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US
The Flames had a five-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Johnny Gaudreau , Matthew Tkachuk and Noah Hanifin supplied the offence, while David Rittich made 19 saves. Despite outshooting the Sabres 12-3 in the third period and overtime, Buffalo's hot hand prevailed as 2015 second-overall pick Jack Eichel put home the winner with a wicked shot off the rush only 1:09 into the fast-paced, 3-on-3 session. … The OTL, combined with a pair of regulation defeats by the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, means the Flames actually gained ground and now have a two-point cushion on first place in the Pacific, with a game in hand. … With a two-point effort Wednesday, Gaudreau extended his point streak to nine games (9G, 11A). His 22 multi-point games are only 11 shy of the franchise record for most in a season (33), a mark set by Bob MacMillan in 1978-79 (with Atlanta) and matched by Kent Nilsson in 1980-81 (with Calgary). The streak is currently the second-longest active streak in the NHL … "We played well (Wednesday)," said head coach Bill Peters. "I liked a lot of what we did. I liked our penalty kill; I liked our powerplay. We were +2 on special teams, I liked the fact that we didn't give up many seconds in the second half of the game. Lots of positives and we'll carry that forward." … James Neal missed the Buffalo contest due to illness, but was back at practice on Thursday alongside Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski . … Travis Hamonic , meanwhile, was absent again after missing the previous two games due to a family illness. There is currently no timeline for when the blueliner will be back in the lineup.



THEM
The Red Wings have won back-to-back games for the first time in six weeks (Nov. 28 and Dec. 1), thanks to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Still, the Wings are well out of the conversation when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race, trailing Pittsburgh Penguins by 13 points for the second of two wild-card berths. … Goaltender Jimmy Howard - an unrestricted free agent this Jul. 1 - is enjoying a resurgent season, posting a 13-12-5 record, along with a .917 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average. "For starters, we're not in our own end the whole time," Howard told Arthur Regner of DetroitRedWings.com. "In the past, when we have the lead, we've sat back and kind of just play in our own end for the whole period. There's been some pushback here when we have the lead and continue to push forward. It's been nice to see." … While the rebuilding Red Wings could see a third consecutive season out of the playoffs, they've embraced a youth movement and have seen raw talent emerge as legitimate difference-makers in this league of late. The Wings' breadwinner, Dylan Larkin, is only 22 years old, but is on track for a new career high in goals and points with 45 in his first 48 games this year. Larkin, the 15th pick in the 2014 Draft, is the centerpiece of a young squad that has seven forwards 25 or younger. On Jan. 5, Larkin set a new franchise record with his fourth overtime goal of the season, and became the 20th player in NHL history to achieve such a feat. The NHL record is five, and he has 34 games left to do it. … This is the first of a three-game road trip for the Wings, who will travel to Vancouver for a Sunday date with the Canucks, before finishing off their January schedule on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/5-th...gs/c-304013134