Chad Johnson makes 35 saves, Flames beat Bruins 2-1

BOSTON — Chad Johnson made a flurry of late saves to finish off the Boston Bruins.

The Calgary goaltender won for the fifth time six starts, making 35 saves to lead the Flames to a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on Friday night.

“I just think he’s been fantastic,” Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He’s giving us great goaltending and then our guys are limiting those second chances. It’s a good combination right now.

Johnson stopped all 34 shots he faced Wednesday in a 2-0 victory at Columbus. It looked like a slow night Friday when Boston managed just five shots in the first period, but Johnson was busy the rest of the way and added to the Bruins’ frustrations as they lost their third straight.

“The guys are just doing a good job and I’m getting results,” Johnson said.

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Johnson stopped 11 shots in the second period and 19 more in the third. David Pastrnak was the only player to beat him Friday, knocking in a rebound during a scrum in front 5:55 into the third to tie it at 1l. The tie barely lasted a minute before Alex Chiasson put Calgary back up with a goal at 7:05 of the period.

Sam Bennett had a goal and an assist to help Calgary win for the third time in four games. Boston has lost three straight and four of five.

Anton Khudobin, recalled Friday from Providence of the AHL after a brief conditioning assignment, fell to 0-3 this season despite stopping 27 shots.

“I’m moving pretty well and I feel the puck,” Khudobin said. “I felt pretty good and just the only thing that bothers me is I have three losses. I want the magic W.”

Khudobin needed to be sharp early as Calgary outshot Boston 13-5 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead on Bennett’s goal at 8:36. Bennett skated through a pair of Boston players outside the blue line and got in alone on Khudobin, beating him with a wrist shot.

Bennett set up winner with a backhand pass from behind the net right to Chiasson, who easily beat Khudobin as he scrambled to get back across.

It was the only goal of the game until Pastrnak scored 5:55 into the third. John-Michael Liles and Tim Schaller assisted on the goal, Boston’s first since Pastrnak scored with 11 seconds left in the first period Thursday night in a 3-1 loss at Ottawa.

The Bruins had an apparent goal disallowed 3:01 into the second after Patrice Bergeron intercepted a clearing attempt by Johnson and shot it in from the right corner. Johnson was scrambling to get up off the ice after being knocked down by Mark Giordano and the Flames challenged, getting the goal overturned after a video review showed Boston’s Brad Marchand interfered by knocking Giordano into his own goaltender.

“Just because your goaltender is out of the net and he happens to be in the way, I don’t think that should have been called back,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “We never know anymore what they think so we just have to sit back and accept what they decide. So, it’s a frustrating thing because it’s never the same thing twice.”

Notes: Boston played its second straight game without D Zdeno Chara, who left Tuesday night’s loss to St. Louis early in the second period with an undisclosed lower-body injury. … The Bruins sent G Zane McIntyre to Atlanta of the ECHL. … Calgary LW Johnny Goudreau missed his sixth straight game with a broken finger. … Johnson hadn’t allowed a goal since Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit at 7:59 of the third period Sunday.

UP NEXT

Flames: At Philadelphia on Sunday night in the fifth of six games on the road.

Bruins: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Doug Alden, The Associated Press