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The Calgary Flames' 21-year-old rookie left winger scored twice --
and had another goal disallowed -- in a 6-3 victory over the Anaheim
Ducks at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
With his two-point performance, Gaudreau became the first Flames
rookie to reach the 50-point plateau since longtime captain Jarome
Iginla achieved that feat during the 1995-96 campaign.
Iginla was a couple of years younger when he arrived in the NHL, but
any comparison to the Flames' all-time leading scorer is the
ultimate compliment in Calgary.
"It's pretty special for me to be part of something like that,"
Gaudreau said. "Jarome Iginla, I grew up watching him. He's been so
successful. It's exciting to be a part of something like that."
Center Matt Stajan also scored twice for the Flames, who erased an
early two-goal deficit. Gaudreau's linemates -- center Sean Monahan
and right winger Jiri Hudler -- added one goal apiece, and
defenseman Kris Russell and Dennis Wideman each had three assists.
Calgary (37-25-5) has a 4-0-1 record in the past five games and
continues to sit in third place in the Pacific Division standings.
"I felt that many guys really had some strong games, but for me,
Johnny Gaudreau had the game of his young career so far," Flames
coach Bob Hartley said. "He's going to get many more like this, but
tonight he was flying. He was quick. Tonight, I felt that he was
supersonic.
"Even from the bench, many times, (assistant coach) Marty Gelinas
and I were saying, 'Gosh, he's flying.' We were kind of looking at
Johnny just like we were hockey fans sitting in the stands. He was
amazing."
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf scored twice, while defenseman Hampus
Lindholm chipped in with one for Anaheim (42-20-7).
With his goal just 22 seconds after the opening faceoff in Calgary,
Getzlaf moved into second on Anaheim's all-time scoring charts,
passing left winger Paul Kariya. The 29-year-old center now has 671
career points, although he has a long way to go to catch longtime
teammate Teemu Selanne (988).
However, Getzlaf was in the penalty box for both of Calgary's goals
on the man advantage in the second period and was hardly in a
celebratory mood after the Ducks sustained their third consecutive
loss.
"I never want to be the guy sitting in that box when that happens.
It kills momentum for our team," Getzlaf said. "I let the guys down
in that aspect in taking those kind of penalties. It's not
acceptable, and I'll wear that for the next one."
There was no shortage of excitement during the opening period.
Getzlaf quieted the home crowd in the first minute, picking off an
attempted pass by Flames right winger David Jones to beat goalie
Karri Ramo on a partial breakaway.
The Ducks star would strike again soon after, firing a rebound into
a gaping net at the 2:51 mark after Ramo stopped a deflection by
Ducks center Ryan Kesler on a power play.
Getzlaf made history again on his second tally, setting the Ducks'
team record for the fastest two goals by the same player to start a
game.
Stajan sparked the Flames' comeback at 10:32 of the first period,
collecting a rebound in the slot and firing a shot past Ducks goalie
John Gibson to make it 2-1.
Gaudreau would net his first of the night less than five minutes
before the intermission, accepting a pass from center Josh Jooris
and scoring on a backhander that bounced off both posts before
trickling across the goal line.
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The Flames managed just four shots in the middle period, but they
made the most of them, scoring three times.
Stajan celebrated his second of the game thanks to a beautiful pass
from rookie left winger Michael Ferland on an offensive rush at the
7:28 mark.
Just 85 seconds later, with Getzlaf serving a roughing penalty,
Monahan wired a shot into the top corner for a power-play goal.
Getzlaf was back in the penalty box at 13:59 when Wideman set up
Gaudreau for a one-timer to extend Calgary's lead to 5-2. With that
goal, Gaudreau reached the 50-point plateau.
"Hopefully there's a lot more to come for him this year," Stajan
said of Gaudreau. "He's setting the bar high for the rest of his
career, and that's great for this organization. We needed a dynamic
player like him, and with him, Mony (Monahan) and Huds (Hudler)
being a consistent scoring line all year for us, that's a big reason
we've been consistently able to win games."
Lindholm scored with 1:01 remaining in the second period to trim the
deficit, and Hudler had the lone strike in the third.
Ramo made 29 saves for the Flames, while Gibson finished with 17
stops.
The Ducks still hold an 11-point lead atop the Pacific Division, but
their three-game skid is cause for some concern.
"It came down to will and want," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said.
"They wanted to win battles, and they won the battles on the boards
and the one-on-one battles. That's one thing that, most part of this
year, we've taken pride in.
"We've got to get our act in gear right now."
NOTES: Ducks LW Matt Beleskey was activated Wednesday from injured
reserve and participated in the pregame skate, but he wasn't in the
lineup in Calgary. Beleskey, who has already scored a career-high 21
goals, missed his 12th consecutive game due to an upper-body issue.
D Sami Vatanen (lower body) and RW Tim Jackman (lower body) are
still on Anaheim's injured list. ... Flames C Drew Shore missed
Wednesday's game due to an undisclosed injury, although he also
participated in the pregame skate. RW Paul Byron (undisclosed), D
Mark Giordano (biceps) and D Ladislav Smid (upper body) were also
out for Calgary.
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