Red Wings forward Patrick Kane scored two goals in 5-2 win over Flames
Patrick Kane scored a pair of goals in the second period to lift the Red Wings to a 5-2 win over Calgary.
Detroit — There aren’t a lot of breathers the next two weeks for the Red Wings but Monday’s game against Calgary appeared to be one.
Turned out it was, and the Wings took full advantage.
Four second-period goals, two of them from Patrick Kane, sent the Wings to a 5-2 victory over the woeful Flames.
Emmitt Finnie, Moritz Seider (power play) and Dominik Shine (empty net) added goals and goaltender John Gibson stopped 26 shots as the Wings (37-23-8, 82 points) moved three points past Columbus for the final wildcard spot.
With 82 points, the Wings also tied Montreal for third seed in the Atlantic Division, though Montreal has played two less games.
The Wings host Montreal Thursday, Boston — the other Eastern Conference wildcard team — Saturday and Ottawa on March 24, in a crucial homestand.
The Wings fell behind 1-0 on Morgan Frost’s 15th goal in the first period, but roared back in the middle 20 minutes.
Kane tied it at 1 minute, 3 seconds when a deflected pass got on Alex DeBrincat near the blue line, and DeBrincat found Kane alone for a breakaway, Kane beating goaltender Dustin Wolf high.
The Wings took the lead on Finnie’s 12th goal. Finnie tapped in Albert Johansson’s pass, Johansson finding Finnie unattended at the side of the crease at 5:06.
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 5, Flames 2
Kane made it 3-1 with his 12th goal, and second of the period. Kane again converted a pass from DeBrincat, who stole a puck along the boards and found Kane skating alone toward the net. Kane got his stick on the puck and flipped it pass Wolf at 6:37.
After Calgary’s Matt Coronato cut the lead to 3-2 — Coronato swiped a puck from Simon Edvinsson, broke in on a 2-on-1 rush and his shot deflected off Moritz Seider’s skate and through Gibson — Seider extended the lead back two goals with his ninth goal, on a shot from the slot on the power play.
Shine scored his second goal into an empty net.
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