NHL Update: Calgary Flames dominated Atlanta Thrashers, 4-2
Mikael Backlund tallied the game-winner goal in the final session to lift Calgary Flames to a 4-2 victory over Atlanta Thrashers, at Philips Arena on Thursday night.
Mark Giordano notched a goal and an assist for Calgary, which extended its win streak to a season-high six play-offs. Brendan Morrison and Curtis Glencross each also recorded a goal while
Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 22 shots for Calgary.
"We're playing well within our system," Flames forward Alex Tanguay said. "We're being very aggressive on the puck, we play with a little bit more desperation than we did earlier in the season.
Right now, it's all about points for us."
Bryan Little and Anthony Stewart both found the net for Atlanta, which has dropped three consecutive games and six out of its past seven contests.
Ondrej Pavelec was charged with all four goals on 20 shots in loss for Thrashers, who have mustered more than two goals just once in their previous nine contests.
"We didn't cash in our opportunities," said Thrashers head Coach Craig Ramsay. "We keep allowing everyone to just stay close. Earlier in the year, we were winning those close games but now,
we're finding a way to make that key turnover."
Flames struck on the board first for 1-0 lead just after a four-minute power play expired less than five minutes into the game. The goal came when Robyn Regehr grabbed the puck and slipped
a cross ice pass to Giordano, who blasted a one-time slap shot past Pavelec.
Thrashers opened the middle frame on the attack, knotting the game at 1-1 when Niclas Bergfors gave a pass from behind the net to Little, who beat Kiprusoff to the short side from the right
circle.
Thrashers took their first lead 2-1 with 8 ½ minutes left in the second period. It happened so when Nik Antropov led a 2-on-1 rush with Evander Kane, who chipped a pass to Stewart, who then
buried the puck into the net.
Calgary had a quick response less than a minute later for a 2-2 tie, when Giordano released a cross ice pass to the left door step from where Morrison tipped it into the net.
Calgary netted a go-ahead goal for 3-2 lead with six minutes to play in the final period. After Atlanta failed to move the puck out of its zone, Jarome Iginla sent a pass from behind the
net to Backlund, whose snap shot went through a pile of players in front of the net and settled past Pavelec.
Bergfors was one of Thrashers who at least briefly controlled the puck before a turnover set up Backlund’s shot.
“I was trying to chip it out the middle,” Bergfors said. “I have to look up and make sure someone is there. A brutal play by me.”
Glencross accounted for the final scoring 4-2 with an empty netter in the final 10 seconds.
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