Flames 4, Hurricanes 1

[February 04, 2016]  CALGARY, Alberta -- Center Sean Monahan had a goal and three assists, and the Calgary Flames ended a day of bad off-ice news with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Calgary lost defenseman Dennis Wideman to a 20-game suspension earlier in the day for his Jan. 27 hit on a linesman that the NHL deemed intentional.

Left winger Johnny Gaudreau and defensemen Marc Giordano and Dougie Hamilton also scored for Calgary, and each added an assist.

Monahan had the first assist on all three goals for the first four-point night of his three-year career. His goal was into a virtually open net off a nice feed from Gaudreau at 2:47 of the third period.

Center Elias Lindholm had the lone goal for Carolina.

The Flames (22-24-3) ended a three-game losing skid, while the Hurricanes (23-21-8) saw their two-game winning streak.

The Flames have dominated the Hurricanes at the Saddledome for the past 13 years. Carolina is winless in its past seven visits -- 0-6-1 -- and hasn't won in Calgary since Dec. 12, 2002.

The Hurricanes went with Eddie Lack in goal despite welcoming No. 1 Cam Ward back on Tuesday from the injured list, where he had been since Jan. 20 because of a concussion. Lack was 4-1-0 with a 1.59 goals-against average against Calgary previously but his luck didn't continue Wednesday, when he stopped just 20 of 24 shots.

Lack misplayed an average-looking wrist shot from Hamilton and it went in off his glove to give the Flames a power-play goal at 10:26 of the first. Calgary coughed up that lead 18 seconds later, however. Lindholm scored on Flames goalie Karri Ramo (28 saves) to the stick side from the high slot.

Giordano and Gaudreau stretched the lead to 3-1 with goals within a minute of each other in the second. Giordano's snapshot got over Lack's stick-side shoulder from the right faceoff circle on the power play at 11:32; and Gaudreau slipped the puck under Lack from the edge of the crease at 12:10.

NOTES: Flames LW Mason Raymond cleared waivers and was assigned to Stockton of the American Hockey League. Raymond had four goals and one assist in 29 NHL games this season. ... Calgary LW Micheal Ferland came off injured reserve after missing three games with an upper-body injury. ... With the 20-game suspension of D Dennis Wideman for his Jan. 27 hit on linesman Don Henderson, Calgary summoned D Jakub Nakladal from Stockton. Nakladal, LW Brandon Bollig and C Markus Granlund were Calgary's healthy scratches. ... Carolina's injured D Brett Pesce (lower body) and D James Wisniewski (knee) did not play. The Hurricanes' healthy scratches were C Nathan Gerbe, C Brad Malone and D Michal Jordan. ... Barring an injury or illness, Hurricanes C Eric Staal will play his 900th NHL contest in the final game of this three-game road trip Sunday in Montreal. ... Carolina C Victor Rask, who had 29 points in 49 games entering the evening, returned to the site of his junior days on Wednesday. He played for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League from 2011 to 2013.

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