Dan Vladar posted his second shutout of the season as the host Calgary Flames snapped a four-game losing streak with an emotional 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
The Flames welcomed the family of the late Johnny Gaudreau, who spent nine seasons with Calgary before signing with the Blue Jackets as a free agent before the 2022-23 season. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed on Aug. 29 while riding bikes when they were hit by a car.
Vladar, who was wearing a special customized mask bearing images of both brothers painted on it, made 16 saves to earn his fourth career shutout.
Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich scored goals and Mikael Backlund collected two assists for the Flames.
Elvis Merzlikins stopped 19 shots for the Blue Jackets, who lost in regulation for the first time in seven games (5-1-1).
Andersson cracked the goose eggs with a power-play goal just past the midpoint of the second period. He set up at the top of the left circle and unloaded a one-timer set up by Backlund for his sixth goal of the season.
“That was the most emotional goal I’ve ever scored,” Andersson, who was close friends with Gaudreau, told Sportsnet during the second intermission.
The Flames have scored with the man advantage in seven of their past eight games.
Bahl doubled the lead with another power-play goal with 2:07 remaining in regulation. The big defenseman converted a long wrist shot from the top of the left circle for his first goal of the season. The tally was his first since Feb. 27, and it ended a 48-game goal drought.
Sharangovich added an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left, his sixth goal of the season.
Columbus appeared to open the scoring when Zach Werenski lit the lamp just past the four-minute mark of the first period, but the Flames successfully challenged an uncalled offside.
The Flames seemingly extended their lead to 2-0 shortly after the midpoint of the third period thanks to a Backlund deflection, but Columbus successfully challenged for offside.
–Field Level Media
