Tkachuk scores 40th goal as Calgary Flames top Dallas Stars 4-2 – Calgary
Matthew Tkachuk scored his fortieth purpose and recorded his a centesimal level and Chris Tanev notched the game-winner because the Calgary Flames clinched first place within the Pacific Division on Thursday with a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars.
Calgary Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his fortieth purpose and his a centesimal level of the season with teammates Johnny Gaudreau (13) and Andrew Mangiapane (88) throughout second interval NHL hockey motion in opposition to the Dallas Stars in Calgary on Thursday April 21, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal
It’s the Flames’ eighth division title in franchise historical past, however simply the third within the final 27 years.
Noah Hanifin and Andrew Mangiapane, into an empty web, additionally scored for Calgary (48-20-10), which is 8-1-1 in its final 10 video games.
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The Flames now wait to see who finishes within the first wild-card spot within the Western Convention as that can be their first-round opponent when the Stanley Cup playoffs start in lower than two weeks.
Jason Robertson and Luke Glendening scored for Dallas (43-30-5). The Stars misplaced all three video games on their Western Canada street journey.
The Stars, who’re one of many groups preventing for a wild-card spot, will play their ultimate 4 video games on the American Airways Middle. Dallas will entertain the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Dallas is precariously perched within the second wild-card spot, two factors behind Nashville and two factors up on Vegas. The Predators have a sport in hand on the Stars.
Jacob Markstrom bought the win for the Flames, making 21 saves to enhance to 37-15-8.
Jake Oettinger, the busier of the 2 goalies, had 33 stops. He fell to 27-15-1.
Tied 1-1 headed to the third interval, Calgary wanted solely 20 seconds to take its second lead of the night time with Hanifin’s level shot eluding Oettinger, who was screened by Mikael Backlund.
However the Stars answered again 5 minutes later. Fredrik Karlstrom was stopped on a partial breakaway, however in making the save, Markstrom’s momentum carried him to out of the crease. Glendening was proper there to deposit the rebound into the vacant web.
Karlstrom’s first NHL level got here in his first profession sport. Inserting the Stars’ 2016 third-round decide into the lineup was one in every of a handful of tweaks made by coach Rick Bowness after a 5-2 loss in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Tanev’s go-ahead purpose got here at 13:05 on a degree shot that deflected in off the leg of Glendening, who was battling with Backlund in entrance.
Scoreless after the opening 20 minutes, Calgary scored first for the NHL-leading fiftieth time. With the Flames on the ability play, Tkachuk stuffed the puck in from the aspect of the online at 10:06 and thrust his arms within the air in celebration as his linemates mobbed him.
The 24-year-old winger’s earlier profession excessive was 34 objectives and 77 factors in 2018-19.
With Gaudreau reaching the identical century mark milestone final week, Calgary had two 100-point scorers for the fourth time in franchise historical past and first time since 1990-91 when Theo Fleury (51-53-104) and Al MacInnis (28-75-103) did it.
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However the lead was short-lived.
Lower than two minutes later, the Stars went on their fifth energy play of the sport and it took solely seven seconds for Robertson to take a go from Jon Klingberg and rip a shot previous Markstrom.
The sport was scoreless after the opening interval, which was a sloppy and disjointed interval that at one level noticed the groups mix for 3 tripping penalties in a span of 56 seconds.
