In Calgary, the Flames lived to fight another day.
On Sunday, the Flames defeated the Ottawa Senators, 6-1, to keep their slim hopes alive in chasing down the Montreal Canadiens.
“They’re a team that needs to win out,” Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk said. “They came out ready to play. We didn’t. It’s unfortunate. It’s a little frustrating. We know we’re going to be ready for our last game of the year (against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday). It’s not only about ourselves, but making our community proud. They’ve been sticking with us through thick and thin. We just can’t give them that effort we gave them tonight.”
Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves in the victory.
Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames.
“If we lost, we were going home, so it’s an actual must-win, not just saying that,” Tkachuk said. “We put ourselves in a terrible position, to be honest. We just have to win and pray. That’s all we can do tomorrow. Watch their game, hope. Never thought we’d root for Edmonton, but we need them to win these.”
Josh Norris was the lone goal scorer for the Senators.
“They played a playoff game,” Senators head coach D.J. Smith said. “They gave us no room. They know that they can’t afford to give up a single point or they’re out. They jumped all over a team that played last night and they played a great game and they gave us nothing wire to wire.”
Mark Giordano, Michael Stone and Dillon Dube also scored for Calgary.
“It’s all about bouncing back in this league and about leaving a good taste in your mouth going into the summer,” Brady Tkachuk said. “That’s our only objective and only focus going into our last game.
Anton Forsberg got the start for Ottawa, but was given the hook after giving up four goals and making 19 saves.
Filip Gustavsson made 11 saves in a mop up role.
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