Flames explode for seven straight goals, beat Sabres

Jakob Pelletier scored his first NHL goal to spark a four-goal second period and Dillon Dube scored once in his first career four-point game as the visiting Calgary Flames scored seven unanswered goals en route to a 7-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.

Tyler Toffoli scored twice and added an assist, while Dennis Gilbert and Nazem Kadri both collected one goal and one assist and Mikael Backlund added a single. Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm and Chris Tanev each collected two helpers, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves after a rough start.

Tage Thompson and Casey Middelstadt replied for the Sabres in their first game back after the All-Star break and bye week. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 33 shots.

Trailing 2-0 early in the second period, the Flames erupted, starting with a pair of goals 20 seconds apart. Pelletier started the comeback when he raced to join Kadri on a rush, took a feed and lifted a shot for the milestone marker at 2:17 of the middle frame.

Backlund then tied the game when he drove down the wing before cutting to the right face-off dot and finding the mark for his 10th of the campaign.

Then Gilbert notched his first NHL goal since Dec. 27, 2019, while with the Chicago Blackhawks. In his 20th big-league game since then and before dozens of friends and family in his hometown, Gilbert rifled a low slap shot into the far corner at 4:04.

Kadri capped the dominating period when he deflected Huberdeau's long shot at the 7:39 mark to reach the 20-goal mark.

Calgary outshot the hosts 23-6 in the period.

Toffoli added a pair of third-period goals, his second on the power play, to give him 21 tallies on the season, before Dube notched his 13th to round out the scoring.

The host Sabres, who are trying to end an 11-year playoff drought, saw a game slip away in a big way.

Despite only managing three shots in the first period, they staked a 2-0 lead. Thompson's power-play goal, his 35th of the campaign, opened the scoring at 7:56 with a rocket of a one-timer..

Middelstadt notched his eighth of the campaign with another pin-point shot from the right circle at the 12:34 mark.