3 Takeaways From Flames Big Win Over Blackhawks

The Calgary Flames kicked off their four-game road trip by extending their win streak to three by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at the United Center on Monday night on Amazon Prime.

The win gave the Flames a sweep over their Original Series rival this season, despite Connor Bedard scoring his 100th NHL point on Monday.

However, the night's highlight belonged to Rory Kerins, who made his NHL debut and picked up his first assist in just 12 seconds. He finished the night with two points (both assists) and two shots in 14:57 of ice time. Meanwhile, he was plus-3 in his debut.

There's no time to dwell on tonight's big victory, as the Flames are back in action on Tuesday in St. Louis.

The Kids Are Going to be Okay

Captain Mikael Backlund, who is 35, was the oldest player to score a goal on Monday night. The other three players to light the lamp were Jakob Pelletier (23), Kevin Bahl (24), and Yegor Sharangovich (26).

Moreover, goalie Dustin Wolf (23) was brilliant again, backstopping the Flames to a win, his 15th of the year. Although no one is seriously talking about him as one of the favorites for the Calder Trophy, Wolf is responsible for 71.4% of the team's wins this season.

The debate in Calgary over whether to tank and rebuild will continue as the team vies for the second Western Conference wildcard spot. Ultimately, what management does from here on doesn't matter because the kids will be just fine.

The Monkey is Gone

The last time Sharangovich scored a goal, most Americans were still digesting Thanksgiving and only thinking about what they wanted for Christmas.

The 26-year-old last lit the lamp on Dec. 3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, 15 games ago. After scoring a career-high 31 goals last season, he's struggled to find the back of the net this season, with only seven now in 35 games.

Although he's been snakebitten numerous times, there's relief now that he finally scored again on Monday night. Hopefully, this one goal will change his recent misfortunes, and Sharangovich can bag a few more on the road trip.

Flames Restart a Special Teams Streak

The Flames have been beaten up when teams go on the powerplay recently, giving up a special teams goal in seven straight. However, the streak ended against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Unfortunately, their new shutout streak ended on Monday, as Bedard scored on the five-minute major penalty kill, netting his 100th career point.

Of 42 games this season, the Flames have surrendered a man-advantage goal in 26, equally 61.9% of their season.

Yet, Calgary (70.8%) isn't the worst team on the penalty kill, as the Detroit Red Wings (69.1%) and New York Islanders (65.2%) rank lower.

Sadly, the only thing all three have in common is they are all fighting for their playoff lives on a nightly basis.

Flames & Blackhawks Trivia Answers

How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.

1. Matthew Lombardi

2. Sandy McCarthy, Robyn Regehr

3. Gary Suter

4. Brian MacLellan

5. Brad Marsh

6. Fred Brathwaite

7. Phil Myre

8. Dan Bouchard

9. Tony Amonte

10. Larry Romanchych

Related: 5 Interesting Things To Know About Flames Rory Kerins

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