Elias Lindholm scored the game-winner and added an help and Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves to steer the Calgary Flames to a 5-1 victory on Sunday night time over the Ottawa Senators.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Rasmus Andersson additionally had a purpose and an help for Calgary (30-24-13) whereas Noah Hanifin and Trevor Lewis additionally scored. Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri every chipped in a pair of helpers.
The Flames stay six factors again of the Winnipeg Jets, who received 3-2 in Tampa Bay, for the second wild-card playoff berth within the NHL’s Western Convention.
Tim Stutzle had the lone purpose for Ottawa (33-29-4), which has misplaced three of its first 4 on a five-game highway journey.
The Senators are six factors out of the second wild-card spot within the Japanese Convention, which is occupied by the New York Islanders.
Markstrom was glorious in his sixth straight begin to enhance to 18-18-8.
Kevin Mandolese, in his third profession begin, completed with 35 stops. He falls to 1-2-0. The 22-year-old is up with the NHL membership attributable to accidents to Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg.
Down 2-0 after the primary interval, Ottawa lower the deficit in half at 5:55 of the second capitalizing on a misplay between Markstrom and Backlund.
Going behind the online to play a unfastened puck, Markstrom handed it out to Backlund, who in trying to shoot the puck across the again of the online hit Markstrom’s pad as a substitute. The puck bounced proper to Stutzle who shot it into the vacated internet for his team-leading thirty second purpose of the season.
It took solely 68 seconds for Calgary to revive its two-goal cushion with Kadri firing a rising shot towards the online that Huberdeau deflected out of mid-air and previous Mandolese for his thirteenth purpose.
The Flames went forward 4-1 at 13:08 of the second when Huberdeau and Kadri mixed to arrange Hanifin leaping up into the push and he zipped an ideal shot contained in the far goalpost.
It was an eventful first interval.
4 minutes after Tyler Toffoli’s purpose that might have made it 1-0 was known as again when Ottawa challenged it for being offside, Calgary scored once more short-handed and this one counted.
After corralling a cross-ice cross from Lindholm, Backlund confirmed nice poise in ready for Andersson to affix the assault then despatched a backhand cross to the defenceman who wired a one-timer below the crossbar at 12:09.
Those self same three Swedes mixed on the second purpose, too, this time on the facility play.
At 18:26, Andersson despatched a cross to Backlund within the nook and he threaded a cross via the crease to an uncovered Lindholm along with the crease who one-timed his nineteenth purpose of the season within the open aspect.
Whereas Calgary was unfortunate to not rating extra within the first interval, hitting the goalpost or crossbar 3 times within the opening 10 minutes, the Flames had been additionally lucky to haven’t been scored on with Markstrom arising with some clutch saves.
His two greatest stops got here a minute aside with Calgary holding a 1-0 lead on the time. First he denied Julien Gauthier after he dashed in on a breakaway after a Jakob Pelletier turnover.
Subsequent, it was MacKenzie Weegar’s errant cross in his personal finish that was intercepted by Shane Pinto who rapidly despatched Drake Batherson in alone, however Markstrom kicked out his pad to thwart him.
Ottawa misplaced left-winger Mathieu Joseph to a lower-body damage within the first interval. Happening awkwardly on a play wherein Toffoli was penalized for cross-checking, Joseph, in apparent ache, punched the boards instantly after earlier than being helped off the ice.
LINDHOLM’S MILESTONE GOAL
Lindholm’s nineteenth purpose of the season was the 2 hundredth of his profession with 136 coming as a member of the Flames. He’s fourth for many targets by a Swede in franchise historical past behind Kent Nilsson (229), Hakan Loob (193) and Backlund (180).
POWER OUTAGE
The Senators went 0-for-4 with the person benefit and have now gone six video games with out a power-play purpose, going 0-for-20 over that span.
UP NEXT
Senators: Wrap up their five-game highway in Edmonton on Tuesday.
Flames: Open up a two-game highway journey in Arizona on Tuesday.
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