By Canadian Press

Johnny Gaudreau paces Calgary Flames to 4-2 win over Winnipeg Jets

Mar 27, 2021 | 11:00 PM

CALGARY — Johnny Gaudreau responded to a barb from his coach with a pair of assists for the Calgary Flames in a 4-2 win Saturday over the visiting Winnipeg Jets.

Josh Leivo, Mark Giordano, Andrew Mangiapane and Sam Bennett scored for Calgary (16-17-3), which halted a four-game losing streak.

Gaudreau, who had two goals in nine games heading into Saturday, produced his first multi-point game in a month in his 500th career game. 

After a 3-2 loss Friday to the Jets, Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said “hopefully he has more energy than in his 499th game.”

Gaudreau’s 17 minutes five seconds ranked second behind Elias Lindholm’s 19:56 among Flames forwards Saturday.

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Calgary is 5-5 since Sutter took over as head coach on March 8.

Jets defenceman Logan Stanley earned his first career NHL goal and Mason Appleton also scored for Winnipeg (21-12-2), who trail the Toronto Maple Leafs atop the North Division by two points.

In their fourth games in six days, both clubs started their backup goalies. Calgary’s David Rittich made 22 saves for the win in his second start in Calgary’s last dozen games.

Winnipeg’s Laurent Brossoit turned away 29-of-33 shots in the loss.

Calgary is at home to Winnipeg again Monday for a third meeting in four days. The Jets lead the 10-game season series 4-2-1.

Brossoit misplayed Bennett’s shot and knocked the puck into his own net with his stick at 7:48 of the third period for a 4-2 Flames lead. 

Mangiapane scored 49 seconds into the period.

After skating a cross-ice stretch pass from Noah Hanifin into the offensive zone, Mangiapane’s wrister changed speed off the stick of Winnipeg’s Tucker Poolman and bobbled under Brossoit’s pad.

The Flames outshot the Jets 15-7 and led 2-0 after the first period, but Appleton halved the deficit 34 seconds into the second and Stanley drew the Jets even at 6:19.

Stanley’s wrist shot went off the crossbar and behind Rittich. The six-foot-seven, 228-pound Stanley was a first-round draft pick by the Jets in 2016.

An unchecked Appleton had time in the slot to get a shot away, and it deflected off Calgary winger Milan Lucic and over Rittich’s shoulder.

Giordano’s one-timer from the point bounced off Appleton and by Brossoit’s glove for a power-play goal with 45 seconds left in the first period.

Leivo fed Monahan from behind the net and skated out to jam the rebound past Brossoit’s left pad at 17:13.

Notes: Winnipeg caps a seven-game road trip, the longest of the season, Monday at the Saddledome … Flames captain Mark Giordano is one point shy of a career 500 … Calgary defenceman Chris Tanev reached his 100th career assist.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2021.

The Canadian Press