Flames shrug off early deficit, blast Coyotes

Johnny Gaudreau scored a goal and added two assists Thursday night as the Calgary Flames shrugged off an Arizona Coyotes goal less than a minute into the game and posted a 5-2 win at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett each contributed a goal and a helper for Calgary, while Jon Gillies made 35 saves for his second career NHL win in his first start of the season. The Flames improved to 71 points for the season, one out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Arizona, which owns the fewest points in the NHL with 44, had a season-high four-game winning streak snapped. The Coyotes actually looked ready to make it five straight when they notched the first goal 57 seconds into the contest.

Derek Stepan potted his 11th of the season, pouncing on the rebound of a point shot by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and sweeping it into an open net. But Calgary found some traction just over halfway through the first period.

Mark Giordano led a rush down the left side and left the puck for Gaudreau. His centering pass found Bennett driving the net, and he chipped the puck over goalie Antti Raanta for his ninth goal of the season.

Gaudreau put the Flames ahead for good just over two minutes later with his 20th goal of the season. Arizona's defense gave him all kinds of space on the left wing, and Gaudreau skated beyond the circle and slipped a shot between Raanta's pads.

Monahan made it 3-1 at 8:38 of the second period with a power-play tally, his 28th. He took a centering pass in the slot from Dougie Hamilton and swept it into the net, Gaudreau picking up the secondary assist for his 53rd of the season.

Mark Jankowski administered the back-breaker at 5:11 with his 11th marker of the season. Jankowski jumped on a turnover from John Goligoski during a Coyotes' man advantage and turned it into a breakaway, slipping a backhander through Raanta's pads.

Matthew Tkachuk tacked on his 24th goal at 11:06 for Calgary, and Kevin Connauton bagged his sixth for Arizona at 17:30.

--Field Level Media