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 The 23-year-old collected his first NHL goal with just under two
minutes to go in the third period of Wednesday's 7-2 shellacking of
the Anaheim Ducks at the Scotiabank Saddledome, one more reason for
Flames fans to celebrate as the home team scored a season-high seven
times against one of the elite squads in the NHL's Western
Conference.
"It was the seventh goal but, for me, it felt like an overtime
winner," said Knight, who was appearing in his fifth NHL game. "It's
definitely something I'll never forget. It's pretty special."
Center Mikael Backlund scored twice and had a three-point night for
the Flames (26-33-7), who have won eight of their past 10 at home
but will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
Defensemen Mark Giordano and Ladislav Smid, center TJ Galiardi and
left winger Michael Cammalleri also tickled the twine for the home
team, while defenseman TJ Brodie and wingers Lance Bouma and Paul
Byron each had a pair of assists for the Flames.
"I think we've come a long way this season as a team. It's nice to
play so well in front of the fans," Backlund said. "There's been
lately a lot of games where we've scored one or two goals, so it's
nice. To get seven goals against one of the best teams in the league
... it makes us feel good about ourselves and it's always a nice
boost."
The feeling in Anaheim's dressing room wasn't nearly as positive.
Centers Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino provided the offense for the
Ducks (43-16-7), who still sit atop the Pacific Division standing
but are now winless in their past four dates with only two points
over that span.
Ducks starting goaltender Jonas Hiller was pulled after allowing
three goals and five shots Wednesday, while Frederik Anderson
surrendered four on 20 shots after entering the game.
At the other end, goalie Joni Ortio made 20 saves for the Flames.
"I think every guy in the room should be completely embarrassed at
how they played tonight, every single person," Cogliano said. "We
had flashes of guys doing some decent stuff but, at the end of the
day, no one played at all. No one competed at all."
Giordano got the fun started for the Flames just 3:39 after the
opening faceoff. Calgary's captain launched a slap-shot from the
point, and the puck deflected off the stick of Ducks right winger
Kyle Palmieri and fooled Hiller.
Just three and a half minutes later, Galiardi capitalized on a
short-handed rush, finishing off a pretty pass from left winger Paul
Byron on a two-on-one.
Hiller's night ended at the 11:28 mark thanks to another
special-teams tally, with Cammalleri burying Backlund's rebound from
the slot on the power play.
Exactly two minutes later, Backlund scored one of his own, throwing
a pass toward the net for Byron from an awkward angle but watching
as it deflected off Anderson's stick for Calgary's fourth goal of
the period.
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The announced sellout crowd of 19,289 fans at the Scotiabank
Saddledome gave the Flames a standing ovation after 20 minutes, and
the home team was obviously still energized after the intermission.
Backlund scored his second of the night, and Calgary's second
short-handed goal of the contest, just 1:31 into the second period
with a wrist-shot through Anderson's pads.
The Ducks finally cracked Ortio at 11:30 of the middle frame, with
Cogliano capitalizing on a pass from right winger Jakob Silfverberg
from behind the net.
It was the Flames celebrating again just before the second
intermission, with Smid firing a shot into the top corner to make it
6-1. For Smid, who arrived in a Nov. 8 trade from the Edmonton
Oilers, it's his first goal since joining the Flames.
Bonino scored at 7:45 of the third period, lifting a shot past
Ortio.
Knight answered for the Flames with less than two minutes left,
turning to fire a shot from the slot.
Knight is from nearby High River, Alberta, and his parents were in
attendance for Wednesday's memorable night. They weren't the only
fans leaving the Scotiabank Saddledome with smiles on their faces.
"We showed that we can play basically against anybody," Smid said.
"That's great to know."
NOTES: Flames LW Curtis Glencross and RW Kevin Westgarth both
returned to the lineup. Glencross missed 29 games since suffering a
high ankle sprain Dec. 21, while Westgarth was sidelined for five
contests due to a head injury. ... Calgary was without C Markus
Granlund, who sustained an upper-body injury in Monday's 3-2 loss to
the Los Angeles Kings and is now on injured reserve ... Ducks C
Mathieu Perreault was back in action after missing four games due to
an upper-body issue. ... Anaheim D Ben Lovejoy missed Wednesday's
game because of an illness, while D Stephane Robidas (leg) and D
Sheldon Souray (wrist) remain out for the Ducks. ... The Flames
re-assigned RW Max Reinhart to the AHL Abbotsford Heat ... Ducks RW
Tim Jackman returned to the Scotiabank Saddledome for the first time
since being traded from Calgary to Anaheim in November. Jackman
appeared in 209 games for the Flames, registering 13 goals, 23
assist and 297 penalty minutes.
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