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Beecher’s Breakout Night Leads Flames Past Devils 5–4
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- Beecher’s Breakout Night Leads Flames Past Devils 5–4
The Calgary Flames continued their road swing with a stop in the Garden State on Thursday night and came away with a solid 5–4 victory over the New Jersey Devils .
It was a memorable night for several Flames players. John Beecher delivered his best performance since joining the club with a two-goal outing, Kevin Bahl added his fourth of the season, Yegor Sharangovich tallied his 14th, and captain Mikael Backlund reached a major milestone by recording the 600th point of his NHL career. Between the pipes, Dustin Wolf turned aside 27 Devils chances to secure the win.
© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Calgary wasted little time getting on the board. On just their second shot of the game, Beecher opened the scoring at 5:04 of the first period. The Flames forward carried the puck into the zone on a partial odd-man rush and elected to shoot, slipping a shot through former Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom on the blocker side. The goal marked Beecher's first as a Flame in his 31st game with the club, with Matvei Gridin picking up his fifth assist of the season on the play.
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The Flames doubled their lead later in the period thanks to a strong sequence at the blue line. Bahl kept the puck alive in the offensive zone before the play cycled to Olli Maatta , who quickly returned the puck to Bahl for a booming one-timer at 14:07. The defenceman's fourth of the season made it 2–0, with Adam Klapka also earning an assist.
New Jersey pushed back before the period ended. A turnover in front of the Calgary net created an opportunity for Maxim Tsyplakov , whose shot deflected off traffic in front and slipped past Wolf at 16:24 to cut the Flames lead to 2–1.
© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Late in the opening frame, Joel Hanley was assessed a four-minute high-sticking penalty, giving the Devils an extended power play that carried into the second period.
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Instead, Calgary struck first when play resumed.
Just 54 seconds into the second, Beecher forced a turnover deep in the Devils zone and drove the net. His initial attempt was stopped by Markstrom, but Beecher followed up his own rebound and banked the puck in to restore the Flames' two-goal advantage at 3–1.
New Jersey responded moments later on the same power play. After Luke Hughes ' shot created a scramble in front, Simon Nemec located the loose puck and pushed it past Wolf at 1:36 to make it a one-goal game again.
© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
The Flames answered before the period ended with a well-executed rush. Ryan Strome led a two-on-one and slid the puck across to Sharangovich, who shifted to his backhand and lifted the puck over Markstrom to make it 4–2 heading into the third.
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Calgary's captain added a milestone marker early in the final frame. Backlund walked into the slot at 4:10 and snapped a shot past Markstrom to extend the lead to 5–2. The goal not only gave the Flames some breathing room, but it also marked career point number 600 for the longtime Calgary forward.
The Devils managed one more push late in the period. Jesper Bratt spotted Jack Hughes jumping onto the ice during a line change, and Hughes stepped into the play before wiring a wrist shot past Wolf to trim the deficit to 5–3.
Luke Hughes added a late powerplay tally, but that would be as close as New Jersey would get, as Calgary closed things out to secure the road victory.
© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Three Takeaways
Beecher Delivers Breakout Performance
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The Flames have been waiting for a night like this from John Beecher. The former first-round pick showed the full package with two goals, strong defensive play, and key penalty-killing work.
Maatta Making the Most of His Opportunity
Olli Maatta continues to settle in nicely since arriving via trade from Utah. The veteran defenceman added another assist and now has three helpers in his first four games with Calgary.
Backlund Reaches 600 Points
Another milestone for the Flames captain. With his third-period goal, Mikael Backlund recorded the 600th point of his NHL career, further cementing his long-standing legacy in Calgary.
