Markstrom records 45-save shutout as Flames burn Penguins for 5th-straight win
Calgary goaltender secures 2nd shutout in his last 3 starts
Jacob Markstrom and the Calgary Flames put an emphatic end to a lengthy, successful five-game trip.
Markstrom stopped 45 shots for his second shutout in his last three starts, and the Flames beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 Thursday night.
"We have a long flight," Markstrom said. "It always [stinks] to travel after a loss. It was huge, obviously."
Johnny Gaudreau scored his first goal in the opening period, and Blake Coleman, Dillon Dube and Milan Lucic scored in the third as Calgary swept a five-game trip. The Flames never trailed during the road trip, leading for 234:05 overall, and outscored the opposition 21-7 on the trip.
Calgary hasn't lost in regulation since the season opener in Edmonton. The Flames are the third team in NHL history to sweep a road trip of five-plus games while never trailing in each contest, joining Chicago in 1996 and St. Louis in 2017.
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"To end this trip on a good note, [then] it's a great road trip instead of just a good one," Markstrom said. "That's a big win and something to build on."
Casey DeSmith, who made his first start since Oct. 14, stopped 31 shots for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have lost two straight after starting the season with points in their first five games.
Coleman gave Calgary a 2-0 lead just 1:04 into the third period when his point shot through a crowd beat DeSmith. Mikael Backlund recorded an assist for his 400th NHL point.
Dube continued a three-game point streak with his first of the year at 10:15, and Lucic scored his second of the season 1:29 later, at 11:44 of the third.
Gaudreau put a shot over DeSmith's glove on a breakaway for his first goal of the season at 7:22 of the opening period.
Coleman was whistled for high sticking at 12:15 of the first period and defenceman Erik Gudbranson a four-minute double minor for the same penalty at 12:34. That gave Pittsburgh a two-man advantage for 1:41, but the Penguins came up empty, as the Flames held a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Calgary outscored the opposition 11-0 during the first period of its five-game trip.
"Obviously, we'd like to score there," Penguins' coach Mike Sullivan said of the 5-on-3. "It potentially could be the difference in the game if we do. I thought the guys had a significant amount of looks."
Markstrom kept it a 1-0 game entering the third period with a desperation diving stick save on Penguins forward Drew O'Connor during a scramble in front of the net in the second.
"I saw it on the replays in the intermission and I realized he made that save," Gaudreau said. "Just a crazy, crazy incredible save."
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