Flames knock down Blackhawks thanks to Elias Lindholm’s 2nd-period pair
Elias Lindholm reached two milestones and shrugged off the significance of each one.
Just another night for the steady forward.
Lindholm scored twice to reach 300 points in his 500th NHL game, and the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Tuesday for their third straight win.
«Obviously, you dream of playing in the NHL but you know, you look back and it’s a lot of games and lot of preparation,» Lindholm said. «I think you look more towards the 1,000th game, but you know it’s a long way there.»
WATCH | Lindholm lifts Flames over Blackhawks:
Matthew Tkachuk had two assists for Calgary (23-17-5), which lost 5-3 to Chicago in their first meeting of the season on New Year’s Eve. Cam Talbot made 31 saves in the finale of the Flames’ two-game trip with their fathers and other mentors.
«It’s always special to have them on the road,» Talbot said in a crowded visitors’ locker room. «To be able to pull out two big wins, obviously where we are in the standings, was huge, but it’s more fun to do it when they’re up here watching.»
The Blackhawks (19-19-6) lost key forward Dylan Strome to a right ankle injury early in the second period. Strome has 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games this season.
«We’ll probably see tomorrow how it looks,» coach Jeremy Colliton said. «I’m not sure we’ll have an exact date then either, but we’ll know if it’s days or weeks.»
Dominik Kubalik scored his 13th goal for Chicago, which had won four of five during one of its best stretches of the season. Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots.
WATCH | Breaking down McDavid’s latest magic:
The Flames had two 5-on-3 power plays totalling 2:22 and came up empty. Crawford denied Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan with a pair of terrific saves early in the third.
The Blackhawks replaced Crawford with an extra attacker with about two minutes left, but the Flames held on.
«It was there for us to take and we just couldn’t come up with it,» Crawford said.
Tkachuk and Lindholm connected for both Calgary goals in the second.
Lindholm tied it at 1 just 14 seconds into the period. Tkachuk found the 25-year-old forward in the slot, and he slid the puck between Crawford’s legs for his team-high 17th of the season.
A turnover by Chicago star Patrick Kane led to the tie-breaking goal with 3:59 left. Tkachuk sent the puck over to Lindholm in the left circle and he converted a one-timer.
«Good passes by Chucky,» Lindholm said. «The first one was lucky and the second was just another lucky shot. If I get 30 more, I don’t think I’ll score one more of those. Yeah, it was a nice shot.»
It was a nice turnaround for Calgary after Chicago controlled much of the action in the first. The Blackhawks outshot the Flames 14-6 in the period, taking on 1-0 lead on Kubalik’s deflection in front with 32 seconds left.
