Deadspin: Flames Stay Hot for Fourth Straight Win, Cool Maple Leafs
Gridin leads Calgary’s attack
Gridin opened the scoring 10:05 into the first period, beating Sergei Bobrovsky from a tight angle. Backlund made it 2-0 1:45 later after Toronto turned the puck over in its own end.
Just 25 seconds into the second period, Gridin scored again on the power play after receiving a long pass from Zayne Parekh. His two goals and an assist helped Calgary build a three-goal lead.
Toronto threatens, Calgary responds
Toronto’s William Nylander cut Calgary’s lead to one at 6:06 of the third period. The Maple Leafs had earlier scored when Cowan tipped in Troy Stecher’s pass at 12:54 of the second.
Joel Farabee scored into an empty net with 1:25 remaining, and Martin Pospisil added another with 39 seconds left. Farabee and Pospisil each finished with a goal and an assist.
Milestones and injury update
Backlund’s goal brought him to 609 points as a Flame, tied with Johnny Gaudreau for fifth place in franchise history. He had returned after missing two games with an injury.
Calgary’s Devin Cooley stopped 26 shots and received an assist, while Bobrovsky made 29 saves on 32 shots. Toronto winger Kirill Marchenko left after an awkward fall early in the second period with a lower-body injury. The game was Toronto’s final regular-season appearance at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Key points
- Calgary beat Toronto 5-2 to earn its fourth straight victory.
- Matvei Gridin recorded two goals and an assist.
- Mikael Backlund reached 609 points as a Flame, tying Johnny Gaudreau for fifth.
- Kirill Marchenko left the game with a lower-body injury.