CALGARY, Alberta — Matthew Tkachuk scored three goals for a career-best 37 this season, and the Calgary Flames rallied to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Noah Hanifin had a goal and an assist, and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for Calgary (45-19-9), which had four unanswered goals in the third period to earn its fifth straight win.
Johnny Gaudreau had two assists and reached a career high with 101 points. Dan Vladar (11-5-1) started the third period in goal and stopped all seven shots he faced in relief of Jacob Markstrom to pick up the win. His best stop was a blocker save on Karson Kuhlman on a short-handed breakaway. Markstrom stopped 12 of 15 shots.
Ryan Donato scored his career-best 15th goal and Victor Rask and Adam Larsson added scores for Seattle (23-44-6), which was swept in the four-game season series. Chris Driedger (7-12-1) had 26 stops for the Kraken.
Down 3-1 after two periods, the Flames scored twice in the opening six minutes of the third to pull even.
On a 4-on-3 power play, Tkachuk’s attempted pass across the top of the crease hit Larsson and came right back and he swatted in his second goal of the game.
Gaudreau hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career with the primary assist. His career-best had been 99 points in 2018-19. He’s the seventh player in franchise history to get 100 points and first since Theoren Fleury in 1992-93.
Tkachuk turned to Gaudreau and gave him a big hug after the milestone point as the Saddledome crowd roared. His parents, Guy and Jane, who just arrived in Calgary for the first time since before the pandemic, hugged and celebrated with family members in the crowd.
Hanifin ripped a slap shot into the top corner on a power play at 14:10 of the third for the game-winner. He has seven points (one goal, six assists) in the last three games.
Tkachuk capped off his game with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, the Kraken scored the only two goals of the second period to surge in front 3-1.
Seattle took its second lead of the night when Rask one-timed a setup from Kole Lind from in front.
The Kraken took a two-goal lead late in the period when Larsson’s low shot squeaked through Markstrom’s pads.
Seattle opened the scoring at 14:13 of the first period on a perfect set-up from rookie Matty Beniers, making his NHL debut.
Beniers got the puck at the sideboards and zipped a pass across the slot that was one-timed past Markstrom by Donato.
Calgary tied it less than three minutes later when Noah Hanifin’s point shot was deflected out of mid-air by Tkachuk.
Beniers, a Hobey Baker finalist and second-overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft, signed with Seattle on Monday, shortly after Michigan lost to Denver on Thursday in the semifinal of the NCAA Frozen Four. In 61 games over two seasons with the Wolverines, he had 67 points (30 goals, 37 assists).
The 19-year-old’s night began with the customary rookie solo lap before the rest of the Kraken took the ice for warm-up. He then spent the night centering the club’s top line with Donato and Jordan Eberle.
NOTES: In addition to Fleury (twice), Calgary’s other 100-point seasons came from Kent Nilsson (twice), Joe Mullen, Hakan Loob, Al MacInnis and Mike Bullard. … Calgary C Calle Jarnkrok (non-COVID illness) returned after missing five games. His return bumped Ryan Carpenter to the press box. … Flames improve to 2-12-2 in games in which they trail after two periods.
UP NEXT: Kraken host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
