Jacob Markstrom Led the Flames Shutouts in Game 1 of Western Conference First Round
On Tuesday, the Calgary Flames beat the Dallas Stars 1-0 in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Scotiabank Saddledome, with Jacob Markstrom making 16 saves. His second playoff career shutout and his first since Aug. 2020, when he made 27 stops in a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers for the Vancouver Canucks.
Markstrom was “solid,” according to Calgary defender Erik Gudbranson. “He was quite reliable. He needed to be sticky at times throughout the game, and he was sticky and earned a whistle for us. We have faith in him, after all. He’s a fantastic goalie.”
Jacob Markstrom led the NHL
During the regular season, Jacob Markstrom led the NHL with nine shutouts. The Flames’ No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division’s Elias Lindholm scored the game’s lone goal. Calgary player Blake Coleman stated, “I think it was an intense game, a tight-checking game, but it’s only one game.” “I started coming into the playoffs that it would be a marathon, not a sprint,” he remarked. We need to figure out how to learn from our failures in these games and then build on what we did well, which is what we’ll focus on tomorrow. I’m confident that the coaches will have us ready for Game 2.
“But, I believe, that is the strength of this group: we can play in whatever style you want. We can play physically, we can create plays, we can defend, and we have an excellent goalie. Whatever the game requires, we are up to the task.”
The first card in the Western
The first card in the Western is Jake Oettinger made 25 saves for the Stars in his first NHL playoff start.
“You can’t go higher or lower in the playoffs,” Oettinger said. “We didn’t play our best game and lost 1-0, in my opinion. As a result, I feel we should be upbeat. I’m certain that the guys will respond and play even better.”
Lindholm made it 1-0 at 5:01 of the first period when he one-timed a feed from Matthew in the power play.
“It’s always wonderful to assist the team,” Lindholm said, “but I believe we can play better overall.” “There wasn’t much going on in our line (Lindholm, Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau). It was a nail-biter of a game. Defensively, both clubs performed well. We found a method even though there wasn’t much going on.”
In the opening 11 minutes, Calgary outshot Dallas 9-0. Tyler Seguin’s tip gave the Stars their first shot at 11:06, and Jamie Benn’s dump-in from the neutral zone gave them their second shot at 16:15.
“They seemed to be flying out of nowhere. Electrified the structure, “Michael Raffl, a forward for the Dallas Mavericks, remarked. “It was a great place to be there. They went at us right away, particularly in the opening ten minutes. After 10 minutes, the bench settled down, and you were used to the brisk pace. In the beginning, they were very nice.”
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At the second period
Jacob Markstrom made a blocker stop on Esa Lindell’s half breakaway. Oettinger stopped Tyler Toffoli with a stick save at 15:09. Andrew Mangiapane’s one-timer with a left pad save at 15:56, and Lindholm in the slot with a proper place save at 16:40.
“That was his first NHL start, and he performed well in a tough rink against a very excellent club. I’m delighted for him. I’m quite proud of him.”
“With the power-play goal, they won 1-0,” Raffl remarked. “That was the key to tonight’s success. I believe it was an equal five-on-five game. I got the impression that we were at ease playing 5-on-5 against them.”
Lastly, at 8:23 of the third period, Markstrom made a toe stop on Seguin’s backhand.
On the power play, Dallas went 0-for-5, while Calgary went 1-for-5.
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