Gaudreau's hat trick powers Flames to win over Lightning

CALGARY — Johnny Gaudreau extended his point streak to seven games with his sixth career hat trick on Thursday in leading the red-hot Calgary Flames to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary (35-15-7), which improves to 15-2-1 in their last 18. The Flames are 13-1-1 in their last 15 games at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Alex Killorn scored for Tampa Bay (37-14-6), which loses consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season. Halfway through their season-long six-game road trip, the Lightning will try to turn things around on Saturday when they take on the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

Turning in a terrific performance in net for the Flames was Jacob Markstrom, who made 30 saves to improve to 27-11-6.

Andrei Vasilevskiy had 28 stops for Tampa Bay. He falls to 30-11-4.

With the goaltenders taking turns making great save after great save, the game was a 1-1 approaching the final minute of the second when the Flames erupted for two goals to open up a 3-1 lead.

At 19:00, and on a play reminiscent of his goal in the first period, Gaudreau corralled a loose puck to the side of the net and from below the goal line, banked a shot off the back of Vasilevskiy and in.

Calgary surged ahead 3-1 with eight seconds left. Erik Gudbranson got the puck along the sideboards and snapped a hard low pass into the slot that Backlund neatly steered in. Gudbranson's assist gives the 30-year-old defenceman a career-high 14 points.

Gaudreau then capped off his evening at 13:44 and this goal more conventional, taking a pass from Elias Lindholm and one-timing a shot past Vasilevskiy sending hats raining onto the ice from the raucous crowd, who shortly after broke into chants of “Johnny,