Skip to content

Flames jump into playoff spot with win over Flyers

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

CALGARY, Alberta - Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Brian Elliott made 33 stops and the Calgary Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Wednesday night.

The 19-year-old Tkachuk pulled Calgary even at 1 with a goal 4:28 into the first period, then assisted on T.J. Brodie's go-ahead goal 12:45 into the second. Mark Giordano added an empty-net goal with 39 seconds left for the Flames.

Nick Cousins scored for the Flyers, and Michal Neuvirth stopped 20 of 22 shots.

Tkachuk got his goal shortly after winning a faceoff in Philadelphia's end. He got open in front of the net and stuffed in Mikael Backlund's centering pass for his 11th goal.

Brodie got his fourth goal of the season with a wrist shot from the high slot. The puck slid just inside the post with Sam Bennett screening Neuvirth.

Calgary got a big bounce-back win after an ugly outing Monday, when they lost 5-0 to Arizona in their return from a five-day bye week.

The two points move Calgary back into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference - the Los Angeles Kings, one point back, hold three games in hand.

The Flyers squandered an opportunity to pull even with Toronto for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Elliott has won four of his last five starts and was excellent all night. One of his best stops was a sharp glove save against Jakub Voracek just minutes before Brodie gave Calgary the lead. The veteran improved to 12-13-2 on the season.

Flames right wing Alex Chiasson was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for spearing Cousins long after the whistle during the first period. Sean Monahan then lifted a puck over the boards from his own end to give Philadelphia a 5-on-3, but Elliott made an acrobatic glove save against Cousins to help kill off both penalties.

NOTES: The Flames improved to 21-0-1 when leading after two periods. ... Calgary adjusted its second defense pairing, putting Brodie with Deryk Engelland. Brodie had been with Dennis Wideman since November 15. ... Matt Bartkowski, 28, has signed a PTO with Calgary. The defenseman played 80 games with Vancouver last season. He was playing for Providence (AHL). ... Tkachuk moves into second on the team with 36 points.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox