Gaudreau Scores Twice As Flames Beat Blackhawks 4-3
CHICAGO (AP) — Johnny Gaudreau scored two more goals, David Rittich made 32 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Monday night.
Sean Monahan had a goal and an assist as Western Conference-leading Calgary closed out a 3-1 trip with its second straight win. Garnet Hathaway scored an empty-net goal with 50 seconds left, and Elias Lindholm finished with two assists.
Gaudreau extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, capping a fun stay in Chicago for the 25-year-old winger. The New Jersey native got to watch his beloved Eagles beat the Chicago Bears 16-15 in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday night.
"It was a cool experience," Gaudreau said.
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks in the opener of a three-game homestand. Alex DeBrincat and Brandon Saad also scored, and Collin Delia made 39 stops.
Kane picked up right where he left off after he collected three assists in Sunday night's 5-3 victory at Pittsburgh. The dynamic forward scored his 24th goal in the first period on a backhand from an impossible angle on the right side of the net, and then set up DeBrincat's 20th goal with a well-placed pass in the second.
But Chicago (16-22-7) was unable to hold off high-scoring Calgary. The Flames (27-13-4) are the first team since the 1995-96 Penguins to have four players collect 50-plus points within the first 45 games of a season.
Monahan tied at 2 with a power-play goal with 1:18 left in the second, finishing a pretty passing sequence. The Flames then caught the Blackhawks in a bad line change early in the third, and Gaudreau squeezed one between Delia's pads for his 26th of the season.
Gaudreau, who also scored in the first, has 14 goals and 11 assists in his last 13 games.
After Hathaway made it 4-2 with his fifth of the season, Saad got one back for Chicago with 29 seconds remaining. But Calgary held on from there.
