Monahan, Gaudreau push Flames past Kings
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[March 20, 2017]
CALGARY, Alberta -- The Los
Angeles Kings are one game closer to the end of their season.
Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau each recorded three points, and the
Calgary Flames skated to a 5-2 win over the Kings on Sunday.
Los Angeles (34-30-7) remains six points back of the Nashville
Predators in the hunt for the second Western Conference wild-card
playoff berth. Each team has 11 games remaining.
Monahan and Gaudreau both scored once and added two assists. Mark
Giordano, Michael Stone and Kris Versteeg, into an empty net, also
scored for Calgary (41-27-4). Brian Elliot made 19 saves for his
10th straight win in the Calgary goal.
Anze Kopitar and Nic Dowd had the goals for the Kings (34-30-7).
"There's still 22 points to be had," said Kings right winger Jarome
Iginla, a former Flames star. "Things can change very quickly, but
we do know we have to get our fair share of them. Whether that's all
of them or not, we know we have to win."
Calgary is third in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the
Edmonton Oilers, who host the Kings on Monday.
The Flames chased Kings starting goalie Jonathan Quick with two
goals on their first eight shots. Monahan beat him with a wrist shot
to the glove side from the left faceoff circle at 8:15, and Stone
blasted a slap shot past Quick from almost the identical spot at
11:36.
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Kopitar jabbed a short pass from Dustin Brown past Elliott at 18:40
of the first to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Giordano and Gaudreau scored within a minute of each other to open
up a 4-1 lead in the second. Giordano's shot from the point hit Alec
Martinez's stick and beat Ben Bishop at 47 seconds, and Gaudreau
scored on a breakaway deke at 1:37, putting a backhander just under
the crossbar.
"These games are fun to play in," Monahan said. "I think we came out
moving our feet and making plays. We got a couple of lucky bounces.
Once you get that confidence to start the game, it usually starts to
roll throughout the game."
Dowd scored his first goal in 33 games on a tip-in at 5:31, cutting
the deficit to 4-2, but that was it for Los Angeles.
"The first two minutes of the second period were nothing close to
where we wanted to come out and play hard," said Kopitar, the Kings'
captain. "We put ourselves into a big hole and couldn't get out of
it."
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![](../images/032017pics/sports73.jpg)
Flames center Sean Monahan (23) celebrates his first period goal
with left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) against the Los Angeles Kings at
Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY
Sports
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The contest featured a nasty elbow from Flames rookie
Matthew Tkachuk on Drew Doughty in the first period that wasn't
called. Doughty lay on the ice for several minutes but got up and
continued.
"He's a pretty dirty player, that kid," Doughty told Fox Sports. "To
be a rookie and play like that is a little surprising. I don't know
exactly what happened because I got hit in the head, but I thought
he elbowed me. ... It hurt pretty bad, and it's going to hurt for a
little bit."
Calgary held forward Micheal Ferland out of the lineup for fear that
he has the mumps. The 24-year-old left winger was placed in
isolation earlier Sunday. Ferland has 14 goals and 21 points in 67
games and has been playing on the first line as of late with Monahan
and Gaudreau.
NOTES: C Curtis Lazar, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators at
the trading deadline, made his debut for Calgary. The former
Senators first-round pick struggled with one assist in 33 games
before be shipped west, but he logged an assist Sunday. ... With 622
goals, Kings RW Jarome Iginla is just three behind former Colorado
star Joe Sakic for 13th on the all-time list. ... The Flames signed
their second-round choice from 2016, G Tyler Parsons of
Chesterfield, Mich., to a three-year entry contract on Sunday. He
plays for the London Knights of the OHL. ... Los Angeles' scratches
were D Brayden McNabb, C Nick Shore and C Jordan Nolan. ...
Calgary's scratches were D Dennis Wideman, C Freddie Hamilton and D
Rasmus Andersson. [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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