Tkachuk’s 5-point game leads Flames past Rangers 5-1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals and had a career-high five points to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Johnny Gaudreau, Garnet Hathaway and Michael Frolik also scored for Calgary, which moved one point ahead of the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division lead with 11 games to go.

Tkachuk had 10 points (six goals, four assists) on the Flames’ 3-0-0 homestand. The hot streak comes after an extended cold stretch during which he had just six points in the previous 18 games.

Neal Pionk scored for the New York, which is winless in its last six on the road.

Tied at 1 after 20 minutes, Tkachuk gave the Flames the lead for good 2:56 into the second when he deflected Mark Giordano’s point shot past Alexandar Georgiev.

Just over a minute later, Tkachuk earned his 100th career assist, setting up Hathaway in front to make it 3-1.

It was all the offensive support needed by David Rittich, who turned aside 24 shots to improve to 25-7-5.

Georgiev made 27 saves to fall to 10-12-3.

Gaudreau opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first period on a beautiful pass by Tkachuk. Looking more like a football quarterback, Tkachuk lobbed a 95-foot pass from deep in his own end that landed on the stick of Gaudreau, springing him on a breakaway. Coming off a three-goal, six-point night on Tuesday, Gaudreau remained hot, making a nice move before slipping the puck through Georgiev’s pads for his team-leading 34th goal.

The Rangers tied it 70 seconds later when Ryan Strome found Pionk coming late and the defenseman wired a slap shot inside the post.

The Flames put the game away in the third period. Tkachuk’s third primary assist, as he set up Frolik in front, made it 4-1 at 5:12. He rounded out the scoring by converting Mikael Backlund’s pass at 9:49.

NOTES: Calgary’s Sean Monahan (undisclosed) did not play the last two periods. … Tkachuk has 73 points this season, joining Gaudreau, Monahan and Elias Lindholm in the 70-point club. The last time Calgary had four 70-point scorers was 2006-07 (Jarome Iginla 94, Alex Tanguay 81, Daymond Langkow 77, Kristian Huselius 77).

UP NEXT

Rangers: wrap up their four-game road trip in Minnesota on Saturday night.

Flames: at Winnipeg on Saturday night.