Flames score six in second, top Coyotes after clinching playoff berth

CALGARY -- Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk each had two goals and two assists, and the Calgary Flames won 9-1 against the Arizona Coyotes at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

Elias Lindholm had a goal and three assists, Dillon Dube scored twice, and Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves for the Flames (46-20-9), who clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth earlier Saturday when the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0.
"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's definitely one way to get back into a good mood going into a game."
Nick Ritchie scored for the Coyotes (22-48-5), who have lost six in a row. Harri Sateri allowed a total of seven goals on 31 shots. He was pulled 3:11 into the second period for Karel Vejmelka, who allowed two goals on 10 shots. Sateri returned for the third period.
"I know it's a tough situation right now with the number of injuries, and we're in a slump, all of it," Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. "We need our goaltending. It's really important. It's a really important part of our team. It's not about our goalie or our forward, our D ... it's everybody. It's the coach, the player, everybody has to be better."

Ritchie scored 30 seconds into the first period for a 1-0 lead on Arizona's first shot. Jack McBain, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract March 23, had an assist for his first NHL point in his third NHL game.
Dube tied it 1-1 38 seconds into the second period when he shot short side by Sateri after picking up a turnover in the Coyotes zone.
Andrew Mangiapane put Calgary up 2-1 at 1:16, Tkachuk extended the lead to 3-1 at 2:18 when he shot a no-look, backhand pass from Gaudreau behind the net, and Dube made it 4-1 at 3:11.
"We're a fragile group right now," Tourigny said. "Our confidence is low. We're happy about our first period and we get into the second and they scored two quick. Then it's three. Then it's four. That's really tough mentally. That's something we need to address. We need to be better. It's not a lack of will, of desire of our players. Right now we beat ourselves up mentally and we have a tough time getting out of those slumps and those quick goals. Instead of bouncing back we beat ourselves up."
The goals, coming on four consecutive shots, were the second-fastest four-goal run in Flames history at 2:33, behind a 1:21 span on Feb. 10, 1993, against the San Jose Sharks.
"It was exciting," Gaudreau said. "Not only for us, I think the fans were fired up. We were fired up. It's still only a three-goal game. We needed to keep pushing [and we] kept pushing. A lot of guys contributed tonight. We did a great job."
Blake Coleman gave the Flames a 5-1 lead at 15:36 when he shot five-hole on Vejmelka after taking a cross-ice pass from Mikael Backlund, and Lindholm made it 6-1 at 18:58 with his 39th goal of the season.
"Second period, we just 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 pushed it 7-1 at 2:43 of the third period with a shot over Sateri's glove.
Tkachuk extended the lead to 8-1 at 5:13, and Gaudreau scored off the rush at 8:58 for the 9-1 final.
"Proud of the guys in the locker room," Gaudreau said. "But 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."
NOTES:The Flames last qualified for the playoffs in 2019-20 and lost in six games to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round. ... Arizona defenseman J.J. Moser left midway through the second period with a lower-body injury. There was no update. ... Mangiapane has two goals in three games after scoring once in 19 games. … Calgary defenseman Nikita Zadorov assisted on Mangiapane's goal for his 100th NHL point. … The four goals in 3:11 are the third-fastest to start a period in NHL history and the fastest in 45 years. The Boston Bruins accomplished it in 2:08 on Dec. 19, 1974 and the Montreal Canadiens did it in 3:04 on April 2, 1977. … Gaudreau tied Eric Vail for ninth in Flames history with 206 goals. His 36 goals tied his NHL career high from 2018-19 and his 105 points are the fourth-most in Flames history, one behind Hakan Loob for third. Kent Nilsson is first with 131. … The Coyotes have allowed at least five goals in each game in the losing streak and have been outscored 38-7. … Calgary swept the season series 3-0-0.