CALGARY - Josh Jooris continued his terrific rookie season with a three-goal game Tuesday night to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.
Jooris’ second of the night, the game-winner breaking a 2-2 tie, came at 7:13 of the second period on a neat set-up from fellow rookie Johnny Gaudreau.
Up against the end boards, Gaudreau threaded a perfect centering pass to Jooris skating through the slot and with the puck on his forehand, Jooris got just enough of his shot for the puck to trickle up and over Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.
That same combination then struck again with Jooris scoring into an empty net with 46 seconds left to send a bunch of hats onto the ice.
David Jones and Sean Monahan also scored for Calgary (16-8-2), which opened a three-game homestand. Jiri Hudler had two assists to extend his points streak to five games (five goals, five assists). Winners of seven of their last nine, the Flames are one point back of the Western Conference-leading Anaheim Ducks.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Sam Gagner scored for Arizona (10-13-3). The Coyotes dropped their second game to the Flames in four days, having lost 3-0 to them at home on Saturday.
The clincher was the eighth goal of the season for Jooris, 24, who is in his first NHL season and just his second year as a pro. The Flames signed him out of Union College in the summer of 2013 and last year as an AHL rookie, he had only 11 goals in 73 games.
While Jooris is tied for third in rookie goal scoring, Gaudreau, after being scoreless his first five games, is up to 19 points to sit second in the league, four behind Nashville’s Filip Forsberg.
Calgary got an insurance goal at 8:46 of the third with Monahan taking a pass from Dennis Wideman and firing a shot into the top corner for his ninth of the year. The sophomore is having another terrific year after scoring 22 as a rookie.
Trailing 2-1 entering the second period, Arizona tied it at 2:02. It wasn’t a power-play goal officially but it came shortly after a penalty to Mark Giordano expired and after a stretch of continuous Coyotes pressure.
Keith Yandle’s shot from one side of the ice was stopped but Ramo kicked the rebound out the other side and right onto the stick of Gagner, who fired his third of the year into the open net.
It was Gagner’s first goal in 14 games.
Calgary took a 2-1 lead at 18:36 of the first on a neat set up from Kris Russell. From the side boards, Russell sent a backhand saucer pass across the crease that landed right on the stick of Jooris, who hammered the puck past Mike Smith.
Flames goaltender Karri Ramo entered the night coming off consecutive shutouts on the road having blanked San Jose and then Arizona.
However, his quest to break Mike Vernon’s team record shutout streak of 164:40 set in December 1992 would fall well short as Ekman-Larsson’s high shot from the blue-line eluded the screened Flames goaltender at 8:25, tying the score 1-1.
Ramo finished with 27 saves to improve to 7-2-1.
Smith had 19 stops to fall to 5-12-2. The veteran was making back-to-back starts after beating Edmonton on Monday night. Devan Dubnyk was in net for the Coyotes loss to Calgary on Saturday.
It took only 1:12 for Calgary to take the lead with Jones, from the slot, blasting a slapshot past Smith, beating him high on the glove side.