Johnny Gaudreau scored the shootout winner while Sean Monahan collected one goal and one assist as the visiting Calgary Flames claimed a third straight win with a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm also scored for the Flames, who are on an 8-1-2 run to move atop the Western Conference. Goaltender Dan Vladar made 31 saves through overtime and then stopped both Ducks he faced in the shootout.
Gaudreau scored the difference-maker by working his way to the slot before whipping a top-shelf shot for the tally.
Sonny Milano, Rickard Rakell and Vinni Lettieri scored for the Ducks, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped. Goalie John Gibson stopped 33 shots prior to the shootout.
Milano opened the scoring 54 seconds into the second period when he pounced on a loose puck for his sixth goal of the season. It ended Vladar’s shutout streak at 140 minutes and 54 seconds.
Coleman snapped a 16-game goal drought when he evened the score three minutes later by quickly redirecting Monahan’s pass into a vacated cage for his fourth goal of the season.
Lindholm’s 10th goal of the season just past the midway point put the Flames ahead for the first time. During another odd-man rush, Lindholm and Gaudreau played give-and-go before he rifled a sharp-angled, top-corner shot.
Then Monahan snapped a 12-game drought of his own with five minutes remaining in the middle frame. Monahan was shockingly left alone in front of the net when he received a pass and found the spot inside the near post for his third goal of the season.
However, Rakell made it a one-goal game with 35.1 seconds remaining in the period. Isac Lundestrom worked down the wing before slipping a pass to Rakell in the right circle, and he wired a shot for his eighth of the season.
Lettieri’s power-play goal two minutes into the third period set the stage for the close finish. Lettieri set up shop in the left circle and converted a one-timer for his second goal of the campaign.
On top of losing, the Ducks saw veteran forward Adam Henrique leave the game due to an undisclosed injury.
–Field Level Media