CALGARY — Sean Monahan scored the winner 9:09 into the third period as the Calgary Flames broke a four-game home losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
The goal was set up by Johnny Gaudreau, who carried the puck in on the rush. After not finding anyone open, he curled back at the face-off dot and tried again, this time spotting Monahan alone at the far post. All the Flames' leading goal scorer had to do was slide in his sixth of the year.
It was the 11th assist for Gaudreau, who leads the team with 14 points.
Micheal Ferland also scored for Calgary (6-6-0). The Flames improve to 1-1-0 on a seven-game homestand, which continues on Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit.
Jakub Vrana scored for Washington (5-6-1). The Capitals finish 1-2-0 on their three-game road trip through Western Canada.
The Flames took a 1-0 lead into the third period, before Washington tied it at 4:19. TJ Brodie's outlet pass to Matthew Tkachuk along the sideboards bounced off him and back towards the slot where T.J. Oshie set up Vrana. The rookie fired a shot that slipped under the glove of Mike Smith.
But that was the only puck to elude Smith, who was making his league-leading 11th start. Acquired in the off-season in a trade with Arizona, Smith has been the Flames best player all season and he was excellent again against the Capitals.
Smith improves his season save percentage to .931.
Calgary opened the scoring 2:08 into the second. Defenceman Brett Kulak, who had just stepped onto the ice, kept the puck in at the blue line and fired a quick shot towards the net that Ferland neatly deflected past Philipp Grubauer.
With Braden Holtby getting the night off after beating Edmonton 5-2 on Saturday, Grubauer made his fourth start and finished with 36 stops.
Grubauer's best save, keeping the score 1-1 in the third, came when he jabbed out his glove to rob Mark Giordano after he was set up by Gaudreau on a rare 4-on-1 rush.
Notes: Jaromir Jagr (lower body) is eligible to come off the IR and he's back skating with the team, but he missed his fourth straight game... Sam Bennett has yet to pick up a point in Calgary's 12 games... The Flames made two lineup changes with Kulak and RW Curtis Lazar drawing in. It was just the third game for Kulak... Washington made one personnel change from Saturday, inserting Aaron Ness on defence in place of Taylor Chorney.
Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press