Naz's Night

ANAHEIM – That was Nazty.

All of it.

Wouldn’t you agree?

When discussing his road to 900 games earlier in the day, Nazem Kadri said he “couldn't have written it up any better.”

Ahem.

He and Hollywood might want to chat.

The only thing better than the milestone itself would be to mark the occasion with the moves, the glory, that a sniper lives for.

Annnnd cue!

Kadri showed off the handles midway through the first, flipping a backhand pass to himself as he danced around Trevor Zegras, entered the zone and cut to the inside, throwing one last bit of sauce down before ripping a shot over the blocker of John Gibson.

Party on, milestone man.

Kadri finished the night with a goal and two helpers, while Andrei Kuzmenko netted his second-career hat-trick, pacing the Flames to a 6-3 victory over the Ducks on Fan Appreciation Night at the Honda Center.

Andrew Mangiapane and Connor Zary also factored into the scoring, while Dustin Wolf made 19 saves.

The Flames narrowly avoided disaster after taking a 4-0 lead into the third period.

Sam Colangelo - who was making his NHL debut after signing his entry-level contract on Thursday - spoiled the shutout bid at 2:54 of the third, sweeping home a loose puck on the goal line after Isac Lundestrom's point blast squeaked under the arm and sat precariously in the blue.

The Ducks then scored two in 48 seconds, courtesy of Frank Vatrano and Olen Zellweger, to cut the deficit to one with more than 10 minutes left on the clock.

However, a powerplay goal from Kuzmenko - a wicked shot from the high slot - followed by his hat-trick marker with less than three minutes left in the third, burying a loose puck left by a Martin Pospisil drive to the net, put the game on ice.

One game. Two milestones.

But the night truly belonged to No. 91, who set the example early and often as the Flames finished their three-game California road swing with a 2-1 record.

“It's a lot of hockey; a lot of wear and tear,” Kadri said of the milestone earlier in the day. “Thankfully, I still feel great. It makes me think about all the people that have helped get me to this point. (Athletic) therapists, family, coaches, teammates.

“It's been quite the journey.

“A lot of people really don't see the day-to-day things you have to go through to be ready for game time, whether it's travel or getting mentally or physically prepared for a game. A lot ties into that and I think as a young guy, you're a little bit oblivious at times in your first 100 games. You're just going with the flow and don't really have to prepare nearly as much, because you're young and your body feels like butter.

“I think as you get older, you really start to have an appreciation and not take things for granted.”

Kadri has had an excellent season for the Flames, leading the team with 71 points (27G, 44A) and becoming an integral part of the club’s leadership core.

Having reached the mountaintop once before in his career as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, nothing drives the man more than waking up each morning, pushing himself to get better, and become a champ once again.

"This is what I play the game for," he said. "I want to play for my teammates but also my personal legacy and that's something I take pride in, because one day it's all going to be over and it's just going to be a memory and I want to be able to maximize that as much as possible.

"Ultimately, getting back to being a champ is something that motivates me a ton."

The Flames made a couple of changes from Thursday’s game in LA, inserting Dryden Hunt and Nikita Okhotiuk, while A.J. Greer and Ilya Solovyov were the odd men out.

Blake Coleman, meanwhile, missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

The Flames opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, with Mangiapane doing the honours after going 10 straight (dating back to March 9) without one. Mangiapane got the play started by picking the pocket of Leo Carlsson on the forecheck, before Yegor Sharangovich took over and made a nice pass to Brayden Pachal at the point. The ensuing shot was deflected en route, landing right on the top of No. 88 for an easy tap-in.

With an assist on the play, Sharangovich tied the record for the most points by a Belarussian player in a single NHL season with 58.

Kadri made it 2-0 with the aforementioned beauty at 11:53. The veteran was flying all period, finishing with a game-leading three shots on five attempts, along with four (!) individual scoring chances.

"I think he ended up with three points tonight, in his 900th game, (and) I think that’s a pretty cool thing," said Head Coach Ryan Huska. :We talked this morning about what he means to our group right now, and how he’s taken a lot of pride in pulling people along with him, and that’s what I like to see about him. So, it’s nice to see him get rewarded for his 900th game with a nice offensive night, but for me it’s about the work he’s been doing with Connor (Zary) - when he’s been playing with him - and Pospisil as well. And even Kuzy, ever since we put them together, Kuzy’s found his game, so a lot of that credit goes to Kads.

"I think he’s earned the accolades of a good leader on our team, especially with the young guys.

"He’s done it right."

"That’s what it comes down to," Kadri added. "You can’t really hold anybody to a standard that you’re not following yourself, I’ve learned that throughout my years. You’ve got to be able to practice what you preach. I think that’s what most guys respect, is guys that show up night in and night out; you earn the respect of your teammates, your coaches and the organization."

At the other end, Wolf wasn’t overly busy did have to come up big with seven and change left in the frame, lunging into the splits and stealing a sure goal from Ross Johnston, after the puck caromed off the short-side post and sat dangerously into the slot.

The Flames opened up a 3-0 lead with a powerplay goal at 9:44 for the second, as Kuzmenko took a pass from Kadri down low, knifed his way through the paint and buried it past the outstretched pad of John Gibson.

The Ducks challenged the play for goaltender interference, but after a quick review, officials deemed it was legal.

Zary put the Flames up by four with 1:32 to play in the second, roofing a gorgeous backhand over Gibson’s left shoulder after taking a lovely no-look, spin-around dish from Jonathan Huberdeau in tight.

Dryden Hunt picked up the other helper.

Wolf – who’d faced only nine shots in the game to this point – made another big stop in the final minute of the period, thwarting a Brett Leason backhand try after the forward scooted in alone.

"No better way to draw it up," Kadri said, putting the appropriate bow on the evening. "Boys came ready to play tonight. Obviously a bit of a hiccup in the third period, very proud with the way we responded. Powerplay was great tonight, got us a big goal when we needed it."

The Lineup:

Forwards

Martin Pospisil - Nazem Kadri - Andrei Kuzmenko
Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Andrew Mangiapane
Jonathan Huberdeau - Connor Zary - Dryden Hunt 
Matt Coronato - Kevin Rooney - Walker Duehr 

Defence 

MacKenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov 
Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson 
Nikita Okhotiuk - Brayden Pachal

Goaltender

Dustin Wolf

Scratches: Blake Coleman (upper body, day-to-day), A.J. Greer, Dennis Gilbert, Ilya Solovyov

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 27, ANA 22

Powerplay: CGY 2-for-5, ANA 0-for-2

Faceoffs: CGY 50.9%, ANA 49.1%

Blocked Shots: CGY 12, ANA 24

Hits: CGY 22, ANA 21

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 25, ANA 22

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 9, ANA 6

Up Next:

The Flames are back at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday when they square off with the Arizona Coyotes (6 p.m. MT/Sportsnet One) in their second-last home game of the season Click here for tickets