The Flames are pacing the NHL with this impressive scoring feat
It’s no secret the Calgary Flames have been scoring a lot this season.
But no team is scoring quite like them this season.
Of the National Hockey League’s 20 30-goal scorers this season, four skate regularly at Scotiabank Saddledome. No other team has claim to more than two of the remaining 16.
Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau each reached the 30-goal mark in 2021-22, joining @NHLFlames teammates Elias Lindholm (32) and Andrew Mangiapane (30).#NHLStats: https://t.co/nOcwgzSLgN pic.twitter.com/wGT2jJpTsD
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 26, 2022
“We’ve got a lot of offense on our team,” Calgary forward Johnny Gaudreau said, who both hit the 30-goal plateau and reached 200 career NHL goals with the same shot in a 4-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
“Up and down our line-up, we’ve got a lot of smart players on our team this year. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of and to watch.”
Elias Lindholm leads the way with 31. Each of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane slot in exactly at 30 — making the Flames the first team in the NHL since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins to have four snipers reach the 30-goal plateau by the 65th game of the season — when Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Tomas Sandstrom, and Petr Nedved each toppled the mark.
How rare is it in general?
The Flames are just the sixth team since the 2005-06 season to feature four 30-goal scorers, joining the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes, 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres, 2008-09 Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings, and the 2018-19 San Jose Sharks.
Four of the previous five to do so reached at least the conference final.
#Flames have 4 players with 30+ goals (Gaudreau, Lindholm, Tkachuk & Mangiapane) for the 6th time in franchise history & 1st since 1993-94 (Fleury, Nieuwendyk, Reichel & Roberts). pic.twitter.com/A2B2ipLQRk
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 26, 2022
To put it into some Calgary context, the 2022 foursome became the first Flames quartet since 1993-94 to accomplish the feat. That year, it was Gary Roberts 941), Theo Fleury (40), Robert Reichel (40), and Joe Nieuwendyk (36).
Calgary’s current core has 18 games to go to boost their totals, too.
There’ll be some pretty hefty work to do to add a fifth to the rotation, though.
Blake Coleman is next on the docket with 13 goals, and Mikael Backlund and Milan Lucic each share a hold on sixth.
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