CALGARY, Alberta -- As a kid, Calgary Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau dreamed of playing for the Flyers.
On Thursday, he was Philadelphia's nightmare.
The 21-year-old left winger from Carneys Point, N.J., scored once and added two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Flyers at the Scotiabank Saddledome, just another memorable night in what has been a sensational rookie season.
"(Gaudreau) just keeps getting better," said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. "And I think we're far from seeing the end of it. He has this ability to get open. He's very skilled and he wants to learn, and he is a great competitor. You put all of this together, you have quite a player."
On Thursday morning, Hartley told reporters that he thinks Gaudreau deserves to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
"At the end of the day, it all comes down to pride a little bit, and obviously we didn't have much of that tonight. Didn't put enough on the line tonight, Luke Schenn said."
A few hours later, the former Boston College Eagles star continued to make his own case.
With a three-point effort against the Flyers, the team he rooted for as a youngster, Gaudreau moved into the top spot in the NHL's rookie scoring race.
He now has 56 points -- 20 goals and 36 assists -- in 70 games this season. Nashville Predators center Filip Forsberg has 55 points in 72 appearances.
"The playoffs are obviously a lot more important than (the Calder Trophy) right now," Gaudreau said. "If our team keeps playing well, I keep playing well, hopefully we make the playoffs here."
Thursday's result certainly helps.
Defensemen Dennis Wideman and TJ Brodie and center Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames (39-27-5), who snapped a two-game losing streak and moved back into third place in the Pacific Division with 83 points.
Goalie Karri Ramo made 26 saves for Calgary, while right winger Jiri Hudler and defenseman Kris Russell each had two assists.
"It was a must-win," said Monahan, a 20-year-old who now has 50 career goals in two seasons at the NHL level. "That win was huge for us. We knew we were going to find a way."
Center Claude Giroux had the lone goal for the Flyers, who are out of the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has now lost eight consecutive road games (0-5-3).
"Obviously we know the situation right now with where we're at," said Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn. "At the end of the day, it all comes down to pride a little bit, and obviously we didn't have much of that tonight. Didn't put enough on the line tonight. You get that type of result.
"It's embarrassing for all of us obviously. Guys are still playing for jobs and you want to play for your teammates. Unacceptable, obviously, the game tonight."
The two teams were scoreless for more than 36 minutes before capping the second period with a flurry of offensive action.
Wideman struck first for the hosts at the 16:15 mark, squeezing a shot through the five hole of Flyers netminder Steve Mason.
The Flames added to their lead less than two minutes later, with Brodie scoring through traffic from the point. That spelled the end of Mason's night, with backup Ray Emery getting a tap on the shoulder after Philadelphia's starter surrendered two goals on 16 shots.
The Flyers (29-29-15) found the back of the net with just 8.8 seconds remaining in the middle frame, with right winger Jakub Voracek dancing through Calgary's defense and then feeding Giroux for a beauty on an offensive rush.
With the Flames on the power play early in the third, Gaudreau teed up Monahan, who blasted a slap shot past Emery from the slot to restore the two-goal lead.
Calgary's top unit added more insurance on a two-man advantage at the 7:02 mark, when Gaudreau capitalized on a gorgeous cross-crease feed from Hudler to make it 4-1. "We were making plays, whether we were 5-on-5, 4-on-4, power play," Gaudreau said. "It's key to get goals on the power play to win games. I think that's what we did tonight."
Emery stopped eight of the 10 shots he faced.