flames.

 

Gaudreau's second-period goal was the winner as the Flames beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Thursday night.

Derek Ryan also scored for the Flames, who won their fourth straight.

 

Talbot made 42 saves and picked up back-to-back wins. He turned back 32 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

"His positioning and his anticipation are very good right now," Flames head coach Geoff Ward said. "I'm sure he sees anything the size of a bee-bee moving across (or) in front of him right now.

 

"Any time you can hold a pretty good hockey team to one goal against, it's a good thing, you'll take it. The fact we've been able to do it two games in a row is nice."

 

Mats Zuccarello scored for the Wild, who are 1-3-1 in their last five.

 

Alex Stalock made 35 saves and assisted on Zuccarello's goal.

 

."There was a lot of action at both ends," Talbot said. "Stalock played a heck of a game as well.

 

"I thought we could have had a few more (goals), but those games are always fun when the other guy is making a big save and you know have to answer right back."

 

Calgary remained tied for third in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers, who were 4-2 winners in Montreal on Thursday.

 

The Flames are at home to the Oilers on Saturday.

 

"We've got four more games before the (all-star) break," Talbot said.

 

"We're trying to separate ourselves from teams below us and catch the teams above us. These games are going to be huge coming up and it's nice to string a few together here."

 

Minnesota couldn't solve Talbot even with Stalock pulled for an extra attacker at the end of the game.

 

"You can't afford to miss as many Grade-A chances as we missed," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Talbot was good, but there were so many we just missed.

 

"There was no doubt if Talbot could see it, he was making the save, but definitely after the halfway mark of the second period when they took the two to one lead, they had very few chances and we had an awful lot."

 

Gaudreau scored the eventual winner at 9:38 of the second period on a give-and-go with Sean Monahan. He controlled Monahan's pass with his right skate blade and beat Stalock with a quick wrist shot from the slot.

 

Trailing 1-0 and outshot 17-14 after the first period, Zuccarello tied the score 38 seconds into the second.

 

From behind his own net, Stalock whipped the puck up ice to Zuccarello at Calgary's blue line for a breakaway.

 

Zuccarello beat Talbot with a high wrist shot. Stalock picked up his fourth career assist.

 

Ryan deflected a slap shot by Noah Hanifin for a power-play goal at 4:39 of the first period.

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Lindholm leads Flames past Edmonton 4-3

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Game # 47
 
Flames Hockey Forum 4 Oilers Hockey Forum 3

By
Associated Press
Updated: 13 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- Matthew Tkachuk hasn't scored lately, yet is finding other ways to help Calgary win.

 

Elias Lindholm scored twice, including the decisive goal with a man advantage on a play created by Tkachuk, and the Flames rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Saturday night.

 

The Flames won their fifth straight and moved into first place in the tight Pacific Division, one point ahead of Arizona and Vegas. The Oilers are two points back.

 

"Right now, the puck's not going in like it was at the beginning of the year for me," said Tkachuk, who hasn't scored in seven games. "There was a lot up for grabs tonight so you've got to do whatever it takes to go and get that win."

 

Johnny Gaudreau and Dillon Dube also scored for Calgary.

 

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals and Connor McDavid also scored for Edmonton, which lost in regulation for the first time in six games. 

Kailer Yamamoto had two assists and Leon Draisaitl also had an assist, extending his point streak to six games.

 

"We'll take seven out of 10 points," added McDavid. "That's a positive road trip. But this was a big one for us. This was a big game for both sides. We wanted to find a way to get a big win here."

 

Tied 3-3 after two periods, Lindholm put the Flames back in front 39 seconds into the third with a power-play goal. From just inside the face-off circle, Lindholm snapped a shot that beat Mikko Koskinen over his shoulder.

 

The goal came during the second of two roughing minors on Zack Kassian for an incident late in the second when he took offense to a hit from Tkachuk and threw off his gloves and started punching the Flames forward, also tossing him to the ice twice. Kassian also got a 10-minute misconduct.

 

Tkachuk was not penalized.

 

"If he doesn't want to get hit, then stay off the tracks," Tkachuk said. "I got him three times there. You'd think he'd learn after the first one. If he wants to react like that, we'll take the power play, we'll take the game-winner and we'll move on in first place."

 

Kassian called the hits "targeted" and was unhappy Tkachuk didn't engage.

 

"You don't let people take advantage of you no matter what the situation is," Kassian said, defending his actions.

 

"A lot of emotions, more like a playoff game. It was a fun game to play in and that was a huge win for us," Lindholm said.

 

Up until that point, there had not been a penalty called.

 

Calgary finished 1 for 2 with the extra man. The Oilers No. 1 ranked power play didn't get a chance with the extra man until the latter half of the third period.

 

They were unable to convert on that one opportunity.

 

Former Oiler Cam Talbot had 29 stops for Calgary. Starting a third straight game for the first time this season, he was busiest in the final 20 minutes when he stopped all 15 shots he faced.

 

With former Flame Mike Smith getting the night off after playing the first four games of the Oilers' road trip, Koskinen made 29 stops for Edmonton.

 

Tied 2-2 after one, Nugent-Hopkins gave Edmonton its second lead 1:24 into the second'.

 

Calgary tied it 3-3 at 11:34 of the second when Dube got his stick on the puck at the top of the crease and chipped it over Koskinen's shoulder.

 

After scoring first, then falling behind, Calgary tied it 2-2 with 41 seconds left in the first on Gaudreau's goal.

 

Edmonton took a 2-1 lead at 9:06 on a nifty play from McDavid, who chipped the puck past Noah Hanifin at the Oilers blue line then took off on a breakway. As he burst in on Talbot, he beat the goalie with a little forehand chip shot into the top corner.

 

Calgary got off to a terrific start. Shortly after Gaudreau was stopped on a breakaway, Lindholm spun in the slot and sent a shot past Koskinen. The goal at 4:04 came on the Flames' eighth shot.

 

But the Oilers tied it just over a minute later, perfectly executing an odd-man rush with Nugent-Hopkins burying a cross-ice pass from Yamamoto.

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Price, Canadiens end Flames' 5-game winning streak, 2-0

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Game # 48
 
Flames Hockey Forum 0  Canadiens Hockey Forum 2
 

By
Associated Press
Updated: 10 hours ago

MONTREAL -- Carey Price stopped everything Calgary threw his way Monday night -- which wasn't much, as far as Flames interim coach Geoff Ward was concerned.

 

Price made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Montreal Canadiens snapped the Flames' five-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory.

 

"Not enough emotional attachment to this game," Ward said. "We got outbattled, outraced, outcompeted and outworked right from the opening face off. It took us a long time to start clawing our way back into the hockey game."

 

Jordan Weal and rookie Ryan Poehling scored for the Canadiens, who have won two straight since losing eight in a row.

 

Price's shutout was the 46th of his career, tying Ken Dryden for third on the franchise's career list.

"Obviously a momentum builder," Price said.

 

"We just carried on from last game. Right until the end, guys were diving in front of pucks. That's what winning hockey is all about."

 

David Rittich stopped 35 shots for the Flames, who have been shut out six times.

 

The Canadiens came out firing, and Rittich responded with big saves in the opening minutes. Shots were 13-2 when Montreal finally put one past the Flames goaltender at 13:30.

 

Following a wraparound attempt from Jeff Petry, Weal spun and placed a no-look shot under Rittich's pad.

 

"Coaching staff brought it to our attention that we need to get to the net a little more," said Weal, who was a healthy scratch last game. "The puck popped out to me there. I was just trying to keep putting pucks on net because we were doing that earlier in the game, and it found a way in."

 

Price was not very busy through two periods, but he made important stops when called upon.

 

He denied Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane on 2-on-1 rushes in the second. Price also made a pad save on Tobias Rieder's backhand midway through the period before denying Johnny Gaudreau with the glove a few minutes later.

 

Poehling gave Montreal a two-goal cushion with his first point in 20 games. After a Canadiens faceoff win in the offensive zone, the 21-year-old rookie drove to the net and waited for Rittich to go down before shooting over his pad at 9:45 of the third.

 

Calgary pulled Rittich for an extra skater with nearly four minutes to play but they could not solve Price, who improved to 8-1-1 in his last 10 games against the Flames.

 

"We got better as the game went on but they took it to us all night," Gaudreau said. "We just have to be better. We got a little fancy at times, turned the puck over sometimes at the blue line. It cost us."

 

The Canadiens have beaten Calgary in five straight contests.

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Tkachuk's SO goal lifts Flames past Maple Leafs 2-1

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Game # 49
 
Flames Hockey Forum 2 Maple Leafs Hockey Forum 1 SO

By
Associated Press
18 hours ago

TORONTO -- Matthew Tkachuk scored the only goal of the shootout, leading the Calgary Flames past the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Thursday night.

 

Derek Ryan scored in regulation for Calgary, which got 35 saves from David Rittich through 65 minutes. Rittich stopped Jason Spezza, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in the shootout.

 

William Nylander tied it in the third period for Toronto. Frederik Andersen, who had given up 14 goals over his last four starts, stopped 31 shots.

 

But, Tkachuk beat Andersen between the pads on Calgary's second attempt of the shootout to win it.

 

Andersen made key saves on Elias Lindholm and T.J. Brodie in overtime, while Rittich stopped Kasperi Kapanen twice.

Down 1-0 through two periods, the Leafs tied it on their fourth power play of the night when John Tavares found Nylander, who had gained position at the lip of Rittich's crease on Noah Hanifin, to tip home his 21st at 8:35.

 

After Calgary couldn't connect with the man advantage with under eight minutes to go, Rittich robbed Auston Matthews -- the Flames are the only NHL team the center has failed to register a goal against in his career -- on a 2-on-1 to keep things even.

 

Ryan opened the scoring at 7:34 of the second when he redirected Travis Hamonic's point shot for his ninth.

 

Toronto came close later in the period when Rittich made a nice save on Nylander's tip of Travis Dermott's drive.

 

The Calgary goaltender, named to his first NHL All-Star game Tuesday as an injury replacement for Arizona's Darcy Kuemper, was at it again with a pad stop on Kapanen off the rush before stretching to deny Andreas Johnsson on the rebound.

 

Andersen, who's also going to the all-star game in St. Louis, denied Mikael Backlund with the glove at the other end to keep his team within one through 40 minutes.

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