Gaudreau returns to lead Flames past Ducks
CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist in his return to action as the Calgary Flames trounced the Anaheim Ducks 8-3 on Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Playing left wing on a line with center Sam Bennett and right winger Alex Chiasson, Gaudreau scored on his opening shift after missing the past 10 games with a fractured finger.
Bennett and Chiasson finished with a goal and two assists each to give the line eight points.
Sean Monahan, Kris Versteeg, Matt Stajan and Troy Brouwer chipped in with a goal and an assist each for the Flames (13-13-2), who have won three straight games, all on home ice.
Mark Giordano also scored, while goaltender Chad Johnson made 30 saves to improve his record to 10-4-1.
Ryan Kesler scored twice for the Ducks (12-9-5), who had gone 3-0-1 in their previous four games.
Logan Shaw scored his first goal of the season for Anaheim, while netminder Jonathan Bernier finished with 17 saves.
The Flames led 6-1 through two periods before Monahan and Giordano added goals in the third period. Kesler then notched his team-leading 11th goal of the season for the Ducks before Shaw rounded out the scoring.
Gaudreau opened the scoring at 2:09 of the first period when he took a drop pass from Bennett and snapped a harmless-looking shot on net that beat Bernier to the far side.
Gaudreau had another good chance to score three minutes later, but Bernier was ready this time to stop his shot from the slot.
The Ducks outshot the Flames 11-7 in the opening period, but they weren't able to beat Johnson until Kesler spun and fired a shot from the slot past the Calgary netminder at 2:50 of the second.
Starting with a power-play goal by Brouwer at 11:28 of the middle frame, the Flames reeled off five goals in a span of 6:04 to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
After Chiasson scored at 12:20, Stajan tipped defenseman Dennis Wideman's point shot past Bernier 35 seconds later.
Bennett then converted a feed from center Mikael Backlund for another power-play goal at 16:37 before Hamilton blasted a point shot past Bernier 55 seconds later.
NOTES: Calgary went 6-3-1 without LW Johnny Gaudreau in the lineup. ... Calgary's healthy scratches were D Brett Kulak, C Hunter Shinkaruk and C Freddie Hamilton. ... C Rickard Rakell was a late scratch for the Ducks after sustaining an upper-body injury in Anaheim's 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday. ... The Ducks also scratched D Korbinian Holzer and RW Chris Wagner. ... The Ducks will play their next three games at home, starting on Wednesday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. ... After their homestand, the Ducks will head out on a six-game road trip. Anaheim will play 11 of their 15 games in December on the road. ... Flames C Lance Bouma missed his 15th straight game with a shoulder injury. According to coach Glen Gulutzan, Bouma might make his return to the lineup in the coming week when the Flames play road games against the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes.