yardbarker
The Calgary Flames secured a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday night, extending their winning streak to four games. Matvei Gridin led the charge with two goals and an assist, while captain Mikael Backlund also found the net, tying Johnny Gaudreau for fifth place on the franchise's all-time points list.
Toronto's William Nylander cut the deficit to 3-2 at 6:06 of the third period, converting a one-handed pass from Jack Roslovic through traffic. However, Calgary sealed the win with two empty-net goals in the final minutes. Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil each recorded a goal and an assist, while Matt Coronato and Simon Nemec contributed two assists apiece. Easton Cowan scored the other goal for Toronto.
Flames goaltender Devin Cooley made 26 saves and was credited with an assist. Toronto's Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 of 32 shots in the loss.
Key Analysis
Gridin opened the scoring at 10:05 of the first period, driving wide into the offensive zone and beating Bobrovsky over the shoulder from a sharp angle. Backlund doubled the lead 1:45 later after Cowan turned the puck over in his own end; Coronato slid a pass through the slot to the returning captain, who had missed two games with an injury. Just 25 seconds into the second period, Zayne Parekh sent a long stretch pass to Gridin, who wristed a power-play goal past Bobrovsky to make it 3-0.
Toronto responded at 12:54 of the second when Troy Stecher's slap pass sent Cowan speeding toward the net. The 21-year-old sophomore outmuscled Aydar Suniev and tipped the puck in moments before colliding with an outstretched Cooley. Farabee and Pospisil then added empty-net goals at 18:35 and 19:21, respectively, to close out the scoring.
Maple Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko left the game with a lower-body injury after an awkward fall early in the second period. The contest marked Toronto's final regular-season visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Originally reported by yardbarker.