National Hockey League
Calgary 3, Carolina 1
When: 3:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 26, 2017
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Referees: Francis Charron, Chris Lee
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Michel Cormier
Attendance: 14112

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Calgary Flames found all sorts of souvenirs on their trip to the Southeast.

Most notably, they'll take a bunch of points they earned back home.

Johnny Gaudreau scored two goals and provided an assist as the Flames completed a splendid road trip by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena.

They've won four games in a row and went 4-0-1 on the road trip.

"We have to take care of business and play this road style at home," goalie Brian Elliott said.

Michael Ferland also scored for the Flames, who gained more traction in a bid for a Western Conference playoff spot. They've won 24 games in a row when leading after two periods.

Elliott stopped 34 shots to win his third consecutive outing and to improve to 6-1-1 this month.

Gaudreau said he might have discovered something during the past week.

"This road trip, I feel like I played a little bit more my game," he said. "Played it simple. Just made smart little plays."

With some big results because although he notched his first goals of the month Sunday, he has 12 of his 43 points this season in February.

Victor Rask scored for Carolina, which won only once during a five-game homestand (1-3-1).

"We've got to bounce back and we've got to figure it out," Rask said.

Gaudreau's second goal came with 8:55 remaining in the third period when he skated to top of the slot and sent a shot through traffic. It produced his third two-goal game of the season, and resulted in TJ Brodie's second assist of the game.

"It was great to come back (from a one-goal deficit) and show some character," Gaudreau said of the team.

Calgary coach Glenn Gulutzan said he appreciated the team's approach as the road trip wound down.

"After a day off, you have to get right back at it mentally," he said. "I've liked the way our team has always responded to these games."

Gulutzan said Elliott's performance was strong and it's good to have a tandem (with Chad Johnson the other) that can be counted on.

"Both goalies have proven that they're pushing here," he said. "Their games are at a good level. Both guys right now are getting it done."

Hurricanes goalie Eddie Lack, who appeared in back-to-back games for the first time since October, couldn't repeat his shutout performance from two nights earlier and finished with 21 saves.

Calgary led 2-1 through two periods even though the Hurricanes held a 22-19 edge in shots.

Gulutzan considered that a sign of the Flames' alertness because he was counting on the Hurricanes making a strong push.

"They have a real offensive mindset to get pucks to the net," he said. "That makes you defend."

Rask had gone 15 games without a goal before his power-play tally less than five minutes into the game. He took a pass from Jeff Skinner and converted on a one-timer.

"It's not about scoring, it's about winning," Rask said. "It was way too many turnovers for us."

However, his goal provided Carolina with only its second power-play conversion in a five-game span.

The Hurricanes might have added to the lead in the opening period if not for Calgary center Matt Stajan recovering and blocking a shot from Carolina's Ryan Murphy after Elliott had fallen.

Ferland tied the score in the second period with his third goal of the road trip and 11th of the season.

Then Gaudreau put the puck between Lack's pads with 5:10 remaining in the second period for his first goal in 11 games.

NOTES: Carolina LW Brock McGinn was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury Friday night. ... Flames RW Kris Versteeg was back in Raleigh for his first game since playing the first 63 games of last season as a member of the Hurricanes. ... Calgary C Sean Monahan played in his 300th career game. ... Even though Flames G Chad Johnson was coming off a victory Friday night at Florida and is 7-1-0 all-time against Carolina, he was the backup Sunday. ... The Flames, who completed a five-game road swing, return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. ... The Hurricanes head on the road for a pair of games, beginning Tuesday night at Florida.
Top Game Performances
 
Calgary   Carolina
Johnny Gaudreau 3 Points Victor Rask 1
Johnny Gaudreau 2 Goals Victor Rask 1
TJ Brodie 2 Assists Noah Hanifin 1
N/A Power Play Goals Victor Rask 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Brian Elliott .971 Save Percentage Eddie Lack .875
Brian Elliott 34 Saves Eddie Lack 21
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Calgary 24 3 0-0 1-2 4 25
Carolina 35 1 1-2 0-0 0 25
Upcoming Games
  • Carolina will play their next game on the road against Florida. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .438 after a loss.
  • Calgary will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Flames have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .548 after a loss.