A Night To Remember!

Nazem Kadri was determined to collect the win in his 1,000th NHL game.

And in Wednesday’s second period, he seized the moment, converting on an odd-man rush to help send the Flames on their way to a 5-1 victory over the Blue Jackets, while simultaneously sending the Scotiabank Saddledome into a frenzy.

Kadri - honoured by the club for reaching the impressive milestone in a pre-game ceremony - put the homeside ahead 3-1 with his marker, while Morgan Frost, Blake Coleman, Adam Klapka and Mikael Backlund also scored, helping Calgary capture its second win on the spin.

The goaltending from Dustin Wolf was just as good; Calgary's netminder stopped 42 of the 43 Columbus shots he faced, including 22 during the visitors' third-period push.

"It’s so nice to have the family around, and just experience what I went through today," Kadri said after the game. "To have them by my side, that’s what it’s all about.

"It was a very special day for me."

The game could not have started any better for the Flames. Frost tipped home a Jonathan Huberdeau point shot just 56 seconds into the contest to put the locals ahead 1-0, then 36 seconds later Coleman spun and fired from the left circle for his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign.

Columbus got one back before the period was through on a Kirill Marchenko breakaway, but the Flames took a 2-1 lead into the break.

Dustin Wolf was called upon to help his team maintain the lead, and he did so with a trio of high-danger saves. He stoned former Flame Sean Monahan on a breakaway, then parried away a rush from Kent Johnson before turning aside an Adam Fantilli chance from in tight, after the Blue Jackets forward cut past a defender and found himself through on goal.

And that’s when Kadri took his chance, and made good. Joel Farabee pounced onto a loose puck in the neutral zone and strode down the right wing on a 2-on-1.

Everyone inside the Scotiabank Saddledome knew exactly where the puck was going - right onto Kadri’s tape - and once he received it, the man of the hour made no mistake, ripping it into the top corner past a lunging Jet Greaves, becoming just the second of the 13 Calgary skaters to play their 1,000th game as a Flame to also score in said appearance (a feat equalled by Martin Gelinas in 2003).

The quick strikes kept coming. Klapka made it 4-1 with a snapshot low to Greaves’ glove side just 37 seconds after Kadri’s marker, and Calgary took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.

The third period was Wolf's show.

He turned aside 22 shots - 10 in the first five minutes of the frame alone - to keep the Blue Jackets at bay. On an early penalty-kill, he made a shoulder stop off Johnson, then kicked out the pad to deny a low drive from Ivan Provorov.

Backlund iced it with an empty-netter in the final minute.

"The way the team came out on fire, you could tell that we wanted this one," said Kadri. "I’m so appreciative for that, for the guys around me wanting to maximize how special this day was for me, and understand the magnitude of how special it was.

"It was incredible to watch."

Defenceman Yan Kuznetsov, recalled from the AHL's Wranglers Tuesday, appeared in his second career NHL game on a pairing with Brayden Pachal. He recorded his first NHL point - an assist - on Klapka's second-period marker.

As part of the festivities, Kadri also took a solo lap at the start of pre-game warmup, and the team skated out in identical No. 91 sweaters, six of which are now available for auction with proceeds benefitting the Calgary Flames Foundation's CSEC Inclusion Program.

The Lineup:

FORWARDS

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Joel Farabee

Jonathan Huberdeau - Morgan Frost - Matt Coronato

Sam Honzek - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

Ryan Lomberg - Yegor Sharangovich - Adam Klapka

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley - MacKenzie Weegar

Yan Kuznetsov - Brayden Pachal

GOALTENDERS

Dustin Wolf - starter

Devin Cooley

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 26, CBJ 43

Powerplay: CGY 0-2, CBJ 0-1

Faceoffs: CGY 41.2%, CBJ 58.8%

Hits: CGY 24, CBJ 18

Blocked shots: CGY 22, CBJ 9

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 18, CBJ 21

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 7, CBJ 10

Up Next:

The Flames will contest their next three games against Central Division opponents, beginning with a home fixture against the Blackhawks Friday at 7 p.m. MT. GET TICKETS

After Friday's game, the team will hit the road for matchups in Minnesota Nov. 9 and St. Louis Nov. 11.