CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Austin Czarnik and Johnny Gaudreau scored 29 seconds apart in the third period to lead the Calgary Flames to a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
Mikael Backlund and Travis Hamonic also scored as Calgary won its third straight after a four-game skid. Mike Smith stopped 17 shots.
Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, who had tied it earlier in the third after trailing 2-0 following one period. Thomas Greiss finished with 28 saves in New York’s third regulation loss in 16 games.
Lee tied it 1:19 into the third when he was left all alone in the slot and one-timed a pass by Jordan Eberle into the net before Smith could get across. It was Lee’s 20th of the season,
Czarnik put the Flames back ahead at 6:10 with his fifth of the season – and third in three games.
Just 8 seconds after New York’s Nick Leddy was whistled for interference, Gaudreau made it 4-2 with his career high-tying 30th – snapping a nine-game goal-scoring drought.
Backlund opened the scoring just 5 minutes into the game on a 2-on-1. Michael Frolik sent a perfect saucer pass to Backlund’s tape as he cut to the net and neatly tucked the puck past Greiss for his 15th.
Hamonic then doubled the lead against his former team with just over 4 minutes left in the first. Bacjkynd sent the puck back back to the blue line after a faceoff win by Elias Lindholm and Hamonic sent a high shot past Greiss for his fifth.
The Islanders pulled to 2-1 at 9:51 of the second with Cizikas squirting the puck under Smith’s pads for his 16th. The sequence began with a TJ Brodie giveaway in front of the Calgary net.
Calgary were outshooting the Islanders 21-6 after 40 minutes.
NOTES: Lindholm’s assist on Hamonic’s goal extended his point streak to six games (two goals, seven assists). … Flames coach Bill Peters switched around his top two lines with Matthew Tkachuk moving onto the top line with Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Lindholm played right wing with Backlund and Frolik. … Brodie returned after missing the last game due to injury.
UP NEXT
Islanders: At Edmonton on Thursday night.
Flames: Host Anaheim on Friday night.
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