Coleman scores twice, Flames top Ducks to gain in West wild-card race

CALGARY -- Blake Coleman scored twice for the Calgary Flames in a 4-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday.

Nazem Kadri and Kevin Rooney also scored, and Yegor Sharangovich had two assists for the Flames (36-27-12), who had lost three of their previous four. Dustin Wolf made 26 saves.

"It was a game we needed," Coleman said. "We need them all. I think guys showed up, played well, good home game. We've got to turn the page here pretty quick, but we can build off that game. I thought up and down the lineup it was pretty solid."

Calgary moved to within five points of the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with a game in hand.

"I don't think there's a question on whether we're losing hope or not," Kadri said. "We're believing. I feel like we've played some great hockey over the last handful of games and maybe some days haven't gotten the result we wanted, so it was nice to get the two points tonight."

Olen Zellweger scored for the Ducks (33-34-8), who were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. John Gibson allowed three goals on 26 shots before he left the game following the second period because of a lower-body injury. He was replaced by Lukas Dostal, who stopped seven of eight shots.

There was no update on Gibson's status postgame.

"We looked a little tired or something, not really competing like we need to be," Zellweger said. "Obviously because of that we're giving up way too many chances against. There were a few good moments throughout the game, but overall we have to be way better, way more competitive and complete. It's unfortunate, our effort that game."

Anaheim, which finished with 59 points in 2023-24, has improved to 74 this season with seven games remaining.

"As much as it's disappointing tonight, I think from the big picture we took a step in the right direction," Ducks captain Radko Gudas said. "You can see the guys here that are young and wanted to get better, they want to get better every game we play. I thought for us, obviously not a successful year because of (missing) the playoffs, but I think it was a step in the right direction for the organization and the future is going to be bright if we can keep this group together."

Kadri scored 16 seconds into the first period to give the Flames a 1-0 lead, a wrist shot short side by Gibson's blocker off a 2-on-1 rush.

"That's absolutely ideal for a scorer, to be scoring on the first shift," said Kadri, who has 11 goals in his past 16 games. "Great play up the wall, good execution, good chip out, and I was just able to pick my spot, and it certainly felt nice."

Zellweger tied it 1-1 at 8:01 when he finished a three-way passing play with Troy Terry and Ryan Strome with a backdoor tap-in.

"I decided to just hang out weak side, backdoor there, and Strome ended up getting some open ice and hit me backdoor there," Zellweger said. "That was a great play by those guys."

Coleman put Calgary ahead 2-1 at 10:25 of the second period with a short-handed goal on the breakaway, a shot that went in off Gibson's blocker.

Rooney extended it to 3-1 at 15:19, ending an 18-game goal drought. Adam Klapka's wraparound was stopped, but Rooney shot by Gibson's glove from the slot after corralling the rebound.

Coleman’s second goal of the game made it 4-1 at 1:17 of the third on the power play, scoring from the right circle over Dostal's right pad. The shot was the first Dostal faced after replacing Gibson.

"It's never easy to be in that position where you feel like you've got to win the game, but we're certainly getting used to that," Kadri said. "I think it was a pretty solid performance from start to finish today."

NOTES: Wolf is the fifth U.S.-born rookie goalie with 25 wins in a single season, joining Jimmy Howard (37 in 2009-10), Frank Brimsek (33 in 1938-39), Ryan Miller (30 in 2005-06) and Tom Barrasso (26 in 1983-84). … Coleman became the seventh player in Flames franchise history to record a short-handed and power-play goal in the same game multiple times (also Dec. 23, 2023), joining Theo Fleury (four times), Joel Otto (three), Joe Nieuwendyk (three), Kent Nilsson (three), Jarome Iginla (two) and Rene Bourque (two). … Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe had his six-game point streak end (three goals, five assists).