Flames teammates egging Gaudreau over milestone finish line

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Gaudreau has had a slight pause in his chase to reach 100 points.

It’s only stalled out at one game, at the moment.

But that hasn’t stopped his Calgary Flames teammates from giving Johnny Hockey the gears.

Just a touch.

“Maybe a little bit,” teammate Andrew Mangiapane said with a slight smile.

“I told him, ‘Don’t be nervous. Just get that 100th point out of the way for us.’ But other than that, I think guys are pretty excited. He’s pretty close and is having an awesome season.

“Just want to keep playing the way he is.”

Gaudreau has the chance to become the first Flames player in 29 years to break through the triple-digit total, parking himself at 99 points with 10 games remaining in the season.

He had that same opportunity Saturday against the Seattle Kraken but came up empty in an eventual 4-1 win.

He’ll go against the same squad in hopes of chasing down the milestone marker Tuesday.

And while he’s been eyeing the plateau after a string of multi-point efforts last week, it’s not a marker he’s necessarily been fixed on from a young age.

“As a kid, I just wanted to play in the NHL,” Gaudreau said. “I don’t think I ever dreamed of that. I was just hoping I could play in the NHL someday and as I got older, a little bit closer at the end of my college career, I thought maybe it was a possibility and now I’ve got the opportunity to do it. A lot of guys are playing well this year and a lot of people are having career years, so it’s been a lot of fun to watch and be a part of.”

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This season, Gaudreau has already locked in an NHL career-high 65 assists, surpassing his old mark set in the 2018-19 season.

He’s one tally or helper away from doing the same in points for the first time in his career.

Gaudreau has been oh-so-close before. His bid for 100 points stalled out at 99 three years ago.

Not that it’s bothered him.

“I mean, what’s one more point. Basically there,” Gaudreau shrugged. “Whether it’s three digits or two it’s right there. And I think Bill Peters played me 28 minutes that night, so I had all the opportunities to get 100 and I didn’t. It’s probably on me. I was excited with the way we played that year and I’m excited with the way we’re playing this year. It’s been a lot of fun.”

"They haven't been here for a long time. They're super excited."

Johnny on having his parents, Jane and Guy, visit Calgary to watch the upcoming games at the 'Dome. pic.twitter.com/fKpk19ZhII

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 12, 2022

Understandable.

The Flames led the Western Conference in Gaudreau’s then career year.

This season, Calgary leads the Pacific Division with a healthy seven-point edge on the second-place Edmonton Oilers with one fewer game remaining.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the team’s two best years in the last decade have come in conjunction with Gaudreau’s finest efforts. It’s why he’s generating some buzz as a sleeper candidate for the Hart Trophy this season.

It’s also no coincidence that when he’s struggled, the team has struggled.

Gaudreau’s two lowest outputs came in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

The Flames played into the playoffs via the qualifier in 2020 and missed the playoffs completely in 2021.

Needless to say, he’s rounded back into form. Not that there was doubt of that.

“I think I’m the same player as I have played throughout my time here,” Gaudreau said. “As you get older, you get a little more experience at kind of reading the situation, time of the game and this and that.

“But looking back at my past few years, obviously the points weren’t there and everything, but when you’re playing with… the one year I played with [Sean Monahan] and [Elias Lindholm] — a really healthy Mony, too, and he was a really good player for us that year — and this year playing with Lindy and [Matthew Tkachuk], two really, really talented players as well. You’ve got to find the right match of players to play with and create some chemistry and go from there.

“Maybe the past two or three years, I haven’t found that chemistry with those lines, but I still the same player that I’ve been.”

A player that’s on the cusp of 100 points for the second time in his career.