Blue Jackets defeat Flames for eighth straight win

CALGARY --Four players scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves to help the Columbus Blue Jackets to their eighth straight win, 4-1 against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday.
Boone Jenner, Brandon Saad, Sam Gagner and Matt Calvert each scored a goal, and Zach Werenski had two assists for the Blue Jackets (19-5-4), who are one victory shy of tying their record nine-game win streak from March 18-April 4, 2015.
"It's great," Bobrovsky said. "I don't like to analyze and to think about it. I just take it and enjoy it."

It was the 499th NHL win for Columbus coach John Tortorella, who on Sunday can become the sixth active coach and 24th in League history with 500 victories and a Stanley Cup championship (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2004) when the Blue Jackets play at the Vancouver Canucks. Tortorella coached Vancouver in 2013-14.
WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Flames highlights
"(It means) nothing," Tortorella said. "Nothing. It means I've been in the League a long time."
Sean Monahan scored, and Chad Johnson made 25 saves for the Flames (16-15-2), who have lost two in a row after a season-high six-game winning streak.
"For whatever reason, we might have been getting away with a few things here and there when you're on a winning streak, but then you lose a few games and goals go in your net, and you notice those more," Calgary captain Mark Giordano said. "We have to clean that up."
Jenner scored 3:46 into the game to put the Blue Jackets up 1-0, and Saad scored at 14:22 of the first to extend their lead to 2-0.

Monahan scored on a 5-on-3 power play with 3:15 remaining in the first to make it 2-1. The goal extended his NHL career-high point streak to nine games (five goals, six assists), the longest active streak in the League.
Werenski's shot got past Johnson after it deflected off Gagner and Calgary defenseman Dennis Wideman at 1:14 of the second period for a 3-1 Columbus lead.
"I thought it touched me on the way through, but I wasn't sure," said Gagner, whose 13 goals lead the Blue Jackets. "A few guys said it looked like it did."
Calvert scored shorthanded at 7:31 of the second to extend the lead to 4-1.
Bobrovsky made 10 saves in the third period, including a shoulder stop on Monahan at 13:31 with Calgary on the power play. He has allowed 10 goals in his past eight starts, 20 in his past 13.

Goal of the game

From the slot, Monahan one-timed a pass from Kris Versteeg past Bobrovsky on a 5-on-3 power play to get the Flames within a goal.

Save of the game

Johnson extended his stick to knock Cam Atkinson's shot out of midair 11:35 of the first period after a backdoor setup by Alex Wennberg on a Blue Jackets power play.

Unsung performance of the game

Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson pushed Sam Bennett's centering pass out of the crease with Bobrovsky down and the Flames on the power play 4:33 into the third period. "It's been like that a lot," Bobrovsky said. "They block shots. They work hard in front. They try to make the vision for me good. It's fun to play and compete for each other."

Highlight of the game

Calvert forced a turnover by Johnny Gaudreau at the Blue Jackets blue line to spring himself on a shorthanded breakaway, and then deked Johnson before slipping the puck through the five-hole for his fourth goal.

They said it

"Knowing [John Tortorella], he'll say it's another win, and I think that's the way we've approached things all year, is just kind of treating each day as its own entity and keep trying to get better. I think Torts has been a big reason that's been instilled in here. But yeah, obviously you want to get him the win as fast as possible. We're trying to win every night. Hopefully, we can go in and get one for him." -- Blue Jackets forward Sam Gagner on Tortorella being one win from his 500th in the NHL
"We've made improvements in areas. We need to now make sure we get back our level of desperation to get points every night. We're starting with a point in every game when it's 0-0. We've got to find a way to keep that point and get two." -- Flames coach Glen Gulutzan

Need to know

The Blue Jackets have held opponents to two goals or fewer in each of the past nine games and in 20 of 28 games this season. … Atkinson has a five-game point streak (three goals, five assists) after he got an assist on Gagner's goal. … Gaudreau has a six-game point streak (two goals, eight assists) after he earned an assist on Monahan's goal. … The Flames have scored at least one power-play goal in seven straight games for the first time since doing so in eight in a row from Dec. 17-31, 2005.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday (4 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Flames: At the Arizona Coyotes on Monday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, SNF, NHL.TV)