With four different goal scorers and a standout performance by netminder Dan Vladar down the stretch, the Flames earned a well-deserved victory
After the buzzer sounded, everybody involved with the Calgary Flames was in agreement.
The performance in the middle frame of Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning was one to relish.
“Best period of the year” was the refrain.
“We controlled the play, we were smart with the puck and we had a lot of zone time,” coach Ryan Huska said.
The end result was a trio of goals off the sticks of A.J. Greer, MacKenzie Weegar and Yegor Sharangovich that earned the Flames a 3-0 lead at the second intermission, a rousing ovation from the Saddledome faithful and eventually a much-needed victory which snapped a four-game winless skid.
“We were just kind of rolling four lines and going at them in the offensive zone,” forward Connor Zary said. “We had a lot of puck movement, a lot of feet movement, I think that’s what makes teams successful, when you can hem teams in, roll your lines over and keep them tired. I think that’s what worked for us in that second period."
The Flames (12-14-5) still required a strong goaltending performance from Dan Vladar and Zary's clutch third-period insurance maker to survive a third-period push from the Lightning, but were full marks in beating a Lightning squad that two nights earlier used a five-goal third period to claim a comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Here are three more takeaways from the victory.
Net rewards for Vladar
With number-one goalie Jacob Markstrom likely back in the lineup for Monday’s home clash with the Florida Panthers, Vladar delivered a dialled-in performance. Of his 31 saves, 15 came in the third period as the Lightning pushed for a comeback.
Vladar boasts a 5-4-2 record and seemingly has had more downs than ups, but that marks consecutive games in which he surrendered two goals and stopped more than 30 shots.
Plus, he’s well aware Dustin Wolf is knocking at the door and his name has for months been going through the rumour mill as trade bait.
“I don’t think he’s one of the guys that would ever listen to the noise,” Huska said. “In conversations with him, he’s not a guy all that flappable when it comes to that stuff.”
Expect Wolf to be returned to the AHL Wranglers very soon.
A bet that keeps paying out
With six goals in a five-game streak, Yegor Sharangovich is up to 11. He not only is powering the Flames offensively, but Saturday’s tally came during the Minute to Win It promotion that won a pair of fans a trip to Las Vegas.
“They said, thank you, great goal, great game,” said the low-key Belarusian winger.
It’s the second time this season the Flames have converted at the right time.
“That’s a great promotion because it brings some energy into the building, and people are hoping there’s going to be a goal scored,” Huska said. “It’s nice when the guys can do it.”
“Maybe we’ll be there,” said defenceman MacKenzie Weegar. “I don’t know when they’re gonna go, but it’s awesome. I love sending somebody to Vegas, hopefully they don’t lose all their money.”
Roller coaster third period
The victory marked the fourth consecutive game the Flames held a third-period lead. Unlike the previous three, they held on, albeit with nail-biting moments after the Lightning tallied a pair of early goals in the final frame.
The difference was easy to pinpoint.
“Goaltending, he made the saves we needed him to make, and we were able to score that fourth goal,” Huska said. “That was a big thing. They were coming with that momentum we saw, and when Connor (Zary) scored that goal, it sucked the wind out of them.”
By the way, the game was the first in a month the Flames never trailed at any point.