5 THINGS - FLAMES VS. DUCKS
The Flames are back in action tonight hosting Terry, Zegras and the Ducks
By
Ryan Dittrick
CalgaryFlames.com
Video: Brendan Parker sets up tonight's tilt
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
COMING SOON: Projected Lineup
Say What - 'Come Out With a Good Effort'
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (60)
Goals - Andrew Mangiapane (24)
Ducks:
Points - Troy Terry (42)
Goals - Terry (25)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 21.1% (14th) / PK - 84.6% (3rd)
Ducks:
PP - 12.9% (29th) / PK - 90.9% (1st)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 55.37% (2nd)
High-Danger Chances: 56.44% (2nd)
Ducks:
Shot Attempts: 48.22% (20th)
High-Danger Chances: 49.50% (18th)
They weren't at all happy with the opening 20 minutes.
But they still had a lead.
And when Erik Gudbranson told the Saddledome crowd "(they) could be a lot better" at the first intermission, the Flames went out and proved it in a big, big way.
The locals out-shot the Blue Jackets 29-8 in the final 40 minutes, found the net in bunches, and even got the 'new guy' his first in a 6-2 victory, extending their season-long winning streak to seven straight games.
Gudbranson, Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk, Dillon Dube, Adam Ruzicka and, yes, Tyler Toffoli, all scored, while Dan Vladar stopped 18 shots in the victory.
But as good of a team effort as this was, the night belonged to Toffoli. His beautiful strike at 11:04 of the third sent the crowd into a frenzy, chanting his name in a stirring show of appreciation.
'Ty-ler Toff-oli! Ty-ler Toff-oli!'
What night.
"It was pretty cool, but at the same time a little embarrassing," said Toffoli, who played 12:18 and had four shots in his Flames debut. "Ras (Rasmus Andersson) was all over me in the room.
"Honestly, it was amazing. but I hope they don't do it again (laughs)."
Vladar said he got "goosebumps" from the crowd, and wasn't surprised No. 73 made an immediate impact after getting scored on by him - multiple times - at the morning skate.
"I was like, 'Wow, this guy's got a good shot,'" Vladar marveled. "It's going to help him right away that he scored in the first game.
"The whole team is super excited that we got him."
On the goal, Toffoli took an incredible aerial feed from Johnny Gaudreau and danced in alone, briefly losing his balance before collecting himself and tucking a backhand around the outstretched pad of the netminder, who lay prone in the blue paint.
"Honestly, I almost fell," Toffoli laughed. "Obviously, Johnny made a really good play. I'll take it."
It was a beauty - and appropriately timed, considering the run this team is on.
It's not that the Flames are winning (which is obviously nice). It's that they're winning GOING AWAY, with balance across all four lines.
The Flames have now out-scored their opponents 35-8 in their last seven home games and have only had one tilt in the past 10 where they've scored fewer than four.
As a result, the Flames are now alone in first place in the Pacific, with two games in hand on the Golden Knights.
"We're red-hot right now," said Vladar, who started for the first time at home and improved to 7-3-1 with the victory. "Everybody's playing really well and all the lines are rolling. Every line can score.
"It's great to step out there in front of our fans - they were really loud tonight and we really appreciate that they're coming even with all the restrictions. It's great. We're having a lot of fun this month.
"Our team is playing so well right now and it's a privilege to play behind them."
Video: Flames extend win streak to 7 games
The Ducks - who've played only one game in the month of February - have been off since Friday when they dropped a 4-3 decision at home to the Seattle Kraken.
Jordan Eberle broke a 3-3 tie with 1:42 left in the third period, handing the Ducks their first regulation loss in seven games (4-1-2).
Isac Lundestrom scored twice, while Rickard Rakell tallied the other, and John Gibson made 23 saves in a losing effort.
"As much as you're crossing your fingers and you practiced hard, that's a long time to be off," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins told reporters afterward. "(The Kraken) had the luxury of a game underneath their belt. I liked our effort, but we don't like the result."
Shots on goal finished at 27 apiece, but the Kraken held the Ducks to only one in the final 13:23 of the game.
Ryan Donato tallied a pair for the Serpents, who rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third period.
"They were opportunistic and capitalized on their chances," defenceman Cam Fowler said. "A couple bad breaks here and there and it's in the back of your net, but I think we left some out there, too. I think we're definitely searching to find our game right now."
This is the first of a three-game road trip for the Ducks, who will face the Oilers in a back-to-back on Thursday before finishing up the trip on Saturday in Vancouver.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: The Flames have scored the game's first goal in 30 of 46 nights this year, and are 21-5-3 when doing so. They're also 21-9-4 when outshooting their opponent.
JOHNNY 'APPLE'-SEED: On Tuesday, Gaudreau recorded his 40th and 41st helpers of the season. He has now tied Gary Suter for the second-most 40-plus assist seasons, notching the seventh of his career. ... Gaudreau has also tied Joe Nieuwendyk and Suter for the fourth-most 60-plus point seasons by a player in franchise history (6). The three with more: Jarome Iginla (12), Al MacInnis (9) and Theo Fleury (9). Gaudreau currently leads the NHL in plus/minus at +37 this season.
FOUR THE WIN: The Flames have now scored at least four goals in each of their past six games going back to Feb. 1, which is the second-longest stretch in franchise history in the past 30 years (also 7 GP in 1992-93). … The most consecutive wins in franchise lore with four-or-more goals goes back to 1978 when the Flames were in Atlanta and strung together eight straight victories from Oct. 14 to 31.
Video: "It was obviously pretty cool"
Flames - Elias Lindholm
Not to be lost in all the hoopla, but Lindholm added a pair of helpers and had three points, overall, in Tuesday's victory over the Jackets.
With goals in five straight, too, he's now on a seven-game point spree, tying a season-long (Nov. 14-27, 2021).
Ducks - Trevor Zegras
Remember him and his Dodgeball-inspired, blindfolded breakaway in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition?
Minus the cape, he does that stuff on the regular.
The 20-year-old has been a stud for the Ducks this year, scoring 33 points (12G, 21A) in 43 games to put him third in the rookie-scoring race.
Dillon Dube on his short-handed goal Tuesday:
"I was looking to pass. Mang has (had) the hot hand all year, so I wanted to give him the puck. I'll take my chances giving him the puck. But the guy took away the lane, I shot it and it went in. Our line was playing (well), to build that and the momentum was going strong, so it was good to get that."
On a strong night with Toffoli and Monahan:
"I think we were good right from the start. It was a lot of fun. It gave Mony and I some energy to have Toff on the line and we had to be good for him. I thought we got off to a good start, first shift."
Toffoli on a whirlwind of a day:
"Obviously, coming to a really good team playing really good hockey right now was exciting. Playing good hockey and playing with a lead, and doing all the little things that makes a team successful. It was another one of those nights."
