Edmonton 7, Calgary 3
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 21, 2017
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees:
Chris Lee, Dave Lewis
Linesmen:
Brad Kovachik, Brian Mach
Attendance:
19289
By The Sports Xchange
CALGARY, Alberta -- Laurent Brossoit was handed the game puck Saturday and there may have been some days he thought one would never be placed in his
hand.
The Edmonton Oilers backup goalie made 38 saves to pick up his first career NHL win and Jordan Eberle led offensively with two goals and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers blasted the Calgary Flames 7-3.
Brossoit was making his first NHL start this season and seventh overall. He was 0-5-1 in his previous NHL games, and lost all five of his NHL starts last season for Edmonton.
"It's a great feeling, especially with how last year went down with my call-up. It's nice to contribute in a positive way," he said.
Anton Slepyshev, Mark Letestu, NHL league scorer Connor McDavid, Oscar Klefbom and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (into an empty net) also scored for Edmonton (26-15-8).
Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma replied for Calgary (24-22-3).
It was a big night for Brossoit, who was Calgary's sixth-round selection in the 2011 draft but was traded to Edmonton in 2013 without playing an NHL game for the Flames. He was summoned from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Jan. 10 but watched Cam Talbot start five straight games. Talbot played his 43rd game of the season Friday in a shootout loss to Nashville.
"I've got to be patient. I'm not trying to win a starting spot this year. I know my role," Brossoit said. "I'm just going to work hard in practices and
just be ready for opportunities like this to play."
His coach was thrilled Brossoit's first win finally came.
"That whole group in there is really happy for him, he's been through a lot," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "In our organization he's played some tremendous games and hasn't been able to put a win on the board. So, we're really happy for him. I'm sure this will do wonders for his confidence as he moves forward."
Eberle now has three goals in three games after going 18 without before scoring Wednesday against Florida.
"That's how it works. You go through hot and cold streaks. This was one of the colder streaks I've ever been on. It was frustrating. Once the puck goes in it starts to go in. The biggest thing is you've got to continue to do the things that got you to the point when you're starting to put it in," said Eberle, who now has 11 goals.
Monahan, with a goal in his fifth straight game on a shorthanded breakaway early in the third, and Lance Bouma on a tip in with 4:11 left, brought the Flames close in the third.
Brian Elliott came off the bench and stopped 23 shots for Calgary.
The Oilers chased Calgary goaltender Chad Johnson by scoring on three of their first four shots. Slepyshev's wrister off a faceoff got past Johnson 1:17 into the game.
Letestu took a nice cross-ice feed from Zack Kassian and snapped a shot by Johnson at 5:22 and Eberle made it 3-0 when he broke in on his right wing and beat Johnson to the glove side 36 seconds later.
Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan was steaming mad as he faced the media.
"It's embarrassing," he said. "It's embarrassing. I don't talk to the guys after the game, win or lose, I talk to them the next day, but certainly in the coaches' room, emotions are high. It's embarrassing.
Our resolve to stick to it wasn't there."
McDavid made it 4-0 at 3:57 of the second when he picked the corner with a wrist shot from 20 feet out and Eberle got his second on a redirection at 12:24.
Tkachuk's deflection got the Flames on the board on the power play at 15:55 of the second period but Klefbom scored with a slap shot from the point -- also on the power play -- at 16:53 to give the Oilers a 6-1 lead after two periods.
Calgary has lost six of their past nine and now has two straight games in which they fell behind badly early. Nashville went up 4-0 on them Thursday and held on for a 4-3 win.
"We've got to stop this," Flames captain Mark Giordano said. "We've got to try and get game going individually, shift by shift and it will come together as a team. But some of the mistakes we're making, are glaring mistakes. At this level, it can't happen, especially at this time of year, they just ate us up tonight."
NOTES: Flames D Dennis Wideman played his 800th NHL game on Saturday while Oilers LW Matt Hendricks suited up for his 500th. "I got my first game at 27 years old and to be 35 now and looking at 500, it's a feather in my cap," Hendricks said. ... C Sam Bennett was back in the Calgary lineup after being a healthy scratch Thursday against Nashville, the first time the 2014 first-round draft pick sat out as a professional. "We're making a huge deal of this. He's 20. He's going to go through tough situations in his career. ... It happens," Flames captain Mark Giordano said. The Oilers have 13 road wins in 25 games, which surpasses their total away from home all of last season. ... The Flames' lone injured player is RW Garnet Hathaway (upper body). Calgary's healthy scratches were C Freddie Hamilton and D Brett Kulak. ... Out with injuries for Edmonton were C Jujhar Khaira (wrist), RW Tyler Pitlick (knee) and RW Iiro Pakarinen (knee). Edmonton's healthy scratches were C Anton Lander and D Eric Gryba.
Top Game Performances
Edmonton |
|
Calgary |
Jordan Eberle 4 |
Points |
Lance Bouma 1 |
Jordan Eberle 2 |
Goals |
Lance Bouma 1 |
Adam Larsson 3 |
Assists |
TJ Brodie 1 |
Oscar Klefbom 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Matthew Tkachuk 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Sean Monahan 1 |
Laurent Brossoit .927 |
Save Percentage |
Brian Elliott .885 |
Laurent Brossoit 38 |
Saves |
Brian Elliott 23 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Edmonton
|
31 |
7 |
1-5 |
2-3 |
15 |
31 |
Calgary
|
41 |
3 |
1-3 |
4-5 |
29 |
39 |
Upcoming Games
-
Calgary will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Flames have a W/L % of .458 after a win and .520 after a loss.
-
Edmonton will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Oilers have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .458 after a loss.