Flames Best Red Wings – Bennett Scores Two

CALGARY — Sam Bennett scored twice including the winner late in the third to lead the Calgary Flames to a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

Bennett was sent in on a breakaway by Derek Ryan and fired a quick shot inside the post on Jimmy Howard, before toppling over the Red Wings goaltender at 16:06 of the third.

Sean Monahan, James Neal, Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary (31-13-5). The Pacific Division-leading Flames extended their point streak to seven games (6-0-1).

Johnny Gaudreau had an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games (9-12-21), which ties a career-high. Gaudreau (28-43-71) is second in second in league scoring, four points back of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.

Calgary was 3 for 3 with the man advantage, with every goal coming from the second power-play unit, which hadn’t produced a goal since Dec. 2.

Dylan Larkin with a pair, Anthony Mantha and Mike Green scored for Detroit (18-24-7), which was kicking off a three-game road trip that continues Sunday night in Vancouver.

Relegated to back-up duties lately, Mike Smith made 31 saves for Calgary to improve to 14-9-1. He has won nine of his last 11 decisions.

Detroit Red Wings' Luke Witkowski Calgary Flames Mike Smith
Detroit Red Wings’ Luke Witkowski, takes a shot on Calgary Flames Mike Smith. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Making his third straight start, Jimmy Howard had 30 stops for Detroit. He fell to 13-13-5.

The Flames red-hot power play is 8 for 14 in the last six games.

Detroit went ahead 4-3 at 8:35 of the third when Gustav Nyquist got behind the Flames defence and, after mishandling the puck, passed it to Larkin who buried his 20th.

Notes: Travis Hamonic (family illness) returned to the Flames line-up after missing two games.

Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press