Eberle scores twice, Oilers sweep Flames for first time (Jan 21, 2017)
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) In an up-and-down season, Jordan Eberle is producing goals again.
Eberle had two goals and two assists, Laurent Brossoit stopped 38 shots for his first NHL win and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 7-3 on Saturday night to sweep the four-game season series for the first time.
The 26-year-old Eberle has three goals and six points in the last four games. That comes on the heels of an 18-game goal drought in which he was limited to five assists.
''That's how it works. You go through hot and cold streaks,'' said Eberle, who has 11 goals and 32 points this season. ''This was one of the colder streaks I've ever been on. It was frustrating. Once the puck goes in it starts to go in.''
Eberle's wrist shot at 5:58 of the first period made it 3-0 and prompted Flames coach Glen Gulutzan to swap Brian Elliott in goal for Chad Johnson, who allowed three goals on four shots.
''The biggest thing was we started well. We capitalized on our chances early and got them behind the 8-ball,'' Eberle said.
The Oilers kept taking advantage of Calgary's mistakes in the second period. After Connor McDavid's power-play goal at 3:57, Eberle scored again at 12:24, making it 5-0 when he was left open in the slot to deflect in Matt Benning's pass.
''It's embarrassing,'' Gulutzan said. ''I don't talk to the guys after the game. Win or lose, I talk to them the next day. But certainly in the coaches' room, emotions are high.''
Anton Slepyshev, Mark Letestu, Oscar Klefbom and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for Edmonton. The streaking Oilers are 5-0-1 in their last six and have moved within one point of the first-place Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division.
Sean Monahan extended his goal streak to five games, and Matthew Tkachuk and Lance Bouma also scored for Calgary.
The 23-year-old Brossoit won in his seventh career start. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Flames in 2011 and was part of a November 2013 trade in which Calgary acquired defenseman Ladislav Smid.
''It's a great feeling, especially with how last year went down with my call-up. It's nice to contribute in a positive way,'' Brossoit said.
Oilers coach Todd McLellan hopes the rookie's outing will be a sign of things to come.
''In our organization he's played some tremendous games and hasn't been able to put a win on the board. So we're really happy for him,'' McLellan said. ''I'm sure this will do wonders for his confidence.''
Elliott made 23 saves in relief for the Flames, getting tagged with the loss to fall to 8-11-2.
Slow starts have been a trend for Calgary lately and that chronic issue continued as the Flames yielded the opening goal for a seventh straight game.
At 1:17, Drake Caggiula won a faceoff back to Slepyshev, who quickly buried his third goal past Johnson.
''It starts with the older guys, the leaders in this room,'' Flames captain Mark Giordano said. ''That's a bunch of games in a row now where we've fallen behind and haven't been able to get any push-back, and in our rink, it's unacceptable.''
Edmonton made it 2-0 when Zach Kassian zipped a pass through the slot that Letestu one-timed past Johnson. Eberle's goal came 36 seconds later and was the result of a poor defensive play by Jyrki Jokipakka, who left Eberle with a clear path to the net off the wing.
''I actually have no explanation for what our (defensemen) were doing. It was a complete mistake,'' Gulutzan said.
Tkachuk's deflection on a power play at 15:55 of the second finally got Calgary on the scoreboard, but Edmonton answered back with a power-play goal of its own 58 seconds later. Klefbom's slap shot from the blue line bounced crazily off the ice in the slot and eluded Elliott.
NOTES: Monahan's goal streak ties him for the second-longest in the NHL this season. Nashville's James Neal had a six-game streak in November. ... Fourteen penalty minutes for Tkachuk gives the Flames' rookie 90 on the season. That's second to Dallas' Antoine Roussel (98). ... Johnson has given up seven goals on 25 shots in his last two starts.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Begin a two-game California swing at Anaheim on Wednesday night.
Flames: Open a three-game Eastern Canada trip on Monday night in Toronto.
