The three-game sweep of the NHL schedule from Tuesday starts in Calgary where the Flames have had some success of late and beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2.
Karri Ramo made 31 saves in the win as the Flames won their third straight game.
“You know, we had a rough start,” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “It’s like a boxer that takes a real good one on the jaw in the first second of a fight. After this, you need to find your game back. You need to find your fight back. Lots of times, unfortunately, it’s way easier said than done.
“We’re pro athletes, but at the same time, we’re human beings. You lose track of what’s going on, and it seems that the more that you’re pushing, the more that you’re going backward. Right now, we’re pulling out of the hole that we created for ourselves. And the good thing is look at the standings — we’re right there. We’re right there. I like the way we’re progressing as a team.”
Mikael Backlund, Markus Granlund, Sean Monahan and Michael Frolik had goals for Calgary.
“We knew we had a good team,” Backlund said. “What we did last year was really good and we wanted to build on that. Having this streak at home is huge for us. We always hoped we’d have a good season and always believed in ourselves.”
Chris Tierney and Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks who have fallen on hard times after a perfect road trip.
“Taking nothing away from Calgary, they deserved the two points, but it’s disappointing when you beat yourself,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. “We took eight minor penalties and handed them another couple goals on odd-man rushes — uncharacteristic stuff for us that we’ve got to clean up.”
In Chicago, Patrick Kane upped his point streak to 23 games in a 4-1 Chicago win over the Nashville Predators.
Corey Crawford made 36 saves in the win.
“I felt pretty good,” Crawford said. “I made a few key saves at maybe some key points in the game, but I just try to build off it every game. I just try to stay as consistent as I can.”
Dennis Rasmussen (first NHL goal), Andrew Shaw, and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for the Blackhawks.
Eric Nystrom scored the lone Preds’ goal and Pekka Rinne had 20 saves in the loss.
“We can sit here and say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re getting chances,’ but who cares?” Nashville’s Shea Weber said. “We’re not winning games. We’re not scoring goals. That’s the bottom line. It’s not good enough.”
The Predators’ penalty killing unit has been dreadful this season and they gave up a goal Tuesday.
“We’re going through a bit of a tough stretch right now,” Nashville defenseman Seth Jones said. “It’s not due to lack of effort, I think, or guys not giving it their all. It’s just kind of the way it’s going right now.”
In Toronto, Nazem Kadri‘s goal in the skills competition lifted the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
“From what I saw, their goalie was coming out pretty far, so I tried to slow it down and make a few moves,” Kadri said. “Luckily, it worked.”
The Leafs improved to 10-13-5 on the season.
“I thought he (Kadri) played real well when he wasn’t scoring and I didn’t think he was as good as he normally is tonight, to be honest,” Babcock said. “He made a big-time move and he scored. He’s a good player every night, but some nights you’re a little more special than others.”
Kadri’s game and touch around the net seem to be returning for the oft-maligned forward.
“It’s funny how it goes in ebbs and flows sometimes,” left wing James van Riemsdyk said. “When you go a few games without scoring, then the net seems to be a little bit smaller. When the confidence comes, it seems like you are shooting into a soccer net. Nazem is a highly skilled player who can make a lot of things happen, so when he’s not scoring, you’re not too worried. At the end of the year, he’s going to have his numbers.”
Garret Sparks got the win on 25 saves.
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