Jakob Pelletier shone with two goals and an assist, leading the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday evening.
Mikael Backlund, Yegor Sharangovich, and Jake Bean also contributed to the Flames’ scoring in what marked their third straight win. Dustin Wolf was solid in goal, turning away 23 shots in the first match of a four-game road trip.
In his NHL debut, Flames forward Rory Kerins had a notable impact with two assists, both coming in the opening period. Prior to his promotion, Kerins was a standout player in the AHL, leading the league with 21 goals before being called up on Friday.
For the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard notched his 100th career point with a goal in the second period, though the team faced their ninth defeat in 11 games. The top pick of the 2023 draft, Bedard has now accumulated 34 goals and 66 assists over a span of 112 games.
Additionally, Louis Crevier added a goal for Chicago, and goaltender Petr Mrazek made 31 saves during the contest.
Calgary took control early, with Bean scoring his second goal of the season just 1:55 into the second period to extend their lead to 4-1. However, Chicago earned a brief reprieve when Martin Pospisil was penalized for five minutes and received a game misconduct for boarding Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall at 10:30.
This opportunity allowed Chicago to respond, as Bedard scored his 12th goal of the season at 11:29, narrowing the Flames’ lead to 4-2. Yet, a costly turnover by Seth Jones led to a well-executed short-handed goal by Sharangovich at 13:38, extinguishing any momentum the Blackhawks had gained.
In terms of key moments, Backlund’s ninth goal at 5:52 of the first period placed Calgary firmly in control with a 3-1 advantage, setting the stage for the rest of the match.
Notably, Pelletier’s performance marked his first career multi-goal game; he entered the night with five goals and 10 assists accumulated over 52 games.
Looking ahead, the Flames are set to face St. Louis for games on Tuesday and Thursday, while the Blackhawks will travel to Nashville for their matchup on Thursday.
