Flames snap four-game skid

Flames rookie goalie David Rittich cared little about missing out on his first career shutout bid with 18 seconds left.

The first 25 shots he stopped mattered more — and Calgary snapping a four-game skid to gain ground in a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race with a 51 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

“How we get the two points, that’s more important right now,” said Rittich, who bounced back after a six-game stretch during which he went 1-4-1 and allowed 24 goals.

“Yeah, it’s big for me right now,” he added. “I had a couple, I’m not sure if it was bad, but the scores were terrible. Yeah, it’s a nice comeback.”

Rittich’s only blemish was allowing Casey Nelson’s goal in the closing moments.

Otherwise, Sam Bennett, Mark Jankowski and Mark Giordano each had a goal and an assist, while Sean Monahan and Dougie Hamilton also scored for Calgary.

Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Monday, the Flames improved to 1-3-1 in their past five. With 76 points, Calgary jumped into 10th place, a point ahead of idle St. Louis, and within one of Los Angeles and Colorado.

The Flames won at Buffalo for just the second time in 14 trips (2-8-3 and a tie), and first time in regulation since a 31 win on March 15, 1996.

The way Calgary dominated a game it outshot Buffalo 41-26 had coach Glen Gulutzan believing the Flames might be heating up just in time to mount a late-season playoff push. “You need traction,” he said. “Our team, when they get confident, they can get on a real good run. We’ve done it before,” Gulutzan added. “Every little step is a big step for us.”