One way the competition cannot catch is to just keep winning. In Raleigh on Sunday, the Calgary Flames did just that and posted a 3-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Johnny Gaudreau had two goals and three points in win over Carolina – Photo by Jack Lima
Johnny Gaudreau contributed two goals and added an assist in the win.
Much of the recent success the Flames are having can be tied to Brian Elliott becoming more settled in the crease; he made 34 saves in the win.
Calgary finished their five-game roadie with a 4-0-1 record and have won four straight.
The Flames improved to 33-26-4 with the win.
“Our guys were dialed in,” Calgary head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “They wanted to finish off this trip the right way.”
Carolina, after a string of success, have lost six of their last seven and dropped to 25-25-8.
“We gave the puck away,” Canes head coach Bill Peters. “I thought the turnovers and the puck management led to a lot of trouble.”
Victor Rask scored the lone Carolina goal and staked the Canes to a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t see it,” Elliott said. “My defenseman was right in front of me. We kind of beat ourselves on that one.”
Micheal Ferland also scored for the Flames and tied the game 1-1 in the second period.
Gaudreau scored later in the second to give the Flames the lead.
“I just found a way to get some greasy goals there,” Gaudreau said. “I know I held the puck a little bit at the blue line on the (first) goal and got a quick shot to the net. It hit a few sticks and found the net.”
His 12th and 13th goals of the year came from the low slot in traffic.
“He’s made plays when he’s needed to,” Gulutzan said. “He’s feeling very confident now. This is the time you need your big players, coming down the stretch. I thought he was dangerous. He’s been real good through this trip for us.”
WATCH: All Flames vs. Hurricanes highlights
Eddie Lack took the loss for Carolina on 21 saves.
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