Markstrom proves worth to Flames in Battle Of Alberta thriller

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Jacob Markstrom’s stat line on Saturday night in a wild 9-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers was certainly not the finest of his career, but there was an 18-second sequence where he proved to every National Hockey League organization why they have to invest in a bona fide No. 1 goalie when given the opportunity.

With the Flames clinging to a one-goal lead and Edmonton threatening, the Swede made a highlight-reel cross-crease save to rob Oiler winger Evander Kane of what looked like the game-tying goal. Eighteen seconds later, Johnny Gaudreau found Elias Lindholm near the faceoff dot. Lindholm beat Mike Smith, extending the Flames’ lead to two. 

The sequence, made more ironic by the fact that Edmonton was the runner-up to Markstrom’s services in the free agent market two summers ago,  sent the sold-out Saddledome into a frenzy. Edmonton never regained any momentum en route to defeat.

“The biggest play in the game was Marky’s save and then when we got the seventh goal after that,” Matthew Tkachuk said afterward, unprompted.

“That play should go down as the winning play.”

Under Sutter and goalie coach Jason LaBarbera, Markstrom has turned in a Vezina-calibre campaign. While Saturday’s game might not stand out statistically, that save on Kane may go down as one of the season’s most memorable

“The difference in a lot of teams is big saves and bad goals,” head coach Darryl Sutter said. 

While Markstrom’s save got much of the attention, Johnny Gaudreau quietly turned in a five-assist night, while Calgary’s reunited top line of Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk combined for four goals and 11 points. On his 500th career game, Noah Hanifin was plus-five. All nine Calgary goals were scored at five-on-five.

“There is something