Seattle Kraken center Alex Wennberg battles Calgary Flames right wing Tyler Toffoli during the second period. The Flames won 5-3 in Calgary on April 12, 2022.Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press
Johnny Gaudreau’s big milestone sparked a big third-period comeback for the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Gaudreau had two assists to give him 101 points, Matthew Tkachuk scored three goals to set a career-high in a season with 37, and the Flames rallied from a 3-1 deficit with four third-period goals in a 5-0 win. 3 on The Seattle Kraken.
Outgunned for 40 minutes, prompting coach Darryl Sutter to juggle his lines and change his goalie, the Flames responded quickly in the third period.
On a four-on-three power play, Tkachuk’s attempted pass hit and bounced off Adam Larsson, and he scored his second goal of the night at 3:10 of the third.
Gaudreau had the main assist to reach the 100-point mark and eclipse his previous career best of 99 points in 2018-19.
“It’s great,” Gaudreau said. “I just gave Chucky a little pass and he tried to go from sewing to [Elias Lindholm] and bounced back to him and shot him into the net. It was a big one.
Tkachuk turned to Gaudreau and gave him a big hug after the milestone as the Saddledome crowd roared. His parents, Guy and Jane, who had just arrived in Calgary for the first time since before the pandemic, hugged and celebrated with relatives in the crowd.
“I’m sure my mom and dad were very excited. They hadn’t been here in probably three years,” Gaudreau said. “My dad will probably tell me I didn’t play the best game, but he’ll be happy for me and it’s exciting to have him here.”
Gaudreau is the seventh player in franchise history to reach 100 points and the first since Theoren Fleury in 1992-93.
“I know we as linemates and teammates would be lying to you if we said we weren’t trying to get it for him and thinking about it for most of the last two games when he’s sitting at 99,” Tkachuk said. “It’s great to be linked to that with him, so that’s great for me and it just speaks to the year he’s having…and we’re not done yet.”
After Andrew Mangipane scored his 31st goal from the top of the area at 5:33, the red-hot Noah Hanifin fired a shot into the top corner on a power play at 14:10 for the winner.
The defender has seven points (one goal, six assists) in the last three games.
Tkachuk capped off his second career hat-trick with an empty goal goal, also assisted by Gaudreau, in the final minute.
“You have to win the third periods,” Sutter said. “They’re not always going to be great, but you have to try to win the third period. Win the third period, you’re going to win hockey games.”
Calgary (45-19-9), which has won five in a row, can clinch a playoff spot on Thursday with a victory over Las Vegas.
Ryan Donato’s 15th career goal, Victor Rask and Adam Larsson scored for Seattle (23-44-6), which was swept in a four-game series of the season.
The Kraken return home after Wednesday’s game in Winnipeg was postponed due to a winter storm. Seattle returns to action on Saturday when it hosts the New Jersey Devils.
Dan Vladar (11-5-1) started the third period in goal and stopped all seven shots he faced in relief of Jacob Markstrom to earn the victory. His best save was a blocker’s save on Karson Kuhlman in a shorthanded breakaway that would have made it 4-2.
Markstrom stopped 12 of 15 shots.
Chris Driedger (7-12-1) had 26 stops for the Kraken.
Seattle opened the scoring at 14:13 of the first period on a perfect play by rookie Matty Beniers, making his NHL debut.
Beniers took the puck into the cupboards and threw a pass through the slot that Donato got past Markstrom for a time.
“I was excited about how it went,” the 19-year-old Beniers said. “I was playing with two great players. They made it pretty easy for me. I thought we did a good job tonight. Only lasted. You want to walk away with that victory.”
Beniers, a Hobey Baker finalist and second overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft, signed with Seattle on Monday, shortly after Michigan lost to Denver on Thursday in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal.
Their night began with the usual rookie solo lap before the rest of the Kraken took to the ice to warm up. He then spent the night centering the club’s top line with Donato and Jordan Eberle.
“His hockey sense and ability to know and understand his surroundings on the ice proved to be excellent tonight,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said. “More importantly, I thought he really showed a good poise all day, on the ice, off the ice.”
grades
Besides Fleury (twice), Calgary’s other 100-point seasons came from Kent Nilsson (twice), Joe Mullen, Hakan Loob, Al MacInnis and Mike Bullard… Calgary C Jarnkrok Street (non-COVID illness) returned after of missing five games. His return brought Ryan Carpenter to the press box … Flames improve to 2-12-2 in games trailing after two periods.
Reference-www.theglobeandmail.com