Calgary Flames at Boston Bruins

Former Bruin Vladar stops 27 shots, Flames beat Boston 4-0

Johnny Gaudreau and Noah Hanifin, who both played collegiate hockey nearby for Boston College, each had a goal for the Flames, who posted their third straight win and improved to 9-2-2 on the road. Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary, and Matthew Tkachuk had two assists.

Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves for Boston, taking first career loss at TD Garden after going 8-0-0. The Bruins had their three-game winning streak snapped, and it was just their second home loss in eight games.

It was the Flames’ seventh shutout in 19 games.

“He was solid,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said of Vladar. “The team was really good in front of him. There wasn't a whole lot of second opportunities in front of him. Boston's a team that likes to go to the net.”

The 24-year-old Vladar, a third-round draft pick by the Bruins in 2015, played five games with Boston last season before he was traded during the summer for a third-round pick in 2022.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I came in with the mindset to just get a ‘W.’ I wasn’t trying to think about where I’m playing because obviously I’ve got a bunch of friends on the Bruins team.

“My mindset was not to laugh around with the guys. I wasn't even saying hi to them before the game,” he said.

Coming off a 5-2 victory over the Islanders in the first game at New York’s UBS Arena on Saturday night, the Flames jumped ahead when Gaudreau one-timed the rebound of Juuso Valimaki’s shot past Swayman from the right circle 1:29 into the game.

Gaudreau, who played three years at BC, won the 2013-14 Hobey Baker Award.

They made it 2-0 with a similar goal midway into the second. Swayman stopped Tkachuk’s shot but the rebound went right to Hanifin, a former defenseman for BC, flipped it in 13:51 into the period.

“I think it was all execution tonight,” Boston captain Patrice Bergeron said. “A lot of it was on us, not making the plays, not executing. When it's going to be a game like that, I think you have to simplify and I don't think we did that."

Mangiapane scored his 15th of the season at 3:08 of the third after Swayman stopped two shots by Dillon Dube on a clean breakaway. Backlund made it 4-0 just 1:10 later.

“You’ve got to work to get inside,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Listen, we know what Calgary is all about, even though they’re not in our division. They’ve been through the East twice now and we’ve seen them. They have seven shutouts for a reason. They work hard to keep the puck out of the net. So, you have to be willing to go in there. Not enough guys wanted to do that tonight."

THEY PLAYED HERE, TOO

Along with Vladar, Flames forwards Milan Lucic and Brett Ritchie also previously played for the Bruins. Lucic was on the Stanley Cup championship team in 2011 during his eight seasons in Boston, and Ritchie played with the Bruins in 2019-20.

Game notes
Flames C Elias Lindholm played his 600th career game. … Bruins F Trent Frederic missed his fifth straight with an undisclosed upper-body injury. David Pastrnak got hit in the mouth with the puck but returned. … Ritchie was sidelined for his 10th consecutive game with a lower-body injury. … Gaudreau also hit the cross bar late in the opening period. … Each of Boston’s last three games were 5-2 victories.

UP NEXT

Flames: Host Chicago on Tuesday in the first of a three-game homestand.

Bruins: At Buffalo on Wednesday.

CGY leads series 1-0