EDMONTON — The Calgary Flames are getting some offence from just about everyone at the moment.
Mark Giordano, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund each had a goal and an assist as the Flames came away with a 5−2 victory over the rival Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
“It was a big win for sure,” Backlund said. “It means a lot to the team, we’re showing strength in the third again. We found another way to win, it’s great to see the character in this room and everybody digs in and we’re finding ways to win.”
Oliver Kylington also scored for the Flames (32−13−5), who have gone 7−0−1 in their last eight games and are 10−1−2 in their last 13 contests.
“It’s about the two points each and every night,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters. “We’re hungry for points. We want to win and we know how to play. Sometimes we deviate a little bit, but we do know how to play and when we play the right way, we’re a good team.”
Ryan Nugent−Hopkins and Milan Lucic responded for the Oilers (23−22−3), who had won back−to−back games before meeting Calgary.
“They capitalized on their chances and we didn’t,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. “We didn’t generate too much. We didn’t really create too many chances for ourselves. We hung in there for a while, but you aren’t going to beat a team like that by playing half a game.”
There was no scoring in the first period, although the Flames came awfully close on the power play with 1:10 remaining.
A shot by Gaudreau hit the post and then Mikko Koskinen’s back and was headed into the net before the Oilers goalie made an acrobatic behind the back save with his glove, a play that survived a video review.
Calgary had 14 first−period shots to just six by Edmonton on Flames starter David Rittich.
Gaudreau would get his goal just 44 seconds into the second period as he swung wide before putting the puck through Koskinen’s legs for his 29th goal of the season and his 17th in his last 19 games.
Calgary took a 2−0 lead with a power−play goal seven−and−a−half minutes into the middle frame when Giordano smacked in a shot in during a scramble out front.
The Flames added to their lead with four−and−a−half minutes left in the second on a one−timer by Kylington.
Edmonton finally got on the board with 18 second left in the second when Nugent−Hopkins scored his 16th while the teams were playing four aside.
The Oilers pulled within one with a power−play marker four minutes into the third when Lucic tipped a Jesse Puljujarvi shot past Rittich.
Calgary regained its two−goal lead with six minutes left when Backlund picked off a pass and scored his 11th.
Monahan added a late power−play goal to put the game away, his 27th of the season.
The Oilers are right back at it on Sunday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flames are off until Tuesday, when they will also host Carolina.
Notes: It was the third of four meetings this season between the Alberta−based rivals. Each team came into the game having won in its home arena, with the Flames beating the Oilers 4−2 in Calgary and Edmonton winning 1−0 at Rogers Place.
