*Photo from TSN*
With their new guy fresh out of Montreal, the Calgary Flames just kept on rolling. Tyler Toffoli scored, Elias Lindholm had a goal and two assists, and the Flames defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 6-2 win on Tuesday night in Calgary.
This was Toffoli's first game in a Flames uniform, after he was acquired from the Canadiens on Monday, in exchange for some draft picks and a prospect. He scored in his debut, tallying the 6th and final goal of the night for the Flames, coming at the 11:04 mark of the 3rd period.
With the win, the Flames continue, pun intended, riding the heat wave. They have now won 7 straight games, and have won 9 out of their last 10. Additionally, they have also won 7 straight home games. In those 7 games, they have outscored their opponents 35-8 in that time, and they have 3 more games at home in this current homestand.
Making his first home start of the season for the Flames was rookie Dan Vladar, getting the start on the first half of a back to back. Vladar stopped 18 of 20 shots he faced, good for an even .900 save percentage. With the win, Vladar's record improves to 7-3-1 in 10 starts and one relief outing.
Vladar said of his first home win that "Obviously, it's great, you know? That's my role, to be ready every single time when the coaches decide when I'm playing, and I was really happy and I'm still really happy that I got a W and guys were playing really great in front of me. Obviously, it's not easy when you step in after five weeks, so the first couple minutes, you're sloppy. You guys can tell, right, my puck play at the beginning? Then, as the game moves on, you start to feel a little bit better. And as I said, guys were just unreal in front of me."
Erik Gudbranson opened the scoring for the Flames, making it 1-0 2:10 into the game, his 3rd goal of the season. That lead became 2-0 when Columbus defenseman Andrew Peeke tried to intercept a centering pass and instead sent it past his goalie and into his own net, with Lindholm getting credited with the goal. Adam Boqvist got the Blue Jackets on the board with 2:10 left in the first period.
In the second period, Matthew Tkachuk increased the Flames lead, making it 3-1 with his 22nd goal of the season, coming 15:44 into the second, assisted by Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau. Dillon Dube scored shorthanded with 47 seconds left in the period, his 5th goal of the season, making it a 4-1 lead after two periods.
Adam Ruzicka picked up the opening goal of the 3rd period, with his 4th goal of the season coming 6:39 into the 3rd, making it 5-1 in favor of the Flames. Zach Werenski picked up a goal for the Blue Jackets to cut the deficit to 5-2 at the 8:08 mark, but Toffoli sealed the win by scoring his 10th goal of the season 11:04 into the period.
Toffoli said of his first win with his new team that "Obviously coming to a really good team playing really good hockey right now, I was excited. Playing good hockey and playing with the lead and doing all the little things that makes the team successful, and it was just another one of those nights."
Columbus saw their modest 3 game winning streak come to an end, with Elvis Merzlikins getting the start in goal. Merzlikins turned aside just 35 of the 41 shots the Flames sent at him. That was good for a .854 save percentage, with his record now standing at 17-13-1 this season.
Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen said of the Flames that "They're big, they're strong, they've got a good balance of veteran guys. It's a pretty deep team. We can't have anybody not on board in that game, not one, to stay with them for 60. I think they've won six or seven in a row now, they're rolling pretty good. Your margin for error is very small."
The Flames finish their back to back with a matchup with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night, with Jacob Markstrom to start. The Blue Jackets stay on the road for a Thursday contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, with Merzlikins the probable starter.
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