CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Milan Lucic and Blake Coleman scored 89 seconds aside early within the first interval and the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Friday evening.
Nikita Zadorov and Nazem Kadri additionally scored to assist Calgary win for the third time in 4 video games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 24 photographs as the Flames inched forward of Edmonton by some extent into the West’s first wild-card spot.
“Points are huge for us especially because of where we are in the standings,” Lucic stated. “Two months ago we were just hoping to win the game instead of going out there in the third and playing to win. That’s what good teams do when they have leads going into the third period. They press and play to win and that’s something we need to keep getting better at.”
Zach Parise scored for the Islanders, who have been with out star heart Mathew Barzal (lower body injury). Semyon Varlamov, making his first begin since a groin harm at Vegas on Dec. 17, completed with 17 saves as New York misplaced for the third time in 4 video games on its western journey.
“I don’t think we played that bad of a game,” Parise stated. “I thought we played hard, we competed. We need the result but we didn’t get it.”
Calgary received on the scoreboard 4:36 into the sport after the Islanders turned the puck over of their zone. Jonathan Huberdeau handed to Lucic for a one-timer from the faceoff circle on Varlamov’s proper.
Coleman made it 2-0 at 6:05 as he received the rebound of his personal shot after Varlamov made a cease on the preliminary backhand try on a rush and the ahead shoveled the puck in for his seventh.
Zadorov lofted a shot from the purpose over Varlamov’s left shoulder with 4:39 remaining within the first to make it 3-0. It was his sixth.
Parise received the Islanders on the scoreboard with a minute remaining within the opening interval. He beat Zadorov to open up a scoring lane and fired a wrist shot from the faceoff circle high nook for his twelfth.
Markstrom kicked out his proper pad to cease Casey Czikas on a breakaway popping out of the penalty field halfway by way of a scoreless second interval, after which denied Jean-Gabriel Pageau on a breakaway.
“It was huge,” Lucic stated. “I don’t think we were having a very good period at that time and he kept it a two-goal lead and a two-goal lead going into the third. It’s good to see him finding confidence in his game as well, and we need him to be good every night to give us a chance to win.”
Kadri restored the Flames’ three-goal lead at 6:59 of the third with a sharp-angled shot that sneaked in beneath the crossbar and previous Varlamov’s head. It was Kadri’s fifteenth. Tyler Toffoli assisted on the play to increase his level streak to 4 straight video games (one objective, three assists).
“It was just one of those ones where, he was trying to do it, so it’s nice to see it go in, especially in a 3-1 game to extend the lead,” Lucic stated.
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The Flames additionally led 3-1 after two intervals in opposition to the Islanders in New York on Nov. 7. Nevertheless, they gave up two targets within the third after which misplaced 4-3 in time beyond regulation in that one.
“I think we’ve grown,” Coleman stated. “We’re learning the importance of managing games.”
MISSING BARZAL
Barzal, who has 11 targets and a team-leading 30 assists, didn’t play Friday after scoring his fifth objective in 5 video games in a 4-2 loss at Edmonton on Thursday evening. The Islanders tweeted simply earlier than puck drop that Barzal was day-to-day with a lower-body harm.
“There was a little tweak last night,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert stated. “He tried it in warmup. Couldn’t go.”