Markstrom, Calgary Flames blank Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 for 6th straight victory – Calgary

Sean Monahan has no complaints over his lowered function this season because the Calgary Flames rattle off wins.

Monahan had a aim and an help and Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves because the Calgary Flames blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 Saturday night time for his or her sixth straight win.

Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund (empty internet) additionally scored for Calgary (6-1-1).

Whereas centering Calgary’s fourth line with veteran wingers Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis has been a serious change for Monahan, the Flames’ third-highest paid participant at $6.3 million has remained on the crew’s prime power-play unit. Towards the Flyers, that’s the place he did his injury, scoring the eventual winner and organising Tkachuk’s insurance coverage aim within the third.

“It’s a crew sport and if you’re a part of a crew, you’ve acquired to simply accept your function and do the very best job you possibly can,” mentioned Monahan, a three-time 30-goal scorer. “We’ve acquired a superb crew, we’re successful video games, and I’ve no complaints.”

Coach Darryl Sutter is happy with the way in which Monahan has dealt with his function with the membership.

“He’s been superior,” Sutter mentioned. “He’s acquired an ideal angle and works laborious. I’ve mentioned it many instances together with within the dressing room, we’re not a top-heavy lineup. We’ve acquired to unfold it out and have everyone settle for their function after which go from there.”

The Flames have been coming off a five-game street journey wherein they by no means trailed and gained all video games by a mixed rating of 21-7.

“It’s a superb begin. We’re in a superb place up to now, however I don’t assume anybody is comfortable,” Markstrom mentioned. “Everyone that was right here final 12 months remembers that bitter style of final season. It was not enjoyable in any respect. Particularly not successful hockey video games. So everyone’s hungry.”

Coming off a 45-save shutout over Pittsburgh on Thursday, Markstrom earned his third shutout in his final 4 begins. The 31-year-old Swede improved to 4-1-1 with a .957 save share.

“The opposite night time was extra bodily, however, mentally you have been in it. You had a variety of photographs and you may see a variety of pucks and also you get to really feel the puck,” Markstrom mentioned. “Right this moment was extra psychological. Simply keep actually targeted and don’t get derailed. Watch our guys play an ideal sport in entrance of me.”

Carter Hart made 32 saves for Philadelphia (4-2-1). Claude Giroux was held pointless for the primary time this season and his six-game level streak ended.

“It’s disappointing when the crew places an effort like that in entrance of (Hart) when realistically he’s the one purpose it ended up the rating it was. He made some unbelievable saves,” Flyers middle Travis Konecny mentioned.

The Flyers dropped the ultimate sport of their Western Canada street journey after choosing up wins in Edmonton and Vancouver.

“You’ve acquired to present credit score to the place credit score is due. They’re enjoying a particularly tight-checking hockey sport the place there’s not a variety of room on the ice,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault mentioned. “When the crew performs that method, you’ve acquired to make performs offensively. Your execution has acquired to be at its finest and clearly, they took that away from us tonight. They made it very tough.”

After a tight-checking, scoreless first interval wherein Calgary outshot Philadelphia 8-4, the Flames turned it up within the second and had the Flyers constantly trapped in their very own finish.

The relentless strain led to the Flyers taking two minor penalties — each infractions drawn by Tkachuk — and the second, an interference penalty on Rasmus Ristolainen, proved pricey as Monahan redirected a centering go from Rasmus Andersson. The aim at 9:07 got here on the twelfth consecutive shot to open the second interval.

It was the primary aim of the season for Monahan.

The rating remained 1-0 till Tkachuk gave the Flames some insurance coverage at 8:30 of the third interval, making it 2-0 on Calgary’s second power-play aim of the sport, neatly changing a slick passing sequence with Elias Lindholm and Monahan.

After Backlund scored into an empty internet, Gaudreau added his second of the season with two minutes remaining, beating Hart contained in the aim publish.

It was a dominant efficiency defensively from the Flames. The Flyers entered the sport averaging greater than 4 targets per sport.