The Calgary Flames provided a huge boost to their slim playoff hopes with a 4-2 home-ice victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
Mikael Backlund, Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri and Ryan Lomberg all scored for the hosts. Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 16 saves, likely his biggest on Kirill Kaprizov during an extended Wild power play in the second period, as the Flames improved to 3-0-2 in the past five games.
Calgary (38-27-14, 90 points) is three points back of the Wild and St. Louis Blues, who hold the two Western Conference wild-card positions. The Flames have three games remaining, one more than both the Blues (43-30-7, 93 points) and the Wild (43-30-7, 93 points).
Yakov Trenin and Gustav Nyquist replied with late goals for Minnesota, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Wild starting goalie Filip Gustavsson surrendered four goals on 29 shots before being pulled in the final frame. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all three shots he faced in relief.
The Flames, which won all three meetings with Minnesota this season, jumped to a four-goal edge on Friday before hanging on for the victory.
Capping his team’s strong first period, Backlund opened the scoring 16:25 in when he was on the spot for a rebound to net his second goal in as many games.
Calgary continued to control play and Sharangovich doubled the lead at 5:31 of the second period. He deflected Martin Pospisil’s waist-high shot while driving to the net. Sharangovich also has goals in consecutive outings.
Kadri made it a three-goal edge less than two minutes later on a power play. He buried a short-side shot through the screen for his 32nd goal of the season, which ties his career high, achieved twice previously.
The Wild had an early third-period push but Lomberg extended Calgary’s edge to 4-0 at 7:20. He stole the puck at his own blue line to spring himself on a breakaway and convert.
That spelled the end of the game for Gustavsson, possibly to play his team’s game in Vancouver on Saturday.
Trenin put the visitors on the board with a breakaway tally with 4:21 remaining in regulation.
Nyquist pounced on a loose puck in the slot with 90 seconds on the clock, but it was too little and too late.
