Flames topple Stars to tie series at 2 games apiece

Johnny Gaudreau scored on a penalty shot for the Calgary Flames in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars to even up their playoff collection at two wins apiece.

Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson additionally scored and Mikael Backlund added an empty-net aim for Calgary, which generated three unanswered targets earlier than Dallas countered within the third interval.

Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves for the win.

Tyler Seguin scored the Stars’ lone aim. Goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 50 photographs within the loss.

The most effective-of-seven collection returns to Calgary for Wednesday’s Sport 5 on the Saddledome, the place the Flames went 25-9-7 within the common season.

Calgary (50-21-11) topped the Pacific Division and ranked sixth within the NHL within the common season. The No. 15 Stars (46-30-6) entered the post-season as the primary wild card within the Western Convention.

The Flames received 1-0 and misplaced 2-0 on the Saddledome earlier than the Stars doubled Calgary 4-2 in Sport 3 at American Airways Middle.

When a best-of-seven collection is tied 2-2, the winner of Sport 5 holds an all-time collection document of 219-58 (. 791), based on NHL statisticians.

After almost 16 minutes of four-on-four over the second and third video games of the collection, extra even-strength hockey was performed in Sport 4.

That favoured Calgary, ranked sixth within the NHL in even-strength targets. Lindholm produced simply the Flames’ third of that kind within the collection at 11:53 of the third interval.

Gaudreau from the boards fed an undefended Lindholm on the hash marks the place he beat Oettinger with a low wrist shot for a 3-0 Calgary lead.

Dallas replied with a power-play aim to chop the deficit. Seguin’s wrist shot off the frenzy beat Markstrom far facet at 15:03.

After he was hooked by Stars defenceman John Klingberg on a breakaway, Gaudreau stretched Oettinger out with a backhand and scored five-hole on his penalty shot at 7:47 of the third interval.

The Flames generated extra sustained offensive-zone stress than Dallas. A tenacious Stars’ defence in entrance of their crease continued to disclaim Calgary second efforts on the few rebounds Oettinger did permit.

It took a five-on-three aim at 9:41 of the second interval for the Flames to lastly break by.

Andersson’s slap shot from simply above the hashmarks beat Oettinger high-stick facet after Stars Jani Hakanpaa (tripping) and Radek Faksa (high-sticking) have been penalized inside a 12-second span.

Markstrom and Oettinger traded heroics all through the sport.

Dallas turned the puck over deep of their zone late within the second interval, however Oettinger batted away an all-alone Gaudreau try from shut vary.

Markstrom repelled Stars’ ahead Tyler Seguin driving to his doorstep 4 minutes into the interval.

Calgary outshot the hosts 19-8 in a goal-free first interval and held a 39-23 margin after two.

Oettinger denied Calgary’s Tyler Toffoli a golden probability on a rebound within the first interval. A susceptible Oettinger gloved Toffoli’s try to carry the puck over the sprawling Stars’ goalie at 9:14.

Gaudreau missed just a few shifts early within the recreation. His head appeared to whiplash when he and Vladislav Namestnikov collided shoulder to shoulder within the Stars’ zone.

Gaudreau went to the dressing room, however was again on the ice by the midpoint of the primary interval.

Flames head coach Darryl Sutter swapped ahead Brett Ritchie for defenceman Michael Stone to deploy 11 forwards and 7 defencemen Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Could 9, 2022.