Flames push, get OT win
BUFFALO, N.Y. Johnny Gaudreau’s magic touch has the Calgary Flames pointed back in the right direction.
One day after setting up the winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Gaudreau scored 2:40 into overtime to lead the Flames to a 2-1 comeback victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
He did it in style, too. After Matthew Tkachuk scored with 55.3 seconds in the third period, Gaudreau and Mark Giordano completed a pretty give-and-go that left Gaudreau alone with an open net.
“You enjoy it,” Calgary coach Bill Peters said of Gaudreau, his leading scorer. “I’ve been on the other side of it, obviously, I’ve seen him in the league long enough. I just like the way he goes about it. He’s a passionate player and gets rewarded for his effort.”
The Flames (7-5-1) have bounced back with impressive back-to-back wins on the road after a homestand to forget. Calgary lost 9-1 to Pittsburgh on Thursday before a 4-3 overtime loss to Washington on Saturday.
“We’re getting where we want to be,” Giordano said. “Tonight was solid again, I didn’t think we gave up much. We’re getting to where we know what to expect out of each other defensively and we’re not cheating offence and that’s resulting in wins.”
Down 1-0, the Flames took charge in the third, controlling the flow of play and outshooting Buffalo 5-1. They pulled goaltender David Rittich with more than two minutes remaining, which set up Tkachuk’s equalizer. Tkachuk tipped a hard shot from Elias Lindholm that was also deflected by Sabres defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen and then again off the ice.
The Sabres (6-4-2) were left frustrated after spoiling a terrific effort by goalie Carter Hutton. Hutton made 36 saves and was outstanding throughout the game.
Eichel put the Sabres on the board first with a powerplay goal with 3:30 left in the first period. The Sabres captain ripped a one-timer from the left circle into the top of the net, ending an eight-game goal drought.
Rittich made 28 saves for the Flames.
ISLANDERS 6, PENGUINS 3
PITTSBURGH — Jordan Eberle scored twice in the second period to help the New York Islanders pull away from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
BRUINS 3, HURRICANES 2
RALEIGH, N.C. — Brad Marchand scored the tying and go-ahead goals and Boston continued its dominance of the Carolina.
David Pastrnak scored and Patrice Bergeron had three assists for the Bruins. Jaroslav Halak made 42 saves.
Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton scored for the Hurricanes.
RED WINGS 5, BLUE JACKETS 3
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tyler Bertuzzi scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and Jimmy Howard had 34 saves for Detroit.
LIGHTNING 8, DEVILS 3
TAMPA, Fla. — Brayden Point had a career-high five points with a goal and four assists, defenceman Braydon Coburn scored twice, and Tampa Bay rallied from an early twogoal deficit to beat New Jersey.
Steven Stamkos got his 350th career goal and added two assists for Tampa Bay.
STARS 4, CANADIENS 1
MONTREAL — Devin Shore had a goal and two assists, Ben Bishop stopped 34 shots for Dallas.
Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen also scored, and Alexander Radulov added an empty-netter for Dallas, which won on the road for the first time this season. This was the second stop on the Stars’ six-game road trip.
Brendan Gallagher scored for the Canadiens, and Carey Price stopped 18 shots.
PREDATORS 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan Hartman scored twice in a 57-second span and Juuse Saros made 23 saves to lead Nashville.
WILD 4, OILERS 3
EDMONTON — Eric Staal had a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers.
Zach Parise, Jared Spurgeon and Mikael Granlund also scored for the Wild (7-3-2), who have won six of their last seven games.
Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Alex Chiasson responded for the Oilers (6-4-1), who saw a three-game winning streak halted.