Tkachuk, power play spark Flames in win against Stars

DALLAS --Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists, and the Calgary Flames scored three power-play goals in a 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Sunday.

Sean Monahan had a goal and an assist, and Elias Lindholm had three assists for Calgary (19-14-5), which won for the first time in four games (1-2-1). David Rittich made 26 saves and also had an assist.
The Flames scored four unanswered goals and went 3-for-5 on the power play.
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Stars highlights]
"I thought the special teams were good," Tkachuk said. "Our penalty kill had a huge kill at the beginning of the third period, and I thought that set the tone for the rest of the period. Our power play was going and every time we were out there, the puck was snapping around pretty good."
Denis Gurianov scored, and Ben Bishop made 25 saves for Dallas (20-14-4), which has lost three of its past four games, during which time it has allowed seven power-play goals.
"We're off our game, clearly, these last three games," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "This is obviously not the way we wanted to go into the break, but it is. We will come back on [Dec. 27] in a better frame of mind and get back on track."

Andrew Mangiapane gave the Flames a 1-0 lead on a snap shot from the slot at 12:11 of the first period.
Gurianov scored 38 seconds later with a wrist shot on the rush to tie it 1-1 at 12:49.
"It's tough," Gurianov said. "I mean, we've lost two games. We had goals and other penalties. It's kind of tough trying to get goals on the penalty kill and tough to get the game back."
Tkachuk's power-play goal from the top of the right face-off circle at 12:28 of the second period gave the Flames a 2-1 lead.
Monahan scored a power-play goal from his knees in the slot at 14:21 to make it 3-1.
"I thought we had a pretty good start," Monahan said. "There was energy throughout the lineup and when you move your feet and make stuff happen, you're going to draw penalties. Our power play was good tonight, and that's what won us the game."
Mikael Backlund scored Calgary's third power-play goal in front of the crease at 10:21 of the third period to make it 4-1. The Stars challenged for goalie interference, but the call on the ice stood and Dallas was assessed a minor penalty.
"It's huge," Lindholm said of the power play. "It all starts with the face-off; we switched it up a little bit and we're winning more pucks now. Hopefully, that creates more chances for us. Three goals today on the power play, so it was a good game."
Derek Ryan scored a shorthanded, empty net goal with 2:04 remaining for the 5-1 final.
"The NHL is all about the little things," Stars defenseman Roman Polak said. "We just need to focus more on the little things and play together more."

They said it

"I liked our first [period] a lot, the majority of our second period, and we liked the third period as well. All in all, it was a really good game for us. We have to refocus quickly and get ready for tomorrow." -- Flames coach Geoff Ward
"It's a breather. We'll enjoy some time with family and reset. We're a good hockey team in here and we know that. It's just a matter of getting back to the basics and doing the right thing." -- Stars forward Corey Perry

Need to know

It was the first time this season the Flames scored three power-play goals in a game. … Calgary forward Zac Rinaldo played his 500th NHL game. … Stars forward Mattias Janmark did not play after the first period because of a lower-body injury. … Dallas forward Tyler Seguin's five-game point streak ended. He had scored in three straight. ... The Stars went 0-for-3 on the power play.

What's next

Flames: At the Minnesota Wild on Monday (5 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-WI, SNW, NHL.TV)
Stars: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-SW+, ALT2, NHL.TV)