ELMONT, N.Y. – Asked for a post-game glimpse into his New York state of mind, Jonathan Huberdeau exhaled.
“That’s a hell of a road trip,” said the man about to board a charter flight home, where the lads can be proud of the franchise’s first three-game sweep through the tri-state area.
“A lot of emotion like that, you just want to sit back and have a nice beer now.”
So much to celebrate following a 4-3 overtime win over an equally desperate Islanders team, which featured more late drama than an episode of Law & Order.
Coming off two dramatic comeback wins in Manhattan and Jersey, the Flames’ needed more timely heroics after Kyle MacLean banged in a fortuitous rebound to put the hosts ahead 3-2 with 2:51 left.
In less time than it takes to air a network commercial, there was Huberdeau, fighting off a pair of cross-checks to deflect a Rasmus Andersson point shot past Marcus Hogberg.
A spectacular glove save by Dan Vladar with 13 seconds remaining in regulation set the table for a plodding, methodical overtime in which the Flames controlled the puck for the bulk of four minutes before Nazem Kadri scored the winner.
“Crazy finish,” said Kadri, whose club has now won 31 games in a row when scoring four or more goals.
“They got a fortunate bounce (on MacLean’s goal) and it would have been easy to hang our head. But we rolled up the sleeves a little bit. Huby came up big again and that line was great for us all night.
“There’s not quite any other feeling than winning a hockey game, period. Especially in dramatic fashion makes it even better. I feel like the last two games have kind of been similar that way. Shout out to the fellas. We came to play on this road trip.”
They needed to, as St. Louis continues to roll, holding a two-point lead on the Flames, who leapfrogged Vancouver with the win. The Flames have two games in hand on the Blues, as they head home for two games at the Dome.
They mounted their latest comeback without MacKenzie Weegar, who decided after warm-up his lower-body injury was too much to play through. They also did it without Joel Farabee, who was ill.
As much of a team effort as their latest triumph was, this one was spearheaded by Huberdeau and Matt Coronato.
A native of nearby Greenlawn, N.Y., Coronato capped his first NHL trip back home with the Flames’ first two goals. It gave him 20 on the year and four since being paired with Huberdeau and Morgan Frost on the top line.
He’s the first player since Jarome Iginla 25 years ago to score in all three New York-area games.
“He just plays like he plays at his home’s backyard,” said Vladar, who made 26 saves, including three in overtime.
“He knows how to beat goalies. Everybody is so happy for him he’s got his family here, and great he’s showing his family what kind of player he is.”
More importantly, as the soft-spoken Coronato pointed out, the Flames continue to show what type of team they are.
“It’s been a fun week – I think the main thing that sticks out is winning all three games at such an important time of year,” said the first Flames player aged 22 or under to score 20 goals since Matthew Tkachuk.
“This team showed a lot of heart and grit, I’m really proud of the effort. Tonight was a special night too for Huby with his 900th game, so it feels good to end the trip that way.
“It was a roller coaster. So much excitement when Huby tipped that one in.
“This group has so much heart, so much compete, and we know we need to bring our best every night from here on out.”
Huberdeau’s parents joined him for the New York swing, making his clutch snipe an even more memorable one.
“That was a great game – special for me, but that’s a hell of a win by our team and another special night,” said Huberdeau, whose goal and two primary assists matched his output from his very first NHL game.
“A lot of emotion. We’ve got each other’s back. We’re a good team with resilience.”
And considerable momentum. It would have been hard to imagine they’d fly home feeling so good after opening the roadie with a 6-2 drubbing in Toronto that had many wondering if the end of this post-season push was near.
Huska said he expects Weegar to be able to play Tuesday against San Jose. He also expects to continue wearing the lucky tie he’s worn the last three games.
“If it keeps doing what it’s doing I am, I’ll tell you that much,” he laughed.
“It’s actually a really old one. I kind of found it, but it’ll stay at the front of my closet now.”
