Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and had two assists for the Flames, while Elias Lindholm also scored a night of four points with one goal and three assists. Calgary lost the only point they needed to secure a post-season trip on Thursday in a 6-1 loss to the Golden Knights of Vegas. It was their ancient rival Edmonton Oilers who helped lock Calgary in the post-season on Saturday by defeating the Knights 4-0 in regulation before the elf fell at Calgary’s Saddledome. The Flames, 46-20-9 at the top of the Pacific Division, became the third Western Region club to reach the playoffs after the Colorado Avalanche on April 6 and St. Louis. Louis Blues on Saturday. “It’s really hard to get into the playoffs,” said Flame coach Daryl Sater. “Only half the teams in the league do it. We have reached the playoffs with two weeks left in the season.” Avalanche secured first place in the Western Conference on Saturday with a 7-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Calgary has seven games left for its regular season, including two at home. “We still have a lot to play for,” Tkachuk said. “We know we are in a position now where we will play with a team that has played well going to the playoffs to do it. The ice at home is huge. We play for it and we try to play good hockey goes into it.” Arizona scored in the first minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead after a period, but the Flames scored four goals in two minutes and 33 seconds, starting 38 seconds after the second period. Four goals in three minutes and 11 seconds was the third fastest four goals to start a season in NHL history and the fastest in 45 years, according to the league. “It was exciting not only for us. Think the fans are excited. We were fired,” Gaudreau said. “At that point, it’s just a three-goal game and we had to keep pushing.” As the Flames continued to fill the Arizona net, Saddledome shouted “We want 10.” The night of Gaudreau’s four points increased his total to 105 this season. Tkachuk and Lindholm scored their 39th goal and Gaudreau the 36th in front of 16,823. The last Flame to break the 40-goal mark in a season was Jarome Iginla in 2010-11. Dillon Dube also scored twice with other scorers Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman Calgary. Flames starter Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 of 26 shots to win after being pulled into two consecutive games for Dan Vladar. “I wanted Markstrom to be clear, first and foremost, right, to get a whole game under his belt,” Sutter said. “I do not put much in the first period or in any of the others, to be honest. It was to win a game.” Nick Ritchie answered for Arizona (22-48-5), playing the string in the NHL basement. Coyotes’s key player, Harri Sateri, pulled for Karel Vejmelka after conceding four goals in four shots to start the second period, but returned to the game and stopped 24 of the 31 shots in total in defeat. Weimelka repulsed eight of the 10 shots in 16:49 working minutes. “Obviously golf is an issue for them,” Sutter said. “They used a man twice.” Ever since losing the Stanley Cup final in seven games to Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 – with Sutter also behind the Calgary bench at the time – the Flames have been knocked out of the first round seven times and sent off in the second round. in 2015. Calgary lost the 2021 playoffs. “It is a huge achievement for our team from where we have been at least from year to year,” said Gaudreau. “Proud of the kids in the locker room, but the work starts now. “We have to try to put ourselves in a good position for the rest of the year. Maybe we should try to get ice at home for most of the playoffs if we can and prepare for the first round.” The Coyotes scored 30 seconds after the opening collision in their first shot of the game, which was their first goal in the first minute of a game this season. NOTES: The Flames record for the fastest four goals scored is a 21-second minute set by Theo Fleury, Gary Suter, Chris Lindberg and Ron Stern in a 1993 game against the San Jose Sharks … Flames, Nikita Zadorov reached 100 points with the first of his two assists … Mangiapane’s two points gave him 51 this season, something that is high in his career. This Canadian Press report was first published on April 16, 2022.
