Brad Marchand scored two goals Friday night in Calgary. Johnny Gaudreau did him one better.
Gaudreau recorded a hat trick, added an assist and scored the game-winning goal in overtime to carry the Flames to a thrilling 5-4 win over the visiting Boston Bruins in front of a raucous crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Marchand was one of four Bruins players to finish with multiple points in the loss, which dropped Boston to 0-0-2 on its current three-game road trip.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Well, it appeared to be over when Dougie Hamilton, playing against his former team for the first time, hooked Brad Marchand on a shorthanded breakaway, giving Marchand a penalty shot with 1:06 to play. The Bruins winger capitalized, beating Karri Ramo five-hole to put Boston up 4-3.
That lead would not hold up, however.
With Ramo called to the bench for an extra attacker, the Flames mounted one last charge. The Bruins’ defense held strong for more than a minute, but it couldn’t quite make it to the final horn. Jiri Hudler punched a rebound past goalie Tuukka Rask with just 1.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Gaudreau lit the lamp 3:20 into the extra session to send the Flames fans home happy. Hamilton atoned for his earlier mistake by assisting on the game-winner.
SIZZLING START
Gaudreau, whom hockey fans in New England likely remember from his days at Boston College, put his team on the board first just 33 seconds after puck drop.
An ugly turnover by Zdeno Chara at the blue line gave Calgary possession, and David Jones slid a backhanded pass to a wide-open Gaudreau for the goal.
The 22-year-old BC product added another point later in the period, assisting on a Mark Giordano tally that put Calgary up 2-0.
PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF
Bruins winger Matt Beleskey finally found the back of the net late in the opening frame, snapping a 13-game goalless streak that dated back to Oct. 31.
The goal — a deflection of a Chara shot — was the result of sustained offensive-zone activity from Beleskey, who had failed to score in games against the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers this week despite registering 12 total shots on goal.
BLINK AND YOU’D MISS IT
The first 2:26 of the second period featured three goals: a top-shelf snipe by Marchand, Gaudreau’s second of the night and a Chara wrist shot through traffic that found its way past Ramo.
The three goals came within one 44-second span.
ROUGH NIGHT FOR GUS
Jonas Gustavsson began the night between the pipes for the Bruins but was yanked after struggling through his worst outing of the season.
The 30-year-old backup, who had won five of his first six starts, allowed three goals on just 11 Calgary shots, with Gaudreau’s second tally serving as the final straw.
Coach Claude Julien replaced Gustavsson with usual starter Rask at the 1:56 mark of the second period — the first time this season a Bruins goaltender was pulled mid-game. Rask stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced in a losing effort.
Ramo, meanwhile, was phenomenal at the other end, finishing with 34 saves for Calgary. Several of those stops were outright robberies, including one on Brett Connolly that might have been his best of the night.
LINEUP NOTES
Winger Tyler Randell saw his first game action since Nov. 21, replacing Zac Rinaldo on the Bruins’ fourth line. Rinaldo, who’d played in each of the previous 11 games, joined defensemen Joe Morrow and Kevan Miller as Boston’s three healthy scratches.
UP NEXT
The B’s visit the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night to close out their three-game western Canadian road trip.
Thumbnail photo via Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports Images
