SNAPSHOTS: Flames blank Rangers in 6-0 shellacking, extend point streak to 10 games

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There were roars, there always are, when the locals scored. And the Calgary Flames did a whole lot of that en route to Saturday’s 6-0 drubbing of the visiting New York Rangers.

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Boos, however, were even more common on what was among the most electric and entertaining evenings at the Saddledome in a long while.

Every single time that Rangers defenceman Adam Fox touched the puck, a boisterous crowd let him have it. The reigning Norris Trophy winner was treated to just one cheer — when his could-be tally in the first period, which he celebrated by raising a hand to his ear in a take-that to the critics, was disallowed after an offside challenge.

“I thought the atmosphere was great,” beamed Flames alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk, who led the offensive charge with a jaw-dropper of a goal and three assists. “Obviously, there was a lot of boos on the other side but just in general, (the fans) were great for us. They were very into it. And when they’re really into it like that, it seems to give us tons of momentum and we can build off them.

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“We know which buildings are really loud and are tough to play in. And this was a very tough building to play in tonight. I’m sure you can ask every one of them over there.”

Tougher on Fox than the rest of the out-of-towners.

The stud rearguard, if you don’t know the backstory, was drafted by the Flames but never suited up for the club.

While the brass at the Saddledome didn’t doubt that their third-round pick from 2016 had a bright future, he was ultimately traded away amid fears that he’d never sign in Calgary, instead choosing to finish his college career at Harvard and bolt as an unrestricted free agent. Originally from Jericho, N.Y., it wasn’t much of a secret that he dreamed of starring on Broadway. (Fox was included in the blockbuster swap with the Carolina Hurricanes that landed Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, both core pieces, in Calgary. So that didn’t turn out so bad. The Hurricanes eventually moved him to the Big Apple.)

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Fox, now 23, got his wish, and the Rangers got a hell of a player. But on this night, only his second career visit to the Saddledome and first since earning a Norris Trophy nod last season, he received a rude welcome.

The C of Red was relentless — and that’s a compliment — in their jeering of the lad wearing No. 23 in white. There were even several ‘Fox, You Suck!’ chants.

The heckles and hollers and assorted hostility can sometimes fade if the home team doesn’t do its part to keep spirits high and beer sales brisk, but that wasn’t an issue in Saturday’s showdown.

The Flames are now riding a 10-game point-streak, although there had not been nearly as many smiles after back-to-back overtime losses earlier in the week. They now own a 7-1-3 record overall.

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Sean Monahan cashed a one-timer on the power-play in Saturday’s opening stanza — both Tkachuk and Lindholm made terrific passes on this scoring sequence — and thanks to a 22-save performance from Jacob Markstrom, that stood as the game-winner.

With five minutes remaining, Tkachuk made it a night to remember with a stick-between-his-legs beauty. He could not wipe the smile off his face afterward, and we cannot blame him.

“I wasn’t really thinking there, it just happened,” Tkachuk said of straight-to-the-highlight-reel snipe. “I was just kind of in an awkward position there, backing up towards the goalie, and couldn’t really stop my momentum. So I just thought that was the best way to go about it. Lucky it worked out, but it was the sixth goal, so I guess it didn’t really matter. But still fun to see it go in the net.”

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Between Monahan’s winner and Tkachuk’s wow-er, Brad Richardson netted his first in the Flaming C logo, Johnny Gaudreau potted a pair and Milan Lucic added one of his own.

AROUND THE BOARDS

Fox finished the night with a minus-2 rating, two shots and two giveaways in a game-high 24:31 of icetime … Markstrom now has four shutouts on the season, already a new career-high. There are 71 games to go. “I think it says a lot more about the team and the way we’re playing really defensively sound,” Markstrom protested. There’s some truth to that, but the 31-year-old puck-stopper has also been superb. His work Saturday included a gorgeous glove save on Ryan Strome and a robbery of Mika Zibanejad from close range. “I think the biggest thing, when you talk about the shutouts, is cleaning up around the net,” said Flames coach Darryl Sutter. “Rebound control and getting whistles, things like that, are just as important as the saves. That’s what it’s about, and that’s what he has gotten really good at” … A knee-slapper from Markstrom, asked about Tkachuk’s goal: “He does all that kind of stuff in practice, as well. Never works in practice, though.” After the laughter stopped, Markstrom weighed in on what was a raucous rink. “It’s great to get the crowd involved,” he said. “We have way too many overtime losses here at home and we really, really needed a win and get the Saddledome buzzing a little bit and get the fans involved. Great to do it, Saturday night. It was fun” … There were some nervous moments when breakout blue-liner Oliver Kylington — the Flames’ biggest surprise so far this season — headed to the locker-room after being rubbed into the stanchion during the second period. The 24-year-old returned a few minutes later and extended his point-streak to six when Richardson buried his rebound off the end-boards … Like Kylington, Tkachuk has now hit the score-sheet in six straight. “Give him full marks tonight because his line struggled the last game and he took it on tonight and he carried the line, for sure,” Sutter said.

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OFF THE GLASS

Gaudreau has climbed into ninth on the Flames’ all-time franchise scoring charts, with 508 career points. He just pulled past fellow left-winger Gary Roberts (505) and will soon catch former captain Mark Giordano (509) … The farm club continues to roll, too. With Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL’s Stockton Heat improved to 7-0-1 on the season … One night after Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid blazed past four Blueshirts for the NHL’s best goal so far this season, Flames alumni Cory Sarich delivered a dandy one-liner on the in-house intermission show at the Saddledome. After showing a replay of an accidental collision between Rangers teammates Filip Chytil and Sammy Blais, Sarich quippedm “They probably should have done that last night against McDavid.” Zing … The Flames will wrap this five-game homestand with Tuesday’s matchup with the San Jose Sharks (7 p.m., Sportsnet One/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) and then pack their suitcases for a seven-game getaway … Calgary Hitmen sharpshooter Riley Fiddler-Schultz, fresh off his first major-junior hat-trick, is looking for an assist from you. The 19-year-old forward and the WHL’s 2020 Humanitarian of the Year award winner will be collecting donations Sunday for the Veterans Food Bank of Calgary. Stop by the Safeway Beltline, located on 11 Ave. S.W., between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to help Fiddler-Schultz fill a Ford — quite literally — for an important cause.

wgilbertson@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @WesGilbertson