The Calgary Flames produced the keys to beating the Dallas Stars in their playoff series.
They’ll try to improve on what they did to tie the series in Dallas and pull ahead Wednesday at home.
The Flames and Stars clash at the Saddledome in Game 5 of their best-of-seven conference quarter-final.
Game 6 is Friday back in Dallas. If necessary, Game 7 is Sunday in Calgary.
Both teams earned splits in each other’s arenas to be deadlocked 2-2.
Calgary had the discipline to maintain 5-on-5 hockey Monday in a 4-1 Game 4 win at American Airlines Arena.
The Flames ranked sixth in the NHL in even-strength goals in the regular season, compared with Dallas at No. 30.
After a combined 16 minutes of 4-on-4 in the second and third games of the series, the Flames engaged less, or more intelligently, in the extracurricular aggression that had produced so many coincidental minors.
So the Flames had the puck on their sticks a lot more than Dallas in Game 4, which gave Calgary longer stretches in the offensive zone pinning the Stars in their own end.
“We’ve been a very good 5-on-5 team all year. The more we keep it like that, the better,” Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk said Tuesday upon the team’s arrival back in Alberta.
“Just have the puck, shoot the puck, get it back and play more in their zone.”
Tkachuk and Dallas defenceman John Klingberg didn’t lock horns Monday to the same level they did in the second and third games, when they engaged in skirmishes shortly after puck drop.
While Elias Lindholm produced just the third even-strength goal of the series Monday for Calgary, the Flames dominated puck possession to generate other spinoff benefits.
The Stars chasing the Flames resulted in a 5-on-3 power-play goal for the all-important first goal of the game in the second period.
Johnny Gaudreau getting hooked on a breakaway made way for his successful penalty shot and a two-goal lead early in the third.
“We were on the wrong side of them too many times in all three zones,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “We were very slow to close on them in the defensive zone which is why they were able to cycle the puck as much.
“We’ll look at what went wrong and we’ll fix it by Wednesday night.”
After Calgary won 1-0 and lost 2-0 at the Saddledome to start the series, both teams made adjustments to find more open ice in Dallas.
They’ve combined for five even-strength goals in four games and both teams were 2-for-17 on the power play.
Their goaltenders have been their best penalty killers as the positional duel continues between Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist Tuesday, and the 23-year-old Jake Oettinger for the Stars.
Markstrom led the NHL in shutouts (nine) and ranked among the league’s top five in games played (63), wins (37), goals-against average (2.22) and save percentage (.922).
Oettinger’s seen more rubber, including 50 saves in Game 4. Markstrom was needed for game-saving stops, however, in a 34-save effort at American Airlines Center.
“It helps out a lot especially when they’ve got some pushes and they have a great atmosphere there,” Tkachuk said of Markstrom’s presence. “They’ve got a loud crowd, so to have somebody back there that can hold the fort, it’s huge.
“I congratulated him today. I think a lot of guys did. It speaks to the great year he’s had.”
Sutter was non-committal Tuesday as to whether he’ll play 11 forwards and seven defenceman in Game 5 as he did in Game 4.
In limiting his defenders’ minutes with an extra body, the coach deployed different forward line combinations throughout the game.
“Check on guys later tonight, injuries and stuff, treatments and go from there,” Sutter said.
When a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time series record of 219-58 (.791), according to NHL statisticians.
“The momentum is huge in this series,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “We’ve had it, they’ve had it and it’s our time to respond.”