RSS Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Capitals extinguish Flames with third period flurry

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Washington Capitals had a great first period on Monday night. Their opponents, the Calgary Flames, had a great second period. With the game up for grabs and tied after 40 minutes, the Capitals found another gear and pulled away from the visitors.

Washington scored four goals in the final frame and beat the Flames by a 7-3 score.

The rundown​

The Capitals ran the Flames’ show for much of the first period, especially in the Flames’ zone.

2:46 into the first period, the Capitals opened the scoring. Martin Fehervary’s point shot with traffic was stopped by Devin Cooley, but the rebound went to Hendrix Lapierre and he fired it into the net so the home side went up 1-0.

Hendrix Lapierre opens the scoring for Washington

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/1NAlgJ0UjJ

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 9, 2026

Midway through the period, 9:13 in, the Capitals scored a very similar goal. They cycled the puck really well and threw the puck into the net-front area. A tip attempt trickled just past the Flames net, but Tom Wilson buried the loose rebound to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead.

The Washington Capitals put on a puck moving clinic on this shift. It's 2-0

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/t9IibBJdwB

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 9, 2026

Late in the period, the Flames got victimized by some soft defensive play in their own end. The Capitals won a corner battle and Justin Sourdif threw the puck to Connor McMichael in the slot, and he beat Cooley clean to go up 3-0.

Connor McMichael is left alone in the slot and he makes the Flames pay.

This has been quite the tank period for Calgary.

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/3gmlLqx0Vy

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 9, 2026

First period shots were 8-7 Capitals

The Flames were much better in the second period and they largely ran Washington’s show. For much of the period, though, they could not solve Logan Thompson. Until they did.

16:08 into the second period, the Flames had some zone time and made a few very nice passes, culminating with a Matvei Gridin wrister beating Thompson to cut the Capitals’ lead to 3-1.

FLAMES GOAL

Matvei Gridin finishes off a nice passing play by the Flames!

Give credit to Calgary, they've been excellent in the 2nd period.

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/HEsIAwPHv4

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

Zayne Parekh took a minor penalty, and the Flames responded by scoring two shorthanded goals. First, Mikael Backlund sent Blake Coleman in on a breakaway and he beat Thompson to cut the lead to 3-2.

FLAMES GOAL

Blake Coleman scores his 4th short handed goal of the season!

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/C2cDaWVobj

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

Right after that, the Capitals were a bit casual with the puck in their own zone. Joel Farabee stole the puck and threw it into the slot for Yegor Sharangovich. He scored to tie the game at 3-3.

FLAMES GOAL

Joel Farabee finds Yegor Sharangovich for the Flames second short handed goal on the same PK!

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/fcBx2ZNWEs

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

Second period shots were 14-8 Flames.

The third period was pretty even, until the Capitals pulled away.

10:52 into the third period, McMichael scored his second of the game on a power play after a scramble in the slot following a Cooley initial save. That made it 4-3 Capitals.

Connor McMichael scores his 2nd goal of the game. It's 4-3 Washington

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/iQIIr3xYsm

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

23 seconds later, Sourdif made it 5-3.

Justin Sourdif puts Washington up by two. Huge goal for the tank.

: Monumental+ | #Flames pic.twitter.com/serNeJZN0J

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

An Ethan Frank empty-netter made it 6-3.

A Ryan Leonard breakaway goal late in regulation gave Washington a 7-3 victory.

Third period shots were 13-5 Capitals.

Why the Flames lost​

The Flames are a depleted group. They battled really hard. They were great in the second period. They just did not have the horses, or the defensive details in their own zone, to hold their own against Washington.

Red Warrior​

Olli Maatta played 20 minutes and was plus-1 in a game the Flames allowed seven goals in, including six at even strength. Well-done.

Turning point​

A period after two Calgary goals on a Washington power play swung the game, a Washington goal on a Washington power play swung it back in the other direction.

This and that​

Victor Olofsson made his Flames debut in this game.

After Burner​

Join Mike Gould and myself right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames (25-31-7) return to action on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-capitals-extinguish-flames-with-third-period-flurry

 

[Calgary Flames]

FN’s mid-season Flames prospect updates: Gavin White

Gavin White is one of the Calgary Wranglers’ newest additions and has made a good transition into this lineup as one of their regular defencemen. White came to the Wranglers in an AHL trade for Jeremie Poirier in early February. White was drafted by the Dallas Stars and played his whole professional career up until this point with the Texas Stars. Jeremie Poirier needed a fresh start, but on White’s side, this move came as a surprise. Despite that, he is still very happy to be in a Canadian market and is embracing Calgary as his new home.

White is a 23-year-old 2022 draft pick who was selected in the fourth round, 115th overall by the Dallas Stars. He is a right shot defenceman, who won two championships in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2021-22 season and the Peterborough Petes in the 2022-23 season. With the exception of three games with the Idaho Steelheads in the 2024-25 season, White has played his whole professional career in the AHL and is in the last year of his entry level contract this season.

With White being new to this market and new to the Flames prospect pool, he went over some highlights of his game to help get to know him as a player better. He said:

“Pretty good puck moving defenceman. I take pride in penalty killing and the defensive side of the game and chip in offensively when I can. But, wicked skater and using my skating to defend other players well.”

On the speed and skating side of things, that has been one of White’s most noticeable attributes in his first appearances with the Wranglers. He is quick on the backcheck and keeps a really good pace with some of the speedier forwards. Skating has always been a big focus in his game and White explained why. He said,

“I kind of grew up as like a smaller kid. I was a bit of a late bloomer so I had to rely on skating more as a younger kid. I’ve kind of grown since then so it’s lingered around a little bit too. But there are a bit bigger stuff in other parts of the game in the corners and stuff. But yeah, I take pride in my speed and hopefully I’ve gotten a little better using it offensively but still working on that part of it.”

White has kept a similar individual production pace season over season in the AHL, with 11 points in his first two seasons. This season, he is a bit behind his regular pace with five points, consisting of three goals and two assists. All of those points have been registered with the Texas Stars. White has yet to put up a point with the Wranglers just yet but has played in 13 games since coming to the team. In his junior days, his best season was 56 points (10G, 46A) in 66 games in his sophomore season and his next two seasons he finished with 22 point and 19 point totals. The offensive side of his game is the next big thing he wants to continue to develop in his pro career. White said:

“I feel like my first couple years pro I’ve developed a good D side of the game now. I feel like if I develop it a little more offensively, I can definitely make up some more strides in that area and hopefully take it to the next level.”

Outside of the on-ice play, White’s experienced a warm welcome to the team and the opportunity to play in a Canadian market was very appealing. He said:

“Loving it so far. Obviously, there are some ups and downs. Some losing streaks, some winning streaks. But more good times than bad so far, so that’s good.”

He continued:

“It’s crazy that the difference in culture where like down in Texas, we were the only team there and they were hockey fans but they’re not into the games. They just love sports and entertainment and stuff like that. It’s cool coming to Canada where people are in-depth into the game, and they know all the small details about it and stuff. I’ve really enjoyed being in the Canadian market so far.”

White was lucky in the fact that he didn’t come into Calgary completely blind either. He had a hometown connection in Simon Mack, with whom he goes way back. Even without that, he said everyone has been very welcoming and unbelievable. He said his new teammates are all “absolute beauties.”

White has played in every game since coming to Calgary and has been paired with Artem Grushnikov, Etienne Morin, Nick Cicek, and Turner Ottenbreit. The pairings with Morin and Grushnikov stick the most, depending on which one of them is in the lineup. White has been a complementary addition to this Wranglers roster and it’ll be interesting to see him further showcase his abilities in the last month or so of the regular season.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/fns-mid-season-flames-prospect-updates-gavin-white

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames fall short against Rangers

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Calgary Flames and New York Rangers clashed in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, with both teams playing on the back half of back-to-back sets with travel. The game was pretty competitive, but a five-on-three power play and a few key defensive lapses were the difference in this contest.

The Flames dropped their second game of this road trip in as many nights, losing 4-0 to the Rangers.

The rundown​

The first period was pretty even. But the Rangers got an opportunity late in the period, as Dustin Wolf took a puck-over-glass minor and then Olli Maatta was called for cross-checking.

On the five-on-three advantage, a nice bit of puck movement by the Blueshirts led to an Alexis Lafreniere redirect around the Flames’ net that beat Wolf to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

Alexis Lafrenière scores on a 5 on 3 power play.

1-0 Rangers.

: MSG | #Flames pic.twitter.com/AH3WYfmPFn

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 10, 2026

First period shots were 9-9.

The Flames tried to get back into this game, but midway through the second frame, the Rangers added to their lead.

A bad line change led to Zayne Parekh and Connor Zary being out-manned in their own zone. Parekh played his man, but Zary was caught in no-man’s land and Tye Kartye found Conor Sheary near the far post for a tap-in to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Conor Sheary puts the Rangers up 2-0.

: MSG | #Flames pic.twitter.com/Bykh1KAUQ0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 11, 2026

Late in the period, the Flames got caught chasing the puck in their own zone, leading to Gabe Perreault finding Lafreniere for the back-door tap-in to make it 3-0 Rangers.

Alexis Lafrenière finishes off a nice passing play for his 2nd goal of the game.

It's 3-0 Rangers.

: MSG | #Flames pic.twitter.com/99ak5e9rxW

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 11, 2026

Second period shots were 12-9 Rangers.

The Rangers managed the puck quite well in this period.

Late in the third period, Parekh was knocked down at the Rangers’ blueline, and Perreault headed up ice with Lafreniere on a two-on-one. Lafreniere buried a shot past Wolf to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead.

The Rangers held on for the win, 4-0.

Third period shots were 7-3 Rangers.

Why the Flames lost​

The Flames weren’t all that bad, but collectively they weren’t all that good, either. They couldn’t make key offensive plays at key offensive moments, and the Rangers could. Heck, you could argue that the second and third Rangers’ goals were sort of self-inflicted, caused by some rough decision-making and defensive coverage by the road team.

The Flames didn’t get chased out of MSG by any stretch of the imagination, but they didn’t do enough to earn a win.

Red Warrior​

Matt Coronato had so many scoring chances. He could not score, though.

Honorable mention: Zayne Parekh was minus-2, but I thought he made a lot of really smart plays with and without the puck. This game was a big step in the right direction for him. He did get shoved around a bit, though.

Turning point​

The Flames could not buy a goal. That late Rangers goal to make it 3-0 in the second period was a killer.

This and that​

The Flames debuted a five-man second power play unit featuring Connor Zary, Mikael Backlund, Ryan Strome, Victor Olofsson and Yegor Sharangovich.

Via Daily Faceoff’s Jonny Lazarus, NCAA leading scorer and Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach was at this game.

After Burner​

Join Robert Munnich and myself right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames (25-32-7) return to action on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-fall-short-against-rangers

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames prospect roundup: College playoffs begin as Flames add a couple of prospects

It’s been a busy week in the Calgary Flames’ prospect world, as a couple of prospects were acquired and the college post-season has begun.

This is the Mar. 4-10 edition of the Calgary Flames prospect round-up, where we look at how Flames prospects have done every week. Specifically, we’ll look at players playing overseas, in junior hockey, or at the college level, as the American Hockey League prospects will have an article of their own in the Wranglers Recaps.

We’ll take a look at the games which were played last week, what’s next for all the players, and look at the standings.

College​

With Friday being the National Hockey League’s trade deadline, the Flames have added two players who’ll be covered in this series, while subtracting one. Welcome to the Flames prospect roundup, Jonathan Castagna. Acquired in the MacKenzie Weegar trade with the Utah Mammoth, he plays for ECAC’s Cornell.

Last week saw the first round of the NCHC and ECAC Hockey’s end-of-season tournament, while Hockey East and Big Ten wrapped up their regular season. Let’s take a look at how the Flames’ prospects did in college action last week.

NCHC​

The first-seeded North Dakota took on Omaha in the quarterfinals, winning the best of three in two games. Friday saw them win 5-3, while Saturday’s game ended in a 5-1 victory. Cade Littler scored a goal and an assist in the 5-3 victory, Cole Reschny picked up an assist in that game, and Abram Wiebe was held pointless. In the 5-1 win, Wiebe and Reschny each picked up an assist, while Littler was held pointless.

This season, Wiebe has five goals and 27 points in 36 games, Reschny has five goals and 33 points in 32 games, and Littler has five goals and 13 points in 32 games, up from the seven goals and nine points last season.

Eric Jamieson’s Denver finished second in the NCHC regular season, meaning they had a showdown with the seventh-seeded Miami (OH). They pretty handily defeated them, winning Game 1 by a score of 3-0, then won Game 2 by a score of 6-2. Jamieson picked up his first goal in a while in the shutout win (an empty netter), giving the left-shot defenceman seven goals and 16 points in 37 games this season.

So nice we did it twice.#GoPios #DUHockey pic.twitter.com/GfJtfWTjBw

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 7, 2026

It looks like North Dakota and Denver are on a collision course for the finals, but first, North Dakota must beat Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals, while Denver takes on the reigning national champions, Western Michigan. Both games are a single-elimination game and are on Saturday evening.

ECAC Hockey​

Ethan Wyttenbach’s Quinnipiac weren’t in action this week, as they earned a bye for the opening round. So was Castagna’s Cornell, meaning Aidan Lane’s Harvard were the only ECAC Hockey team in action with a Flames prospect.

Thankfully, their season remains alive as they defeated St. Lawrence 4-3 in overtime in the single-game elimination game, with Lane picking up a power play goal in the first period. The Flames’ sixth-rounder in 2025 now has six goals and 13 points in 31 games.

I mean that is just nasty

https://t.co/KEG7v7LGFc
https://t.co/ghYf35S3ZI
https://t.co/YzZual7d1L#GoCrimson | #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/NUSM4PDTVJ

— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey) March 7, 2026

Unfortunately, at least one Flames’ prospect will be eliminated this weekend from the end-of-season tournament, as Lane’s Harvard takes on Castagna’s Cornell in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals. It’s a best-of-three that takes place over the weekend. Quinnipiac takes on the eight-seeded Clarkson, with that also being a best-of-three over the weekend.

Hockey East​

Unlike the NCHC and ECAC Hockey, both Hockey East and Big Ten still had regular season games this past week. Trevor Hoskin’s Merrimack took on UMass Lowell, winning 5-3 as Hoskin finished with two assists. Hoskin now has 10 goals and 31 points in 29 games this season.

Jaden Lipinski’s Maine had the same score in their matchup against Vermont, but it was a losing effort. The Flames’ fourth-rounder in 2023 had an assist in the game, giving him three goals and 12 points in 30 games this season.

Thankfully, both Merrimack and Maine have made the end-of-season tournament. Maine takes on Boston College on the road this Friday in a single elimination game. Merrimack hosts their single-game elimination game, hosting UMass Lowell for the second time in as many games. That game is on Wednesday.

Big Ten​

And in Big Ten action, Penn State played a pair of games against Wisconsin, falling 7-3 and 5-2. Luke Misa was held pointless in both games, giving him eight goals and 18 points in 34 games. Wednesday’s the beginning of the Big Ten tournament, with Penn State hosting Minnesota on Wednesday. If they win that, the semifinals will be on Saturday, with an unknown opponent.

Henry Mews is still out of action and will be for the remainder of the season, but his Michigan Wolverines take on Notre Dame on Wednesday in the Big Ten tournament opener. If they win, Michigan plays on Saturday.

Junior​

The Flames added a college prospect at the trade deadline, but in junior, they subtracted a player (and a league) with the Jacob Battaglia trade. They also added Max Curran in the Nazem Kadri trade, but he’ll miss the rest of the Edmonton Oil Kings’ season due to shoulder surgery.

Let’s take a look at what happened in the Western Hockey League and United States Hockey League this past week.

WHL​

Andrew Basha’s Medicine Hat Tigers played four games this past week, defeating the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-3, the Red Deer Rebels 8-4, and the Regina Pats 6-0, but falling 6-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Basha was held pointless in the loss and the 6-0 victory, but scored in the 6-3 win and scored a goal plus two apples in the 8-4 victory. This season, he has 14 goals and 41 points in 28 games.

RUCK-RUCK-BASH STRIKES AGAIN!! ANDREW BASHA GETS HIS 14TH OF THE YEAR!!! @NHLFlames | #Flames pic.twitter.com/R259PA4TKk

— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) March 7, 2026

Axel Hurtig and the Calgary Hitmen played three games this past week, defeating the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 and the Regina Pats 4-3 in overtime, but falling 3-1 to the Prince Albert Raiders. The left-shot defenceman was held pointless in all three games, but finished as a +1. This season, the Flames’ seventh-rounder in 2023 has six goals and 17 points in 59 games.

The Blades only played two games this past week, defeating the Rebels 3-2 and the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2. Laing was held pointless in the 3-2 win, but picked up an assist in the 5-2 win, giving him 23 goals and 50 points in 57 games this season.

This week, the Tigers play a home-and-home against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday and Saturday. The Hitmen host the Wheat Kings on Wednesday, face the Rebels on the road on Saturday, then return home to host the Oil Kings on Sunday. As for the Blades, they play a home-and-home against the Broncos, hosting them on Friday, then making the three hour drive down to Swift Current for Saturday’s game.

As what was noted in last week’s article, both the Hitmen and the Blades basically know who they’re playing with only a couple of weeks left in the standings. The sixth-seeded Blades are five points behind the Wheat Kings for fifth, meaning that they’ll likely play the Oil Kings in the first round. The Hitmen will likely play the Wheat Kings, but they’re still battling for home-ice advantage. As for the Tigers, they’re tied with the Raiders for first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, with potential matchups against the Pats, Rebels, or Warriors.

USHL​

It was a rough week for Mace’o Phillips and the Green Bay Gamblers. Playing the USA u18 Development team, they fell 8-1 and 3-2 to the last placed team. Phillips returned to action for these two games and was held pointless, giving the left-shot defenceman a goal and nine points in 36 games this season, with 142 penalty minutes.

The Gamblers are back in action on Friday, as they take on the Cedar Rapids Roughriders on both Friday and Saturday. Thankfully, the Gamblers still sit in second place in the United States Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, but have a two-point lead over the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Overseas​

As always, the last section will look at the five players playing overseas.

Sweden​

It’s always fun to figure out where Flames’ 2025 second-rounder Theo Stockselius played the previous week. This time, he played three games with Djurgårdens IF’s senior team, picking up his first career Swedish Hockey League point, an assist in their 4-1 victory over Luleå HF. Djurgårdens IF also fell 4-1 to Örebro HK, and defeated Växjö Lakers 6-4.

37:04 @DIFHockeyse – @LuleaHockey Efter videobedömning framgår det att anfallande spelare INTE hindrade målvakten på ett otillåtet sätt. Därav, mål. Detta enligt regel 69 ”Interference on the goalkeeper”: https://t.co/Lr8RUq7jH3 #SHL #twittpuck pic.twitter.com/1VRRki6Tzn

— SHLsituationsrum (@SHLsituationer) March 7, 2026

Jakob Lenader and HV71 U20 played their final two games of the season, defeating Västerås IK U20 5-3 and falling 4-3 in a shootout to Södertälje SK U20. Leander had a good week, picking up two assists in the win and one assist in the loss. He finished his regular season with two goals and 12 points in 36 games, up from his goal and six points in 39 games last season.

Djurgårdens IF has two more games left in the regular season, a matchup on the road against Frölunda HC on Wednesday, as well a matchup with Skellefteå AIK on Friday. Finishing seventh in the SHL is still possible, but it would require Färjestad BK and the Malmö Redhawks to lose their last two remaining games, while Djurgårdens IF win their last two games. In that case, they’d host the 10th-placed team in the opening round. However, seventh-placed is the most likely, meaning a matchup against one of Färjestad BK or Malmö Redhawks.

As for Leander and HV71 U20, they’ll eventually play a playoff game to remain in the top flight of Sweden’s junior hockey league, as they finished with the second-fewest points this season. That matchup is yet to be determined.

Russia​

Kirill Zarubin’s Mikhailov Academy didn’t have a great week, falling 5-2 to Almaz, as well as 4-3 to Loko. Their most recent game was 2-1 overtime victory against Loko for a 1-2-0 week. Zarubin appeared in all three games, stopping 13 of 14 shots in the 5-2 loss, 46 of 50 shots in the 4-3 loss, and 40 of 41 shots in the 2-1 win. His season save percentage now sits at .933 over 45 games.

Yegor Yegorov’s JHC Spartak MAX played two games this past week, falling 6-3 to SKA Academy, before getting their revenge with a 4-3 victory. Yegorov didn’t play in the loss, but stopped 33 of 36 shots in the victory to give him a .918 save percentage over 34 games this season.

Red Army played three games this past week, but Flames’ 2025 seventh-rounder Yan Matveiko only featured in two of them. They defeated JHC Dynamo SPB 2-1 in overtime, then beat them again the following day by a score of 4-2. Red Army capped off the week with a 6-2 win over SKA Academy, but Matveiko didn’t feature in this game. Matveiko scored the overtime winner, his lone point this past week, to give him 15 goals and 34 points in 46 games this season.

This week, Zarubin’s Mikhailov Academy plays two games against Dinamo-Shinnik, one on Thursday and the other on the following day. Yegorov’s JHC Spartak MAX plays three games this coming week, one against SKA-1946 on Wednesday, another against Matveiko (if he’s in the lineup) and Red Army on Saturday, and a matchup against JHC Spartak on Tuesday. Red Army takes on JHC Dynamo-Kareliya on Thursday and JHC Spartak MAX on Saturday.

As for the standings, Red Army needs just one more point to book their ticket to the playoffs. They currently sit fourth in the Western Conference’s Gold Division, meaning a bye in the first round. Mikhailov Academy sits on the outside looking in, as their 74 points have them sixth in the Gold Division. If the season were to end today, they’d take on SKA Academy, the third-placed team in the Western Conference’s Silver Division.

JHC Spartak MAX sits fourth, just outside a playoff spot. They’re just three points behind SKA Academy with a game in hand, and five games left to go.

---

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...ffs-begin-as-flames-add-a-couple-of-prospects

 

[Calgary Flames]

NHL Notebook: Mammoth sign Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year deal

One potential free agent is now off the market.

On Tuesday evening, the Utah Mammoth announced that they have re-signed Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year deal worth $8 million annually. This contract will keep the right-shot centre a Mammoth until his aged-38 season, meaning that barring a trade, Schmaltz will have spent the majority of his career with the organization.

Schmaltzy is here to stay!

We have signed forward Nick Schmaltz to an 8-year deal. pic.twitter.com/Jm3JoqBPde

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 11, 2026

However, the Madison, Wisconsin native was drafted 20th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014. After two seasons at the University of North Dakota, he played parts of three seasons with the Blackhawks until he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes for Bredan Perlini and Dylan Strome.

That trade didn’t work out for the Blackhawks, but it sure worked out for the Coyotes. In his first full season with the team, he scored 11 goals and 45 points in 70 games, then 10 goals and 32 points in 52 games during the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season. After that, Schmaltz became a consistent 20-goal scorer with around 60 points.

Now in his age-30 season, the right-shot centre has already scored a career-high 24 goals, with 59 points. If he remains healthy for the remainder of the season and continues his goal-per-game and point-per-game pace, the 30-year-old will finish the season with 30 goals and 74 points in 82 games, shattering his career-best numbers.

Gabriel Landeskog out week-to-week​

Sticking with Central Division teams, the Colorado Avalanche announced on Sunday that captain Gabriel Landeskog will be out week-to-week with a lower body injury.

Gabriel Landeskog will not play due to a lower-body injury. He is week-to-week.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 8, 2026

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like this injury is related to the knee problems he had for three seasons after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. While the Avalanche didn’t specify the injury, Landeskog was on the receiving end of a Cale Makar shot.

It is a little concerning that he’s injured again, as Landeskog missed some time heading into the 2026 Olympics. That said, it’s good to see Landeskog back on the ice after missing so much time, as he’s played 47 games this season with nine goals and 29 points.

While he’s their captain, the Avalanche have plenty of depth to cover for the 33-year-old’s departure from the lineup, especially since they just traded for Nazem Kadri.

Brandon Hagel fined in rowdy game against the Sabres​

One of the best games of the season occurred this past Sunday in Buffalo.

The Buffalo Sabres, now competitive for the first time in a decade and a half, hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. In the first period, the Sabres took a 1-0 lead, as the teams dropped the mitts three times as they combined for 70 penalty minutes.

Just two seconds into the second period, Michael Kesselring and Erik Cernak dropped the gloves, followed by Corey Perry and Beck Malenstyn fighting just four seconds later. There were only eight more penalty minutes in the second period, but the Sabres stormed out to a 3-0 lead, then a 4-1 lead, before the Lightning tied it before the end of the period.

IT'S AN ALL-OUT MELEE IN BUFFALO!!

A BIG SCUM BEHIND THE NET LEADS TO A FIGHT BETWEEN BRANDON HAGEL AND PEYTON KREBS pic.twitter.com/etpscwyRDf

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 8, 2026

In the third period, the game turned from a slobberknocker to a back and forth affair. Just a minute in, the Lightning took their first lead, then got an insurance goal. Just like Bel-Air Direct, that insurance goal didn’t matter at all, as the Sabres cut the lead to one, before Brandon Hagel, who had received two minors (and a fine) for roughing Rasmus Dahlin, scored to make it 7-5 midway through the third.

They coasted to an easy win, right? Wrong. Dahlin scored 11 minutes into the third, then Jason Zucker tied the game at seven with five and a half minutes left. The lone penalty, other than one with no time left, ended up being the deciding factor, as Josh Doan scored his 20th of the season with a little over four minutes left in the game.

It’s the first time since the 1993-94 that two teams have combined for 15 goals and 27 penalties. The good news is that the two teams will meet up again on Apr. 6 in Buffalo. That could have seeding implications as well, as the Lightning trail the Sabres by four points. Signing me up for a playoff series between the two teams.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/nhl-notebook-mammoth-sign-nick-schmaltz-to-an-eight-year-deal

 

[Calgary Flames]

Are the Flames setting up to make franchise draft history?

As we look forward to June and the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, Calgary Flames fans have a lot to anticipate. As the Flames enter into a rebuild, this season’s draft might be their chance to expedite this seemingly unending rebuild.

The importance of this year’s draft cannot be embellished for Calgary. Following many seasons of roster changes and playoff shortcomings, it has become clear that the team has begun to focus their efforts on building a new team using young talent. High, first-round draft picks are one of the pillars of a successful rebuild. For the Flames, snagging a top pick could accelerate their path back to becoming a playoff team.

The team has the opportunity to make franchise history this draft season by clinching their highest draft seed ever. They currently have a 57.9% chance of obtaining a top three pick in the lottery, which would overcome their previous record of picking fourth overall with Sam Bennett in 2014.

Following Mar. 11’s games, the Flames sit second-last in the league, so they would draft between first and fourth, depending on the Draft Lottery results.

The NHL Draft Lottery determines the order of the first 16 draft picks between the teams that do not make the playoffs. Teams with worse records have higher odds of moving higher in the lottery, but the system is set up to allow movement (with teams being able to move up a maximum of 10 spots), meaning teams can rise or fall depending on results. For the Flames, their current standing gives them solid odds at a top pick, but the flexibility of the lottery means that a record-breaking pick is not guaranteed.

This chance to make history is yet to be set in stone, due to the chance that a team below the Flames could move above them, which would drop them to fourth overall. But with how tightly-packed the cluster of teams behind Vancouver are in the lottery race, the Flames could slide down a few spots and have a chance for the lottery to shift them as low as sixth overall. That would match with the franchise’s second highest in history with Cory Stillman in 1992, Daniel Tkaczuk in 1997, Rico Fata in 1998, Sean Monahan in 2013 and Matthew Tkachuk in 2016.

The top three anticipated prospects are Gavin McKenna from Penn State, Ivar Stenberg from Frölunda HC and Keaton Verhoeff from the University of North Dakota. Number six could bring Alberts Smits, an 18-year-old offensive defenceman from Latvia.

Even if the Flames do not receive their record making pick, falling to even sixth place overall is not anything to criticize.

Whether Calgary secures a historic, top-three pick, or land slightly lower in the order, they have an opportunity to add a young athlete who could help rebuild the foundation of the Flames organization. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, this lottery may prove to be one of the most important moments of this season.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/are-the-flames-setting-up-to-make-franchise-draft-history