Post-Game: Flames Clobber Sabres, Get Two Points

In some seasons, there are games that are circled on the calendar as measuring stick games. The Calgary Flames played one of those on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champions. But there are also games circled because they should be virtually guaranteed points. The Flames visited the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday evening. The Sabres are not a very good team, in general.

The Sabres were also not a very good team on this evening, as the Flames out-played them in every area of the game and never trailed en route to a one-sided 5-1 victory.

The Flames took the lead early and never relinquished it. The third line had a big first period. A Mark Jankowski scoring chance squirted to the far side of the crease. Chad Johnson nudged it away from Garnet Hathaway, but in doing so basically gave it to Sam Bennett for a tap-in and a 1-0 lead.

The lead jumped to 2-0 when Jankowski’s shot from the high slot on the rush squeaked through Johnson’s pads.

Shots were 15-6 Flames, while chances were 10-6 Flames.

The deluge continued in the second period. Off a faceoff win, Mark GIordano’s point shot was partially redirected by Zemgus Girgensens and beat Johnson to make it 3-0. Later in the period, Johnny Gaudreau made a nice individual play in the offensive zone – he fell down while stick-handling but kept the puck both on-side and in Calgarys possession – and he got the puck back and fed it to Sean Monahan for a one-timer that made it 4-0 Flames.

That spelled the end of the road for Johnson, who was replaced by Robin Lehner. But Lehner allowed a power play goal that basically sealed this game. A Giordano point shot glanced off a Buffalo defender and went right to Dougie Hamilton, who beat Lehner with a wrist shot to make it 5-0. Shots were 11-11, but chances were 7-2 Flames.

The Flames were in cruise control for the third period. Buffalo didn’t do much to press and aside from a defensive lapse with 17.1 seconds remaining that allowed Casey Nelson’s wrist shot to break David Rittich’s shutout bid, the Flames were air-tight. Shots were 10-8 Flames and chances were 7-2 Flames.

Not to be mean, but Buffalo isn’t good. They’re way down in the standings for a reason. To their credit, the Flames took it to them. They got an early lead, then they added to it, and then they just rolled their lines for the rest of the game. But credit where it’s due: the Flames were much better than Buffalo at even strength, out-scored them on special teams, and got good enough goaltending that this game was never in doubt.

Now they just need to do it another 10 or so times.

Let’s go with Jankowski, who had a multi-point game (and scored the eventual game-winning goal). But aside from a quiet night from the fourth line virtually every Flames skater was rock-solid tonight.

Giordano’s goal made it 3-0 early in the second period and made it abundantly clear that the bounces were going Calgary’s way tonight… and that Buffalo had no shot of getting back into this one.

It’s the Flames’ first win at the KeyBank Center since December 2013… and just their second win ever in that building.

Monahan left the game midway through third period and was replaced by Bennett on the first line.

Curtis Lazar was the only Flames skater without a shot on goal.

The Flames now have 76 points with 14 games remaining. They need 20 points over their remaining schedule – the equivalent of a 10-4-0 record – to hit the 96 point mark that’ll probably be the playoff cut-off.

The Flames (33-25-10) fly to Ottawa tonight. They’re off tomorrow and play the Senators on Friday in the final game of this road swing.