Flames strike quickly in third
TORONTO — Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm scored 55 seconds apart in the third period as the Calgary Flames downed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, on Monday night.
Lindholm and Monahan added an assist each as Calgary (6-5-1) snapped a three-game losing streak. Michael Frolik added an empty-netter late to seal it
while Mike Smith made 24 saves.
Nazem Kadri, playing his 500th National Hockey League game, replied for Toronto (8-4-0). Frederik Andersen stopped 31 shots.
The Leafs, who were coming in with consecutive victories over the Winnipeg Jets, lacked jump in their first game without Auston Matthews after it was announced earlier in the day their star centre would miss at least four weeks with a left shoulder injury.
Monahan snapped a scoreless tie 4:39 into the third on a power play with his fifth goal of the season by burying Lindholm’s rebound.
Lindholm then gave the Flames, who were 0-2-1 over their past three, a 2-0 edge with his team-leading eighth at 6:34 after the Leafs turned the puck over in their own zone.
Toronto defenceman Igor Ozhiganov hit the post at the other end on the next shift, with teammate Zach Hyman unable to get to the loose puck.
The Leafs got to within one at 16:07 when Kadri scored his third of the season and third in as many games on a feed from Mitch Marner one second after a Toronto two-man advantage of 1:09 expired.
The Leafs pressed for the tie, but were unable to get another one past Smith before Frolik iced it with his fifth as Toronto fell to 3-4-0 at the newly named Scotiabank Arena.
The Flames fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Washington Capitals in Calgary on Saturday — a result that, despite the final score, was viewed as a step in the right direction after getting blown out 9-1 by the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice 48 hours earlier.
Andersen kept things scoreless early in the second when he shot out the right pad to stop Lindholm on a delayed penalty before Smith stopped Hyman at the other end from in tight.
Johnny Gaudreau cut around Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner later in the period, but couldn’t get a shot away on Andersen.
The Leafs goalie stopped Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund in quick succession before John Tavares shovelled a loose puck off a scramble into Smith’s open cage just after the buzzer went to end the second period.
NOTES: Marner has five assists in his past three games . ... The Leafs were 11-7-2 without Matthews last season . ... Calgary will be back in action Tuesday in Buffalo against the Sabres . ... Toronto hosts the Dallas Stars on Thursday.