CALGARY — On any other day, you can be sure the goal Oliver Kylington scored to open Monday’s matinee would be the takeaway that had fans leaving with a bounce in their step.
Parting the defence with a burst of speed that saw him finish in alone with a backhander past Connor Hellebuyck, Kylington put an emotional exclamation mark on his recent return following a 20-month mental health battle.
The crowd stood in support, the player leapt with jubilation and Nazem Kadri went as far as to suggest it was the type of rush Bobby Orr made famous.
Alas, eight goals later, the focus from players and fans alike revolved around the character and resolve of the Flames who staged a gutsy comeback to win 6-3.
Just when it appeared this team was finally about to go quietly into the night by dropping their fourth straight to unofficially drop from the playoff fringes, up popped Jacob Markstrom’s catcher to snatch that narrative away.
Sean Monahan had responded to Kylington’s magic with a storybook three goals in five minutes, putting the Flames in a first period hole few dreamed they could have climbed out of.
Hellebuyck and the Jets simply don’t lose leads like those.
But after a Blake Coleman snipe closed the gap to 3-2, there was Monahan, in on a 2-on-1 the former Flame chose to shoot top corner.
Instead of game over, it was game on, as the man who’d been pulled two nights earlier kickstarted the comeback.
The Flames veterans took over from there, scoring twice in the second and twice more in the third for the type of win few thought possible following back-to-back no-shows at home.
“It shows a lot,” said Kylington when asked what the comeback said about his team.
“We’ve had tough stretches of games in the past here, and we’ve been down and we haven’t showed any character, but I think today we did.
“I think this group can show character and we just have to understand we have to do that for each other to win games.”
They’re not done yet.
The trade chatter won’t disappear, nor will the reality that significant holes are about to open up in the lineup that will make it even harder to stay in the playoff race.
But this team has an admirable pushback you can’t take away.
“It can be hard sometimes when you’re not having success and it starts getting piled on a bit, but right from the beginning of the year this team always has kind of stuck with it,” said coach Ryan Huska.
“When you look at the save Jacob made, it could have made it 4-1 (actually 4-2) and that’s probably game over.”
Instead, they stopped the bleeding after two faceplants at home seemed to suggest the young, recalibrating team was out of answers.
This time it was the veterans who led the comeback, with goals from Jonathan Huberdeau, Andrew Mangiapane and Nazem Kadri, who scored twice, including an empty netter.
In doing so, they snapped Hellebuyck’s 31-game streak of allowing three goals or less.
“Obviously adversity to start the game, but we fought back,” said Kadri.
“We were the better team tonight against a great hockey club.
“It means a lot. I feel like we’ve done that several times this year, when things start to snowball and start to stack against us we reset and refocus and pull out a big win against a great team.
“I’m very proud of the guys.
“Character from everybody.”
Retool, rebuild, whatever – it bodes well the team still has that fight in it.
Don’t underestimate the role Kylington’s goal and inspirational story played in Monday’s win.
“It’s been a long time coming - very happy for him,” said Kadri.
“Rallied around him in pretty sick fashion, going coast-to-coast like Bobby.
“Nice to see. I’m very proud of the journey he’s had and to come back and contribute is nice to see.”
Kylington doesn’t remember the vertical he got during his celebration.
“Happy emotions,” he said of his first of the year.
“I saw ice, so I just tried to take it, and happy it went in.
“I wouldn’t say I’m Bobby, but that was a nice compliment.”
Huska opened the game with Connor Zary on the top line with Yegor Sharangovich and Jonathan Huberdeau, bumping Andrei Kuzmenko to the second unit.
However, after the bad start, Zary returned to Kadri’s line and Kuzmenko was demoted to the fourth unit as Dryden Hunt was given a first line assignment.
“It’s not even really a message,” said Huska when asked what the message was to Kuzmenko.
“It’s nothing on him. Who knows what it will look like next game.”
Who knows indeed.
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