Calgary Flames gave a huge boost to their narrow playoffs with a 4-2 home-ice victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
Mikael Backlund, Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri and Ryan Lomberg did everyone for the hosts. Goalkeeper Dustin Wolf made 16 rescues, probably his largest on Kirill Kaprizov during an extended wild power play during the second period, as Flames improved to 3-0-2 during the last five games.
Calgary (38-27-14, 90 points) is three points back by The Wild and St. Louis Blues, which holds the two Western Conference Wild-Card positions. The flames have three remaining matches, one more than both blues (43-30-7, 93 points) and The Wild (43-30-7, 93 points).
Yakov Trenin and Gustav Nyquist responded with late goals for Minnesota, who had a winning line with two games.
Wild Start goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson handed four goals on 29 shots before being drawn into the final frame. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all three shots he met in relief.
The flames, which won all three meetings with Minnesota this season, jumped to a four-goal edge on Friday before hung on for the victory.
Backlund, who cut his team’s strong first period, opened the score 16:25 when he was in place for a recovery to net his second goal in so many matches.
Calgary continued to control the game and Sharangovich doubled the lead at 5:31 in the second period. He died Martin Pospisil’s waist-high shot as he drove to the net. Sharangovich also has goals in consecutive excursions.
Kadri made it a three-goal less than two minutes later on a Power Play. He buried a short side through the screen for his 32nd goal of the season, which binds his career highly, achieved twice before.
The Wild had an early third time push but Lomberg extended Calgary’s Edge to 4-0 at 7:20. He stole the puck on his own blue line to run himself on a break and convert.
It spelled the end of the game for Gustavsson, possibly to play his team’s game in Vancouver on Saturday.
Trenin put visitors on the board with a break with 4:21 in regulation.
Nyquist hit a loose puck in the track with 90 seconds on the clock, but it was too little and too late.
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