Post-Game: Here’s Johnny

Tonight’s Calgary Flames game was a bit sloppy and the team looked decent in fits and starts, but hardly a world-beater. They exchanged power-play goals in the first with the Buffalo Sabres. Neither team looked amazing.

Then the third period came and the Flames realized it was a tie game against the worst team in the league. Three goals later, the Flames skated away with a 4-1 victory and a much-needed two points in the standings.

Here’s how it broke down.

The first period was notable for a handful of power-plays, including two Buffalo power-plays triggered by offensive zone penalties taken by Joe Colborne. The Sabres didn’t generate a shot on goal at all in the first half of the period, but scored on their second shot of the game – 12 seconds into their man advantage. Yikes. The Flames answered back a bit later on their own power-play, with Johnny Gaudreau accepting a pass in the corner of the Sabres zone and then deciding, “Hey, I’m gonna go to the front of the net!” Sean Monahan was out front and maybe Jhonas Enroth expected a pass, but he seemed caught off-guard that this small person was trying to score. And he did, to tie the game at 1-1. Shots were 8-5 Calgary, shot attempts were 16-4 Calgary, but the Sabres won the face-off battle by a 13-9 margin.

The second period was low event. Very low event. There were 18 shots on goal between both teams. The Sabres out-shot the Flames. Calgary had a power-play that generated zero shots on goal, by virtue of a Sabre clearing the puck over the glass. Johnny Gaudreau was buzzing around but didn’t score again. Sean Monahan had a golden chance late in the period, but somehow, some way, missed a wide open net.

The Flames really got going in the third period. They out-shot the Sabres 15-3. They out-attempted them 28-4. They out-scored them 3-0. Joe Colborne led the team on a rush and put a puck at the net; it bounced off a defender’s ankle and landed at Josh Jooris, who put it past Enroth to make it 2-1. A few minutes hence, at the conclusion of a second Buffalo puck-over-glass penalty, Joe Colborne knocked a rebound past Enroth for a 3-1 lead. And finally, Johnny Gaudreau scored his second of the game and 15th of the year off a gorgeous pass from Jiri Hudler to make it 4-1 with two minutes and change remaining. The gas pedal remained floored throughout the third period and the Flames won decisively.

They were better than the Sabres at even-strength, and were a lot better than the Sabres in the final period. They bore down on the visitors when the game was in the balance and, as a result, they got the win.

All-Star Johnny Gaudreau had two goals, a plus-1 rating and led the team’s forwards in ice-time.

The Flames now sit 26-19-3 with 55 points in the Western playoff race. They’re back in action on Thursday night when they host the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop is at 7pm and the action is on Sportsnet West.