5 THINGS - FLAMES @ BLACKHAWKS
The Flames open a quick two-game trip tonight in the Windy City
Video: We get you set for tonight's tilt in the Windy City
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GAME DAY VIDEO
Game Day with Brendan Parker
Pregame Interviews
GAME DAY FEATURES
Say What - 'That's Why We're in a Playoff Spot'
Projected Lineup
STAT PACK
Media Game Notes
Scoring Leaders
Head-to-Head Stats
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Leading Scorers:
Flames:
Points - Johnny Gaudreau (105)
Goals - Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm (39)
Coyotes:
Points - Patrick Kane (88)
Goals - Alex DeBrincat (39)
Special Teams:
Flames:
PP - 23.5% (9th) / PK - 83.9% (5th)
Blackhawks:
PP - 20.4% (18th) / PK - 75.1% (25th)
Advanced Stats:
Flames:
Shot Attempts: 55.96% (3rd)
High-Danger Chances: 55.82% (2nd)
Blackhawks:
Shot Attempts: 45.98% (30th)
High-Danger Chances: 46.13% (25th)
It will go down in the history books - like so much of the year has been.
Five hours before the opening faceoff, the Flames had already secured their spot in the playoffs.
A good start to a good day.
But then, for good measure, they went out and put the boots to the Arizona Coyotes, earning a 9-1 win that had the C of Red in a frenzy.
Chants of 'We Want 10! We Want 10!' rang through the 'Dome - the Flames, casually cashing and doing their darndest to oblige.
Of the 23 wins at the Scotiabank Saddledome this year, Saturday's might have been the most memorable. But not because of the score.
This?
This was a celebration - while at the same time, acknowledging the hard work and sacrifice that remains between now and the end of June.
"It was exciting," said Johnny Gaudreau, who paced the team offensively - along with his linemates Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk - with four points in the win. "Not only for us, I think the fans were fired up.
"We were fired up."
And it showed.
After falling behind 1-0, the Flames took control with a six-goal middle frame, including four tallies in only a 2:33 span - the second-fastest four-goal burst in franchise history.
"Second period, we took over the game," Tkachuk said. "It seemed like everything was going in for us. The fans enjoyed it a lot, and so did we. They were really into it tonight. It gave us a lot of momentum. We were losing, and that's huge for us."
Gaudreau, Tkachuk and Dillon Dube had two goals apiece, while Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm added singles. Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves.
The win moved Calgary's record to 46-20-9 for 101 points - seven up on the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Pacific with one game in hand.
The magic number to clinch the division is down to 3.0 (ie. the number of Flames wins combined with the number of Oilers losses).
Their first opportunity to clinch could come on Wednesday, depending on the results of Monday and Tuesday's games.
"I think the mood necessarily hasn't been great the last little bit," Tkachuk said. "We haven't been at our best. We let some games get away from us.
"You look for little things throughout the season to change momentum for you or stay positive, and that (clinching a playoff spot) is definitely one way to get back into a good mood going into a game."
Video: 'It's really fun to watch for all of us"
Johnny Gaudreau on clinching a playoff spot, and then going out and beating the Coyotes 9-1:
"Proud of the guys in the locker-room. But the work starts now. We've got to try to push ourselves for the rest of the year, maybe try to get home ice for most of the playoffs if we can, and then get ready for Round 1. I was happy with the guys tonight. A lot of guys contributed tonight. It was a lot of fun to be a part of that game."
Video: "I'm proud of the guys in the locker-room"
The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and have now dropped nine of their last 10 outings (1-7-2).
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, while Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves in the defeat.
It's been a tough year for the Hawks - who last qualified for the playoffs in the 2020 Edmonton Bubble - both on and off the ice, and will miss the postseason for the fourth time in five years.
"We were sloppy," Kane told reporters after the game. "Even when we got the puck back, we gave it away too easy. They're a hard forechecking team. I think (Predators Head Coach John) Hynes deserves a lot of credit for the way they play. You look at their roster and you think it's a beatable team, but they play so hard, and he obviously enforces that.
"So, he deserves a lot of credit."
(Fittingly, the Flames will face the upstart Preds on Tuesday in the Music City - the first of two meetings in a week - and could meet them in the opening round of the playoffs.)
While little has gone right for the Blackhawks this year, there are some positives to draw from as the former Western Conference powerhouse looks to re-load and come back stronger in the fall.
Twenty-four-year-old Alex DeBrincat has a new career high in goals (39), and is on the cusp of reaching a new high-water mark in points (76) with seven games to play.
And on Saturday, Chicago's 2020 first-round pick, Lukas Reichel, collected his first-career point - an assist on Dominik Kubalik's tally in only his 10th NHL game.
Reichel 19, played most of the season with the Hawks' AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceDogs, recording 49 points (21G, 28A) in 49 games.
"I'm sure it's a relief for him," Head Coach Derek King said of Reichel, the 17th pick in the inaugural Zoom draft. "It was a nice play, a good heads-up play, and that's what we expect. But yeah, him getting that point is going to make him feel better. Give him a little confidence, so he's] not squeezing the stick as much, thinking, 'I've got to get points. I've got to get points.'"
**COURTESY OF [FLAMES PR
DID YOU KNOW?** At +59, Johnny Gaudreau currently has the highest plus/minus in a single season in franchise history, and the highest in the NHL by a left-winger since 1984-85. ... Gaudreau is only point away from becoming only the fifth player in franchise lore to reach 600 career points. He is 16 points behind Joe Nieuwendyk for the fourth-most points in franchise history.
ALL JOHNNY, ALL THE TIME: Gaudreau added to his career-high point total with a four-point night (2G, 2A) on Saturday, and now has the sixth-most points in a season in franchise history. Gaudreau needs only two points to pass Hakan Loob (106 points in 1987-88) for sole possession of fifth. He only needs six points in the remaining seven games to catch Joe Mullen (110 points in 1988-89) for the second-most points in a season in franchise history.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Elias Lindholm notched four-points (1G, 3A) on Saturday and has now tied his career-high for points in a season of 78, which he previously set in his first season with the Flames in 2018-19. ... Matthew Tkachuk also had four points (2G, 2A) that night, and now sits at 96 on the season, four away from 100. The last time the Flames had two 100-point players was 1990-91 when Al MacInnis and Theo Fleury passed the century mark. The Flames have only had two 100-point players in a single season three times in franchise history.
Stick tap to Flames PR guru Dalton Ulrich for compiling these nuggets
Video: "Lot of games in a short period of time"
Flames - Matthew Tkachuk
When Johnny Gaudreau nabbed his 100th-career point earlier this week, Matthew Tkachuk marvelled at the achievement.
"I've never gotten it. Never even come close," he said.
Wait. Come again?!
Tkachuk is now only four points away from the century mark and will undoubtedly be buzzing tonight in one of the NHL's great rinks.
Blackhawks - Alex DeBrincat
Speaking of goal-scorers… Who will win the race to 40 goals: Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, or Chicago sniper Alex DeBrincat?
Place your bets!
