Dillon Dube scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and added an assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 6-3 win Wednesday over the New Jersey Devils.
Brett Ritchie, Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk, Milan Lucic and Johnny Gaudreau, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary (37-16-7), which opens up a seven-point lead over Los Angeles atop the Pacific Division. The Flames are 15-1-1 in their last 17 games at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Dawson Mercer and Yegor Sharangovich had their 15th goals for New Jersey (22-34-5) while PK Subban also scored. Nico Hischier had a pair of assists. The Devils have dropped the first games of their three-game Western Canada road trip and have lost five straight overall on the road.
In net for Calgary, Jacob Markstrom made 30 stops to improve to 29-11-6. He’s 13-1-1 in his last 15 decisions.
Making his ninth consecutive start for the Devils, Nico Daws was pulled in the second period by coach Lindy Ruff after giving up four goals on 19 shots. He suffered the loss to fall to 6-6-0. In relief, Jon Gillies stopped 19 of 20.
Tied 2-2 in the second period, Calgary blew the game open erupting for three goals in a span of less than four minutes.
Giving the Flames a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, Dube took a pass from Tkachuk as he flew into the Devils’ zone alone and he quickly fired a shot past Daws on the glove side at 7:04. Dube’s seventh of the season snapped a nine-game goalless skid.
At 9:31, it was Tkachuk’s turn for a breakaway. Sprung in alone on Erik Gudbranson’s long pass from deep in his own end, Tkachuk went blocker side to beat Daws.
That was the end of the night for Daws, who was replaced by Gillies, originally a Calgary draft pick in 2012.
Things didn’t start off any better for the former Flame as just over a minute later on his first shot faced, Rasmus Andersson’s centring pass was deflected past him by Lucic for his first goal in 24 games.
It was a big night for Calgary’s fourth line with Ritchie, the third member of the trio that featured Dube at centre and Lucic on left wing, notched the game’s opening goal.
At 9:43 of the first period, Ritchie got the puck in the slot and fired a shot through a crowd that Daws did not see.
Not only was it the first goal of the season in 30 games for the rugged right winger, but it was also his first point. It comes on a night when he was originally supposed to be a scratch for the fifth time in the last six games.
Ritchie was re-inserted into the line-up after the Flames acquired Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle prior to the game and to create a spot on the roster, sent Adam Ruzicka to Stockton (AHL).
In exchange for the 30-year-old forward, the Kraken got a 2022 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick.
New Jersey tied it 1-1 at 16:21 when Mercer got the puck in the slot and the 20-year-old rookie snapped a shot into the top corner.
Calgary regained the lead at 18:22 of the first with Mangiapane capitalizing on a turnover. The Devils tied it once again 5:01 into the second on Subban’s long wrist shot that dribbled through Markstrom’s pads.
Notes: Mikael Backlund played in career game No. 804, moving him past Al MacInnis into fourth place on the Flames all-time list… Calgary has won its last eight games against New Jersey… Chris Tanev had an assist giving the 32-year-old Flames defenceman a career-high 21 points.
Dube scores go-ahead goal, Markstrom makes 30 saves as Flames top Devils
Source: Pinas Ko Mahal
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