Milan Lucic wasn’t pleading for credit on his first goal in nine months.
He was simply seeking clarification the goal would count at all.
Six minutes into the second period of a 1-1 game against the San Jose Sharks Sunday, Lucic’s one-timer from the high slot ricocheted in off Erik Karlsson, as teammate Trevor Lewis caused traffic in front.
It appeared to have ended a streak of 62 games without a goal.
However, after a brief celebration, Lucic could then be seen pleading with officials.
“It wasn’t about who scored it,” Lucic told Sportsnet 960 with a chuckle.
“I was hearing ‘22, 22’ and I was thinking they were going to call goalie interference (on Lewis).
“I’m like, ‘c’mon, you’re not going to take another one away from me again.’”
They tried, kind of, by awarding it first to Lewis, before changing it later in the game to the big winger who recently returned from a three-game banishment to the press box.
“It’s obviously good to contribute offensively, but the main thing is getting a big win here to start off the road-trip,” said Lucic, who had a goal disallowed due to an off-side challenge Nov. 17 in Tampa Bay.
“Before I sat out I had a lot of frustration and a lot of negative energy and I’m the kind of person that works against me.
“I wanted to be a positive influence again once I got back in.”
Mission accomplished Sunday, with a goal, four shots and three hits in 13 minutes of ice time.
Lucic’s goal played a big role in the Flames 5-2 win at SAP Center, which snapped another lengthy streak for teammate Jacob Markstrom.
Playing in his 400th NHL game, Markstrom finally got the type of run support he wasn’t given in his previous six starts, which were all losses.
The win marked his first win since Nov. 21 against Philadelphia — a nice change of pace for the 32-year-old who announced his engagement online a couple days earlier.
More takeaways from Sunday’s win, which snapped a five-game losing skid for the Flames:
THE PASS
It was the type of pass Flames fans had waited 32 games to see from Jonathan Huberdeau — a cross-ice power play beauty reminiscent of a play Johnny Gaudreau specialized in.
With the Flames clinging to a 2-1 lead to open the third period, Huberdeau moved in from the left point and delivered a no-look pass through a seam in the middle of the ice to Elias Lindholm who one-timed the eventual game-winner past Kaapo Kahkonen from the bottom of the circle.
Nineteen seconds later Lindholm struck again to blow the game wide open, by converting a similarly slick pass from Rasmus Andersson.
Those are the types of passes Flames fans expected to see plenty of from Huberdeau after Darryl Sutter proclaimed in camp that he was, “probably the best passer that this team has had in maybe ever.”
Playing in his 700th NHL game, Huberdeau skated on a line with Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane for the second consecutive game.
THE BINGE
The Flames lead the league with 18 one-goal games — a strange stat that speaks as much about the team’s dogged work ethic as it does about its absence of game-breakers.
Despite a dominant first couple periods against one of the league’s worst teams, the Flames only held a 2-1 lead going into the third period.
Sounds familiar.
That’s where things changed, as Lindholm’s two quick snipes to open the third were followed up by a Dillon Dube rebound to cap a three-goal spree in under two minutes that iced the game.
THE FIGHT
With Chris Tanev skating with the team as he recovers from the scary incident in Montreal that saw him take a puck to the head, the Flames summoned Dennis Gilbert from the Wranglers to be the team’s seventh defenceman in the lineup Sunday.
Not surprisingly, the 26-year-old lined himself up for a fight — the fourth time in 16 skates as a Flame.
This time it was a big-boy battle with Jonah Gadjovich, who was only too happy to trade heavy rights until he ended the affair with a huge right to the nose that not only clinched the win, but ended Gilbert’s night, as he left immediately for repairs.
It marked just the first loss in his four NHL bouts this season.
“He was good,” said Sutter of Gilbert’s status.
“I talked to him. It was just, because he obviously got punched, they wanted to make sure.”
Gilbert wasn’t the only Flames defender to leave the game early, as Nikita Zadorov raced off the ice clutching his wrist after blocking a point-blank shot with six minutes left.
No update on his status was given after the game.
THE COACH
Darryl Sutter opened the day by reiterating his Christmas wishes.
“Our goal was to be in a playoff spot at Christmas. And that’s still my goal.”
Sunday’s win put the Flames in a tie with Colorado for the final wild card berth.
The opportunity is certainly there to make Sutter’s dream come true, as the Flames face San Jose again Tuesday before capping off the last two games before the holiday in Los Angeles and Anaheim.
With Radim Zohorna dealing with an illness, Sutter chose to sit Matthew Phillips and Brett Ritchie in favour of playing an extra defender.
“Dressed seven because the predictability of our defencemen has not been good this year,” said Sutter.
