Preseason win over Canucks a fantastic experience for Flames’ Gaudreau

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Perhaps you already know that the Calgary Flames won their first preseason game this year Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

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Maybe you know the score, too. Maybe you don’t. Either way, both the score and result are irrelevant as these games are just warmups for the real 2021-22 season lid-lifter on Oct. 16 at Edmonton.

But what mattered to Johnny Gaudreau most during the Flames’ 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks was they’re back. And so are the fans. Masked and vaccinated, of course.

When his signature goal song, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry, hit the Dome airwaves for the first time in front of a live audience since March 6, 2020 — when he last thrilled the C of Red — he was ecstatic.

“It was a lot of fun,” Gaudreau said. “It’s been a long time and we get so much energy from (the fans). To get them back in the building is awesome.”

More importantly, the 28-year-old left winger showed his signature skill on a line with Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, a last-minute line combination as Blake Coleman was scratched before the game after participating in the morning skate.

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The trio raised some eyebrows — in a good way — as they provided the lion’s share of the night’s offence with Tkachuk scoring in typical Tkachuk fashion by a tipped shot in front, Calgary’s third goal.

Meanwhile, Lindholm smartly set up Gaudreau’s first-period marker while the prodigal son of Carneys Point, N.J., nearly had another early in the third period when he was left alone in front of Thatcher Demko’s net. And another on a partial break midway through the frame.

The plan is, eventually, for Gaudreau to reunite with the recovering Sean Monahan and skate with Andrew Mangiapane on a line this season.

But it does make you wonder if this trio would be an option for Sutter to use as the season gets going.

DOING TIME

There is a method to Darryl Sutter’s madness when it comes to approaching the playing time of his goaltenders, particularly newcomer Dan Vladar.

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Heading into Friday’s preseason action against the Vancouver Canucks, no netminder had logged more exhibition contests (three) or minutes (124:31) than the 24-year-old Prague native.

You’d expect this, that the head coach would be eager to get Vladar into games. He is basically written with permanent marker into the Flames lineup as the backup goalie, barring injury.

But it’s also because of his lack of NHL experience — five games total with the Boston Bruins last season — that is a factor.

“We needed him to get a lot of NHL-calibre shooters against him,” Sutter said at Friday’s morning skate. “He’s played very few NHL games, so you want to build that up so he’s ready. If you look at the (regular season) schedule, it’s not easy because of the road trips and travel. He’s going to have to play some games in there — and not just play.”

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Meaning that unlike a certain goaltender under Sutter’s watch in these parts — Miikka Kiprusoff, who rarely took a night off — Vladar’s services will be used more frequently to relieve starter Jacob Markstrom.

“It used to be the old thing where the No. 1 guy would play the games and he was a .600 winning percentage and the back-up would go in and he was .500 or less and you could still have a good team,” Sutter said. “Well, that’s not the way it works now. The No. 2 guy — if you have a clear No. 1, which we do — has to win games, not just play games.”

SPEAKING OF MARKSTROM

The big Swede drew into the lineup for his first friendly, stopping 14-of-15 shots and playing two periods of action.

Albeit, he was idle for the last five minutes of the second period as the Flames were on the power play for back-to-back tries with Canucks J.T. Miller and Brad Hunt in the penalty box.

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Dustin Wolf made his preseason debut and skated in his first-ever NHL preseason game. In 20 minutes of work, the Stockton Heat-bound netminder stopped all seven attempts he faced.

AROUND THE BOARDS

Off-season addition Nikita Zadorov flexed his physical side on Calgary’s second goal, levelling Canucks forward Jason Dickinson in the offensive zone. While that created some distraction (and subsequently took a very ready-to-drop-the-gloves Nic Petan out of the play), Mikael Backlund walked in and potted one on Thatcher Demko … Jonah Gadjovich scored the lone goal for the Canucks … Flames forward Blake Coleman was a late scratch, making way for Emilio Petterssen, Calgary’s sixth round (167th overall) selection in the 2018 draft, to make his preseason debut … Calgary continues its’ gruelling section of the preseason docket Saturday against the Seattle Kraken in Kent, Wa. … After hilariously missing a wide open, empty net in the final seconds of the game, Brett Ritchie had another opportunity and didn’t miss on Calgary’s fourth of the night after Mangiapane dished him the puck.

kanderson@postmedia.com

Twitter: @KDotAnderson