Flanked by another veteran in Michael Frolik and rambunctious rookie Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary centre Mikael Backlund continues to be one of the hottest players in the NHL.
Backlund scored twice in a 13-second span in the second period to break a 2-2 tie and also added an assist as the Flames beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Tuesday night .
Backlund has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) going back to Dec. 10 and his first of four three-point nights. Only four players have more — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Eric Staal and Brent Burns, who each have 21.
“It’s been a fun ride playing with those two guys,” said Backlund, who leads the Flames in goals (14) and points (32). “I’ve played with (Frolik) for a long time now and have got to know him pretty well, and adding on (Tkachuk) was great for us.”
Dubbed the 3M line, they’ve consistently been Calgary’s No. 1 line since they were first put together in late October.
“They do everything right. Most nights, they’re playing exactly the way we want to play and they’re getting rewarded for it,” said Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan.
“They’re three good players, who have a bit of chemistry too.”
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Both Tkachuk and Frolik had two assists. Tkachuk is tied for fourth in rookie scoring with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists).
“Obviously they can put puck in the net, but that’s only part of it. They can play two-way, play really responsible, which allows me to be able to make those plays,” said Tkachuk.
The 19-year-old was referring to his slick pass between his own legs from behind the net that set up Backlund’s second goal, a one-timer from the slot.
Giordano ha a goal and two assists for Calgary (24-20-3). Kris Versteeg and Sean Monahan, into an empty net, also scored.
Vincent Trocheck had both goals for Florida (20-18-8) to continue his red-hot scoring. The Panthers leading scorer has nine points (five goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak.
“We didn’t play very well. I thought we came out strong in the first and then we let up,” Trocheck said. “It’s seems to be a theme lately – every time we get up, we slack off and then it goes a little bit and then they start taking it to us.”
Down 2-1 after 20 minutes, despite a 10-5 edge in shots, Calgary kept the pressure on to start the second with Giordano tying it at 4:25 on the man advantage. The Flames had the first nine shots of the second period as Roberto Luongo faced a constant barrage.
“We just didn’t play a good game. Nothing really worked tonight,” said Florida coach Tom Rowe.
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That’s not exactly true. Their video challenge system worked just fine, twice resulting in Flames goals (by Freddie Hamilton and Lance Bouma) that would have made it 5-2 being waved off due to being offside.
“That was the highlight of the night, (Florida video coach) Tommy Cruz calling both challenges. It gave us a chance,” said Rowe. “We got a little spark there, but we just didn’t capitalize.”
Calgary opened up a three-game homestand that continues Thursday against Nashville. Florida, whose four-game road winning streak came to an end, kicked off a four-game trip that seems them play in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Luongo finished with 24 stops to fall to 13-12-5.
Chad Johnson, who was tested 22 times, improves to 16-10-1.
Calgary’s power play continues its dangerous ways of late. Ranked 30th in the NHL at the end of November at 10.4 per cent (8-for-77). It’s been the league’s best since at 32.9 per cent (24-for-73).
Notes:
Micheal Ferland (lower body) missed his third game. With Garnet Hathaway (upper body) also sidelined, Hamilton drew in on the Flames fourth line after being scratched in 17 of the last 19 games… Calgary C Sam Bennett has no points in his last 10 games.
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