CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Michael Frolik had a goal and an assist in Calgary’s four-goal first period, and the Flames beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday night.
Mikael Backlund, Dennis Wideman and Lance Bouma also scored as Calgary (20-17-2) improved to 4-0 against Arizona this season. Frolik stopped a 20-game drought with his first goal since Nov. 16 against the Coyotes, and rookie Matthew Tkachuk extended his point streak to six games with an assist.
Brendan Perlini and Martin Hanzal scored for Arizona (11-21-5), which has lost seven straight. Louie Domingue, subbing for regular starter Mike Smith, made 20 saves.
Flames goaltender Brian Elliott had 27 stops. He has won his last four starts after going over seven weeks without a win.
Frolik scored his seventh of the season at 6:08 of the first. Tkachuk’s power-play shot bounced into the slot and Frolik slid it past Domingue.
Wideman made it 2-0 at 12:09 on a shot from the point that went through two sets of legs before beating Domingue, who looked as if he didn’t see it.
The Flames struck again 29 seconds later when Bouma’s centering attempt banked in off the leg of Arizona defenseman Alex Goligoski.
Frolik then helped set up Backlund’s team-leading 11th goal at 15:42. Backlund has scored in four straight games with six goals over that span.
Calgary went 2 for 4 on the power play. The Flames’ power play was tops in the NHL in December, scoring 17 times on 49 chances.
Elliott was especially sharp in the second when Arizona outshot Calgary 16-6.
After Perlini neatly steered in Shane Doan’s centering pass at 15:40 of the second, the Coyotes had another prime scoring chance when Micheal Ferland’s giveaway at the blue line sprung Tobias Rieder on a breakaway, but Elliott stuck out his skate to deny him on a deke.
Hanzal’s goal at 11:53 of the third got Arizona within two, but it couldn’t make up the deficit.
NOTES: Tkachuk’s point streak ties the New York Rangers’ Brady Skjei for longest by a rookie this season. … Tkachuk also had six penalty minutes, giving him 70 on the season.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Visit Vancouver on Wednesday night.
Flames: Host Colorado on Wednesday night.
No comments:
Post a Comment