Flames Beat Blackhawks In OT, 4-3
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Nobody has scored more overtime goals than Calgary's Sean Monahan since he entered the NHL in 2013.
Monahan's latest came Saturday night, when he scored 59 seconds into extra time to give the Flames a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, snapping a six-game winless streak.
TJ Brodie waited patiently before dropping the puck into the slot for Monahan, who made no mistake burying his team-leading 24th of the season past Jeff Glass on the blocker side.
"When you're out there with guys like Johnny (Gaudreau) and (Brodie) and you find yourself open, you're going to get the puck," said Monahan, whose 10 overtime goals in his four-plus seasons equals Alexander Ovechkin. "The goalie had my number all night so I was happy to put one by him."
Glass said he didn't see it.
"I lost it through the screens. Unfortunate break or good play by their player, whatever way you want to look at it, but I just couldn't get eyes on it," said the Chicago goaltender.
Matt Stajan, Johnny Gaudreau and Michael Frolik also scored for Calgary, which was 0-2-4 during its skid. Mike Smith stopped 25 shots.
It was an important victory for the Flames, who play Chicago again on Tuesday as they open a six-game road trip.
"I forgot what it felt like, especially here," quipped Flames coach Glen Gulutzan, whose club had gone 0-2-3 in its previous five on home ice. "It's good for your mindset. That's the biggest thing we're going to get from this game, especially heading out onto the road. That feeling and that little bit of swagger."
Nick Schmaltz, Vinnie Hinostroza and Anthony Duclair scored for Chicago, which went 2-1-1 on a four-game trip. Glass finished with 35 saves.
"Having the lead in the third and giving it up, we're definitely not satisfied with getting one point," said Hinostroza. "This one's going to be sour for a night, but we've got to put it behind us, and come back and give it our all."
Calgary tied it 3-3 at 9:50 of third period when Frolik fired a wrist shot past Glass after a pretty setup by Mikael Backlund. It was the first goal since Dec. 20 for the veteran Czech, who returned two games ago from a broken jaw that had sidelined him for 12 games.
Chicago broke a 2-2 tie at 14:13 of the second on Duclair's second goal since joining the Blackhawks in a trade with Arizona. Brodie bobbled the puck at the offensive blue line enabling Duclair to race away on a breakaway and beat Smith on the blocker side.
Trailing 2-0, Calgary got back to even on second-period goals from Stajan and Gaudreau.
Stajan got the Flames on the scoreboard at 5:56 as he was sprung on a breakaway by an alert pass from Travis Hamonic and put a shot inside the post on Glass for his second goal in two games and third in the last eight. Stajan had just one assist in the season's first 34 games.
Just over five minutes later, Calgary pulled even when Gaudreau one-timed Micheal Ferland's pass behind Glass for his 16th goal.
The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead 1:53 into the second period on a power-play goal by Hinostroza. Set up neatly on a pass through the slot by Patrick Kane, it was the second such setup for the talented Chicago right wing who now has 499 career assists.
It was Kane with the setup on the first goal of the game, too. At 7:40 of the first period, he found Schmaltz in open ice near the faceoff dot and Schmaltz fired a one-timer that Smith couldn't handle.
NOTES: Calgary rookie Mark Jankowski, pointless in his last eight games, was a healthy scratch. He was replaced in the lineup by rookie Andrew Mangiapane, who sat out the previous five games. ... The Flames also inserted D Matt Bartkowski, who had only played three of the previous 36 games. ... Chicago made two lineup changes with ex-Flames Lance Bouma and Jan Rutta both suiting up after sitting the last five games.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Calgary on Tuesday night.
Flames: At Chicago on Tuesday night to open a six-game trip.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.
