<p>Calgary Flames right wing Matt Coronato (27) moves the puck against Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)</p>

CALGARY - Matt Coronato has always been able to score goals, but it's his improved defensive game that's fuelled his breakout season.

Both aspects of his game were on display Saturday afternoon as the 22-year-old right-winger had a goal and assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coronato also set career highs in shots (6) and ice-time (21:41).

“He's deserving of the increase in the amount of minutes he's playing,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska. “He's playing the game the right way. I feel like he's a threat offensively for us, as we've seen the last number of games. But he's competitive with his play away from the puck as well.”

Coronato's ninth goal of the season came in a pivotal momentum-changing stretch half way through the second period.

After Connor Bedard's goal at 10:09 of the second cut Calgary's lead to 2-1, the Flames responded immediately.

Twenty-eight seconds later, Connor Zary converted Jakob Pelletier's setup to restore the two-goal cushion.

Two minutes after that, Coronato buried Jonathan Huberdeau's centring pass on the power play, which snapped a stretch of 33 consecutive penalty kills for Chicago.

Up 5-1 in the third, again the Blackhawks clawed their way back into the game. Back-to-back goals from Tyler Bertuzzi cut the deficit to two. With the goalie pulled, Ilya Mikheyev made it a one-goal game at 18:52.

But entrusted alongside his veteran linemates Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman to get the game to the finish line, Coronato did exactly that, earning the assist on Backlund's empty-net goal that clinched the win.

“Feels great to have that trust, but I just rely on my teammates and try to get the job done,” Coronato said.

Huska acknowledged the great job the club's AHL coaching staff did with Coronato when he was playing in the minors.

“When he came up at the end of the year, his detail was much better. So the guys with the (Calgary) Wranglers did a job of working with him on that,' said Huska.

“He's a smart, smart young man, where he understands there's certain things that you have to do to get a chance to play in the NHL. You have to be a responsible player, and you have to earn the trust of the coaching staff, so they're comfortable putting you in those situations.

"We worked on that part of his game. He can score and that comes fairly easy for him so he really dug into his play away from the puck and he made himself a better player.”

Coronato, the Flames first-round pick in 2021, 13th overall, heads into the team's weeklong holiday break on a four-game point streak with six points (two goals, four assists) over that span.

“Sometimes you're in good spots and the puck comes to you, and sometimes it doesn't,” said Coronato. “Backs (Backlund) is always telling me to shoot the puck, but I'm always looking to make the right play, whether it's to shoot or to pass. I think it's just trusting your instincts and reading it.

“A little scary, maybe, in the third, but I thought the team played really well,” Coronato said. “It feels good before a break.”

By hanging on for the victory, the Flames improve to 2-0-2 in their last four and their 16-11-7 record has them in the mix for a Western Conference playoff spot.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024