Monahan does best work in overtime for Flames
Calgary Flames centre Sean Monahan is potting game-winning goals at a staggering clip.
But what impresses franchise icon Lanny McDonald most about the Flames’ current scoring sensation is not just his knack for picking corners in key moments.
“First of all, he’s very unselfish,” McDonald said, taking time Friday from a beach-front family vacation to share his thoughts on the offensive exploits of the Flames’ first-line centre. “Now, here we are talking about goal-scoring and I’m saying he’s unselfish, but when you are a threat like that to always pass the puck yet you have a great shot yourself, now you become even more dangerous than you were before.
“And I think that’s exactly the case with him.”
Monahan was up to his usual tricks Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, cashing in from the slot to send the Flames home with a 3-2 overtime victory. Ho-hum.
In his four-plus seasons of bigleague employment, the 23-yearold Monahan has nine snipes during sudden-death, more than any NHLer over that span.
Heading into Friday’s action, Los Angeles Kings catalyst Jeff Carter, Washington Capitals wrecking ball Alex Ovechkin and Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty were nextbest, each with eight overtimeenders dating back to the start of the 2013-14 campaign.
As he typically does, Monahan shrugged off Thursday’s heroics, claiming that he was aiming at an “open net” after a great pass by whiz wing-man Johnny Gaudreau.
It was, indeed, a superb setup, but the trailing sharpshooter also deserves credit for finding daylight on Carey Price’s blocker-side.
“You can’t give him that much time in that slot,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “He’s just so lethal from there.”
He’s just so lethal, period. Monahan has already registered 25 game-winners, tied for sixth in Flames’ club history with … you guessed it.
This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, since McDonald skated in the era of five-on-five overtime and tie games, but anytime you’re lumped in with Lanny in any offensive category, you’re doing something right.
After all, the moustachioed marksman is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and one of just 45 members of the NHL’s ultra-exclusive 500-goal club, scoring 215 of those on behalf of the crew from Calgary between 1981 and his Stanley Cupwinning sendoff in 1989.
Jarome Iginla set the Flames’ franchise gold-standard with 83 game-winners, followed by Theoren Fleury (53), Joe Nieuwendyk (43), Joe Mullen (33) and Gary Roberts (27). Next on that list are Monahan and McDonald, with 25 apiece.
“I think you know by now that’s not something I look at. I normally hear those kind of stats from the media. But when you hear that stuff.… It’s cool to hear your name talked about with guys like that. I mean, Lanny is an icon in Calgary,” Monahan said before Thursday’s late-night flight to Calgary.
“I compare Sean to a guy like Jonathan Toews,” said McDonald, who totalled 54 career gamewinners when you include his stats with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Rockies. “He’s big. He’s strong. He’s obviously got a willingness to go to tough spots in front of the net, and he has a great touch. I think he could be a star for a long, long time. If he continues to play hard and play as well as he is right now, the sky is kind of the limit for him.”