SAN JOSE — Santa Claus can breathe a sigh of relief.
He won’t have to worry about Milan Lucic, one of the NHL’s most intimidating dudes, climbing up on his knee and demanding a goal. Or pleading for one.
Lucic finally snapped out of a marathon scoring drought, lighting the lamp for the first time since mid-March as the Calgary Flames celebrated a slump-buster of their own with Sunday’s 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
The fourth-liner thumper — just a few days removed from a three-game stint as a healthy scratch — leaned into a one-timer from the high slot in the second period, a puck that pinballed off two opponents before sneaking inside Kaapo Kahkonen’s right post.
The referee initially pointed to a crease-crashing Trevor Lewis, suggesting he’d be credited with this go-ahead goal.
Lewis immediately protested, pointing to his pal.
Lucic, not just due but overdue, needed this one. Everybody knew it. The 34-year-old forward hadn’t tickled twine in a span of 62 contests, a combination of regular-season and playoff dates.
The Flames needed this one, too. A win, that is.
They put an end to a five-game skid with Sunday’s victory in San Jose, finally back on the smiling side after an 0-2-3 stretch. It’s a nice way to open a four-game road-trip that leads into the NHL’s holiday break.
The out-of-towners were clinging to a one-goal lead after 40 minutes, but first-line centre Elias Lindholm tallied twice on the same shift to start the third, polishing off a sweet feed from Jonathan Huberdeau on the power-play and then draining another after a dandy dish by Rasmus Andersson.
When Dillon Dube, first on scene after Kahkonen was handcuffed by a dump-in, buried a rebound, the rout was on.
Tyler Toffoli had the other marker for the Flames, capitalizing on a gift of a giveaway — a whiffed pass by Jaycob Megna — in the opening stanza. Toffoli had gobs of time to pick his target before zipping a glove-side shot.
Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl provided the offence for the Sharks, both power-play snipes.
TANEV TRAVELLING
It’s good news that Chris Tanev is on the trip.
It’s even better news that Tanev geared up for morning skate in San Jose, his first twirl with his teammates since that scary scene in Montreal, where he was struck in the side of his head/neck — just below his right ear — while blocking a shot on the penalty-kill.
The 32-year-old defenceman was on the ice for about an hour Sunday. Although he is currently on injured reserve, that is a very encouraging sign.
“Today is a ramp day for him,” explained Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter. “He didn’t skate yesterday because we didn’t have ice. He skated the day before. Today, he’ll skate again, and tomorrow he’ll practise with the team. It is still very much that protocol.
“It’s like I told him today … “With Tanny, he’d be out there doing one-on-ones and jamming guys and everything. I said Tanny, ‘Don’t be doing anything today with your heart. Remember, it’s your head.’ ”
When Tanev was lying motionless on the ice Monday in Montreal, when he made a trip to hospital for initial testing, it was fair to wonder if his absence would be long-term.
That certainly isn’t lost on his teammates.
“He’s a warrior,” Huberdeau said. “He blocks so many shots. We know how he plays defensively and he sacrifices his body. It’s never easy to see a guy go down and get a puck to the head, so it’s good to see him back that soon.”
STICKING WITH MACKEY
Connor Mackey’s ears might still be ringing.
A couple evenings earlier, with a shot at a hat-trick, he’d clanked the crossbar.
Although a third goal would have been nice, a fourth straight appearance is more significant for the seldom-used blue-liner.
The 26-year-old has been tapped for just nine games this fall. Four in a row is his longest string so far.
While Mackey potted a pair — his second and third career goals at the NHL level — in Friday’s home loss to the St. Louis Blues, he was also guilty of a costly turnover that resulted in a crucial insurance tally.
It was a show of support from Calgary’s coaching staff to not lift him from the lineup, although they opted to dress seven defencemen in San Jose. Dennis Gilbert, just recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, was also in uniform. (Gilbert made an early exit after Jonah Gadjovich landed a heavy blow in their second-period scrap.)
“I feel like I’m starting to build a little bit and feel more comfortable out there,” Mackey said after morning skate. “You can do all the skates you want and you stay in shape that way, but just reading plays, the timing of things, it’s hard to replicate those game situations in practice. So just getting back into the rhythm, just really the repetition of the game, I think is huge.”
OFF THE GLASS
The Flames will stay put in San Jose for Tuesday’s rematch with the Sharks (8:30 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) … Flames call-up Radim Zohorna missed Sunday’s matchup due to a non-COVID illness, while fellow forwards Matthew Phillips and Brett Ritchie were the healthy scratches … A couple of key cogs were marking career milestones in San Jose — 700 games for Huberdeau and 400 for starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
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