News Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

How did the Flames match up against Nathan MacKinnon without Mikael Backlund?

Since 2013, whenever the Calgary Flames have faced a tough opponent, their first player over the boards in key match-ups against top players has been Mikael Backlund. On Friday night, for the first time in 328 games, the Flames did not have Backlund available to take on the tough ice time.

Facing Hart Trophy contender Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche, how did the Flames tackle the match-up?

The flow of the game​

The Flames had home ice, so that meant for every face-off situation, the Avalanche put their players out and then the Flames put out a line to counter. Otherwise, teams were free to make on-the-fly changes as needed.

In the first period, whenever the Avalanche put MacKinnon out, the Flames put out Nazem Kadri’s line (with Jonathan Huberdeau and Matt Coronato) and one of their two top defensive pairings (Joel Hanley & MacKenzie Weegar or Kevin Bahl & Rasmus Andersson). Late in the first period, likely in response to Colorado opening the scoring, the Flames looked for extra opportunities to get Kadri’s line out to generate scoring – after a Colorado icing they rushed Kadri’s line back out to get an offensive zone draw – and that got things a bit out of rotation, resulting in MacKinnon’s line getting time out against Yegor Sharangovich’s line (with Blake Coleman and Joel Farabee).

In the second period, the Flames’ line-matching of the Kadri line with MacKinnon’s continued. Things got a bit out of sequence after a Colorado power play: MacKinnon was on for 1:47 of that advantage, and since Kadri doesn’t kill penalties, his line got some MacKinnon-free ice time after the Flames made the kill. MacKinnon’s line got two shifts against Sharangovich’s line, the second of which resulted in a Cale Makar penalty shot.

The Flames catch a break as Makar loses control of the puck on his penalty shot.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames #GoAvsGo https://t.co/kequ9q1ym8 pic.twitter.com/0wTOQgFXlT

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 15, 2025

The Flames returned to the Kadri match-up on MacKinnon’s next shift, and it resulted in a strong scoring chance for Martin Pospisil. (The coaching staff had swapped Matt Coronato for Pospisil on the top line at this point.)

Nazem Kadri forces a Nathan MacKinnon turnover. It leads to a great chance for Martin Pospisil.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/AFy5JMDKwY

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 15, 2025

But following that scoring chance, Colorado scored to make it 2-0 and the Flames started shuffling up their lines and shifting towards a broader line assignment, with Morgan Frost’s line (now with Coleman and Coronato) facing MacKinnon more often.

In the third period, the Flames continued to use the Kadri and Frost lines to match up against MacKinnon. They also started to generate a bit more offensively, but it wasn’t quite enough to get a victory.

Head to head stats​

MacKinnon played 17:40 at five-on-five (and 19:57 overall), the most of any Avalanche forward. He had two shots, zero points, a plus-1 rating, and won 10 of his 18 face-offs. It was the 16th time over 67 games this season where he’s been kept off the scoresheet.

“That’s obviously one of those things you think about too,” said Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson following the game. “When you shut those guys down and you still lose, you know, that stinks a little extra.”

MacKinnon took 10 face-offs against Kadri, five against Frost and two against Sharangovich, and that’s pretty much proportionate to the five-on-five ice time he had against them: 9:16 against Kadri, 4:18 against Frost and 2:19 against Sharangovich. (5v5 ice time via Natural Stat Trick.)

The Flames actually out-shot Colorado with Kadri and MacKinnon on the ice (4-2) and shots with Frost and MacKinnon on the ice were even (3-3). Once the Flames loosened how tightly they approached the line-matching and started mixing up their lines in the second period, they seemed to start generating a bit more offensively – both against MacKinnon and in general.

On Friday morning, the Flames announced Backlund as being out week-to-week, which indicates that they’ll have to be without his services for awhile. On Friday night, they provided a glimpse of how they’ll approach tough match-ups without him: using Kadri and Frost against MacKinnon and resulting in Colorado’s ace staying off the scoresheet for the evening. We’ll see if the Flames alter their approach when Connor Zary returns from his suspension next week.

The Flames are back in action on Monday night when they face Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-did-calgary-flames-match-nathan-mackinnon-without-mikael-backlund

 

[Calgary Flames]

Wranglers Series Preview: Trying to string some wins together in Abbotsford

It’s been nearly a week since the Calgary Wranglers picked up a much needed win against the Manitoba Moose on Mar. 9. They had a hard stretch of games through February and into early March, just winning two of 14 games in that time. Hopefully, this win is the start of a positive path forward into the last month of the regular season. The final stretch continues this weekend for a two game road series against the Abbotsford Canucks.

Projected lineups​

Calgary

Rory Kerins – Sam Morton – Martin Frk

William Stromgren – Clark Bishop – Parker Bell

Lucas Ciona – David Silye – Jonathan Aspirot

Alex Gallant – Brett Davis

Ilya Solovyov – Tyson Barrie

Yan Kuznetsov – Hunter Brzustewicz

Artem Grushnikov – Jeremie Poirier

Joni Jurmo

Devin Cooley

Waltteri Ignatjew

Abbotsford

Arshdeep Bains – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson

Sammy Blais – Aatu Raty – Jujhar Khaira

Tristen Nielsen – Ty Mueller – Danila Klimovich

Ty Glover – Chase Wouters – Nate Smith

Guillaume Brisebois – Cole McWard

Christian Wolanin – Jett Woo

Akito Hirose – Kirill Kudryavtsev

Ty Young

Nikita Tolopilo

Leaders​

Calgary

Martin Frk – 53GP, 21G, 28A

Dryden Hunt – 48GP, 15G, 33A

Rory Kerins – 49GP, 26G, 20A

Abbotsford

Aatu Raty – 37GP, 15G, 21A

Christian Wolanin – 43GP, 3G, 30A

Linus Karlsson – 28GP, 19G, 13A

Notes and expectations​

The reinforcements for the AHL squad were enjoyed while they had them. Now, after Mikael Backlund suffered an upper body injury in the Flames’ game against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, and Connor Zary was suspended two games for his hit on Elias Pettersson, the NHL squad needed some more bodies.

The skaters who were called up to the Flames were Adam Klapka on Wednesday (as an extra prior to the Vancouver game) and Dryden Hunt on Friday (after Backlund’s injury and Zary’s suspension). Both were contributing factors in the success and scoring the Wranglers found last weekend against the Moose. Dryden Hunt had an assist in their 3-2 win and both Klapka and Hunt scored in their narrow 6-5 loss last Saturday. Martin Frk was missing from the lineup in their last game but will likely be back if this was not an injury based lineup decision.

Losing two forwards to call-ups puts the Wranglers pretty backend heavy again. Especially since Jonathan Aspirot skated as a forward last game. It would be a good time for Sam Honzek to return from injury but that will not be known until game time Saturday. To fill some of the gaps, the Wranglers acquired Ty Tullio from the Buffalo Sabres organization on a loan. He’s been playing with the Rochester Americans this year and has seven points in 30 AHL games played this year.

On the other end of things, the Abbotsford Canucks are not as removed from game action as Calgary as they just played the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday and won 2-1. Abbotsford is just one behind Calgary in the standings and the result of this two game set could either help or harm the Flames’ affiliate spot in the Pacific Division.

This series starts on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. MT and continues into Sunday for an evening game at 5:00 p.m. MT. Both games will be streamed on AHLtv on Flo Hockey for a fee and multiple FlamesNation contributors will have updates on X (formerly Twitter).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/wrangl...ng-to-string-some-wins-together-in-abbotsford

 

[Calgary Flames]

Sizing up the Western wildcard race before the Flames’ eastern road trip

The Calgary Flames will begin their four game eastern road trip on Monday in an unfamiliar position: outside of a playoff spot.

Through 159 days of the 2024-25 season, the Flames have spent 103 of them in a playoff spot. But by virtue of the Vancouver Canucks’ win over Chicago on Saturday evening, they’ve broken the standings tie between themselves and the Flames – and they sit two points up for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

As the Flames hop on a plane and head east on Sunday, here’s a snapshot of the state of the race as the Flames begin yet another pivotal road trip.

The race, at a glance​

After points, the tiebreakers in the standings are games played (fewer ranked first), followed by regulation wins, regulation and overtime wins, and then wins. (After that it gets complicated and messy, and relies on head-to-head performance.)

Team	Points	Games	RegW	ROW	Wins
Canucks	73	66	24	29	31
Flames	71	65	24	27	30
Blues	71	67	23	28	32
Utah HC	69	66	21	28	29

The upcoming week​

Sunday

Both the Blues and Canucks complete back-to-back sets that they began on Saturday. At 6 p.m. MT, the Blues host the Ducks. (The game was pushed back a couple hours because the Blues had travel delays getting out of Minnesota on Saturday.) At 7 p.m. MT, the Canucks host Utah.

The best scenario for the Flames in Vancouver/Utah is a Utah regulation win.

Monday

On Monday, the Flames begin their road trip in Toronto with a 5:30 p.m. MT start.

Tuesday

All four teams in the Western playoff race play on Tuesday:

• The Flames visit the New York Rangers at 5 p.m. MT.
• The Blues visit Nashville at 6 p.m. MT.
• Utah visits the Oilers at 7 p.m. MT.
• The Canucks host the Jets at 8 p.m. MT.

Wednesday

No games.

Thursday

As with Tuesday, all four teams are playing:

• The Flames visit New Jersey at 5 p.m. MT.
• The Blues host the Canucks at 5:30 p.m. MT.
• Utah hosts Buffalo at 7 p.m. MT.

The best scenario for the Flames in St. Louis/Vancouver is a St. Louis regulation win.

Friday

No games.

Saturday

Once again, a busy Saturday with all four teams active:

• The Canucks visit the Rangers at 11 a.m. MT.
• The Blues host Chicago at 1 p.m. MT.
• The Flames visit the Islanders at 2 p.m. MT.
• Utah hosts Tampa Bay at 3 p.m. MT.

It’s a fun scheduling quirk that the Canucks and Flames, battling for a playoff spot, both play in different boroughs of New York a few hours apart on Saturday. (It’s likely that the Flames will hit the ice for warm-up at UBS Arena at roughly the same time Vancouver’s game will be wrapping up.)

Are the Flames in great shape in the playoff race? Not really. Are they out of it entirely? Also not really. They’re very much in the thick of things, and their performances over their next four games will go a long way towards determining their fate.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/sizing-up-the-western-wildcard-race-before-the-flames-eastern-road-trip

 

[Calgary Flames]

How should the Flames handle goaltending duties on their eastern road trip?

The Calgary Flames kick off yet another crucial road trip on Monday night, as they embark upon a four game swing through the east that features four games over six nights.

At this juncture of the season, it’s pretty clear that rookie Dustin Wolf has laid claim to the spot as the Flames’ top netminder – both his numbers and usage back that up. However, his goaltending partner Dan Vladar has been very strong lately, including three superb performances during the last road trip.

Given how the upcoming road trip is scheduled and each player’s performances against these opponents, how should the Flames handle their goaltending duties over the upcoming week?

Here’s how the schedule unfolds:

• Monday: 7:30 p.m. local (5:30 p.m. MT) start in Toronto against the Maple Leafs
• Tuesday: 7 p.m. local (5 p.m. MT) start in New York against the Rangers
• Thursday: 7 p.m. local (5 p.m. MT) start in New Jersey against the Devils
• Saturday: 4 p.m. local (2 p.m. MT) start in New York against the Islanders

The trip doesn’t include very much travel – heck, in New York the team probably stays in the same hotel the whole time – but they do have to navigate a back-to-back set and an earlier-than-usual on Saturday. Based on how they typically deal with this type of schedule, we could presume that each goalie gets two starts. Given their standings situation and the state of the playoff race, though, perhaps we could also see one goalie (possibly Wolf) get leaned on a bit more.

How has each netminder performed against these opponents over their careers?

Dustin Wolf	Dan Vladar
Toronto	0-1-0, 5.23 GAA, .828 SV%	0-1-3, 3.65 GAA, .892 SV%
NY Rangers	1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .931 SV%	Never played
New Jersey	0-1-0, 3.07 GAA, .897 SV%	2-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .942 SV%
NY Islanders	1-0-0, 0.92 GAA, .966 SV%	Never played

If you’re motivated entirely by past performances, most likely Wolf would play against the Rangers and Islanders while Vladar would take on the Maple Leafs and Devils.

The Flames have played seven back-to-back sets so far this season. So far, the Flames have divided up goaltending duties in each back-to-back sets. That said, the Flames are in the midst of a battle for a playoff spot, so that could change the decision-making parameters that the club uses from here on out.

It’s worth noting that while Wolf hasn’t started both sides of a back-to-back in the NHL, he did so last season in the AHL seven times with the Wranglers. (And did so frequently throughout his AHL and WHL runs). Vladar has started both sides of a back-to-back set a few times, most recently in February 2023. It wouldn’t be uncharted territory for either goaltender.

Asked on Saturday after practice at Winsport if the Flames will be using both netminders on the trip, head coach Ryan Huska declined to tip his hand.

“We’ll see,” said Huska. “I mean, like I said, we have confidence in both guys. So we go kind of one game at a time, just like we’re asking the players to do.”

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-sh...goaltending-duties-on-their-eastern-road-trip

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames’ road trip represents a homecoming for Matt Coronato

The goal of hockey is to score more goals than the other team, so players that can score goals are highly valued by National Hockey League clubs. But it can sometimes take awhile for offensive-minded players to figure out the rest of the game.

Way back at the 2021 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames selected winger Matt Coronato from the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. At the time, Coronato was one of the top pure goal-scorers in his draft class, having led the USHL with 48 goals in his draft year – 16 more than the second-most player – and finished second in the league in points.

Being an extremely talented offensive player, the thought was that Coronato might need some time to round out his game. But as he approaches his 100th NHL game later this season, he sits simultaneously third on the Flames roster in goals with 16 – behind only veterans Jonathan Huberdeau (25) and Nazem Kadri (23) – but he also leads the team’s active forwards in plus/minus (plus-3) and is second behind Blake Coleman among active forward in expected goals percentage (52.2%).

Matt Coronato gets in his first career fight!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames #Smashville pic.twitter.com/ADhyAezmPl

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 5, 2025

Speaking with FlamesNation at Winsport prior to the Flames’ departure on their four-game eastern road trip, Coronato reflected on how his 2024-25 season has unfolded.

“I think it’s been good,” said Coronato. “I think a lot of learning, trying to take it all in, take advantage of every opportunity. But I think as a team we’ve done a good job to this point, and I think this is crunch time when we can really show who we are. So I’m excited for the last 17.”

Coronato has had a very unique season. He made the Flames roster out of training camp due to some injuries to other players, but once everyone got healthy there wasn’t an obvious place for him on the NHL roster so he was demoted to the AHL’s Wranglers. However, his Wranglers stint lasted one week, and he soon found himself a key part of the Flames’ top three lines and the club’s power play.

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato with a snipe! What a goal!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/TBKNGcbYPr

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) February 26, 2025

Coronato’s game has grown quite a bit over the course of this season.

“Yeah, I think it’s a lot,” said Coronato. “I think playing with Backs and Colsey for so long, they definitely helped me a ton just get acclimated to the league and the consistency you need to play with on a daily basis. And I think that’s still something I’m trying to get better with is being consistent, being at my best every night. But it’s hard to kind of be specific with things. There’s just, I feel like so many things you see and take in every day you’re at the rink from some of these guys with a lot of experience that help a lot.”

The good news is that Coronato’s ability to find quiet spots on the ice and get his superb shot off has translated well from other levels of hockey – Coronato was a dangerous shooter in the USHL, and he’s been able to do that consistently at the NCAA, AHL and NHL levels. The better news is that his two-way game has progressed really well, too, a product of his time spent last season the Wranglers playing in every game situation.

While offensive-minded players, especially rookies, often get sheltered assignments and offensive zone starts to optimize their minutes, Coronato’s usage has been more varied and featured stints on all four forward lines. The two lines he’s spent the most time with are the team’s top offensive line (with Kadri and Huberdeau) and the team’s shutdown line (with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund).

“I think a big focus for me last year, whether I was with the Wranglers or with the Flames, was getting better on the defensive side of the puck,” said Coronato. “Trent Cull did a ton of work with me when I was with the Wranglers, watching video. And it’s just the little things, right? It’s winning those battles on the wall, getting pucks out, putting pucks in at the right time, being smart at the blue lines. All those things are so important over the course of the game. So I think that all goes back to learning from guys like Backs and how to play the game the right way and how to help the team win.”

Saturday’s upcoming game against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena will be a homecoming for Coronato, representing the first time the Long Island product (and childhood Islanders fan) has played close to home in years – perhaps since before he headed off to prep school in 2019. It’s a safe bet that he’ll have some friends and family in attendance for his visit.

The game against the Islanders is projected as Coronato’s 99th NHL outing, with him expected to become the 25th Flames first-rounder to play 100 games with the franchise on the club’s upcoming homestand.

Coronato turned 22 years old in November and the winger is nowhere near a finished product at the NHL level, but as his first full NHL season approaches its conclusion, it’s very easy to be optimistic about the type of player that Coronato could become.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary-flames-road-trip-matt-coronato-homecoming

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames fade on St. Patrick’s Day in Toronto

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 were right there with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first half of their game on Monday in Toronto. However, the Flames seemed to unravel following a Toronto coach’s challenge in the second period and the Leafs pulled away.

On St. Patrick’s Day, the Flames simply weren’t good enough in a 6-2 road loss to Toronto.

The rundown​

The Maple Leafs got an early lead less than two minutes into the first period. Dustin Wolf made a nice save on a Simon Benoit shot, but Max Domi found himself all alone with the rebound on a tee and cranked it past Wolf’s glove hand to give Toronto a 1-0 edge.

Toronto gets out to an early 1-0 lead. Max Domi with the goal.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/xdwRhS7k8t

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 17, 2025

Wolf had to be very busy and very good for the Flames in the rest of the period. Late in the period, he made a flurry of in-close saves against the Leafs, and then the Flames headed up ice with numbers. Jonathan Huberdeau made a nifty pass to the slot to Rasmus Andersson, and he fired a shot that got past a sliding Leafs defender and beat Joseph Woll five-hole to tie the game at 1-1.

FLAMES GOAL

The staredown is back! Rasmus Andersson goes five hole and ties the game!

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/eE57A9bU5R

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

First period shots were 14-6 Maple Leafs. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 15-4 Maple Leafs (high-danger chances were 10-1 Flames).

Nine seconds into the second period, on a Leafs rush, Nazem Kadri took a hooking minor. On the resulting power play, Calgary product William Nylander blasted a one-timer past Wolf to make it 2-1 Toronto.

William Nylander scores on the power play. 2-1 Toronto

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/g7VicJXAi1

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

However, the Flames drew a power play a little bit later and they managed to score, after a MacKenzie Weegar point shot was followed by a Morgan Frost rebound shot over a sprawling Woll. That tied it up at 2-2.

FLAMES GOAL

Morgan Frost puts home a rebound on the power play! It's 2-2!

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/xEBmGDVNDI

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

Or did it? The Leafs challenged the goal for following an off-side zone entry. Following a lengthy review, it was judged that a zone entry 32 seconds before the goal was off-side and the goal was called back.

A little while after the goal was disallowed, the Leafs kept pushing and eventually they got rewarded. A pass through the neutral zone deflected off a stick and went deep into the Flames zone. Domi chased down the puck and got to it before the Flames and held it behind the net. Huberdeau, Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal all seemed confused as to whose check Domi was, so nobody went after him, and Domi found Nick Robertson entering the slot area with a pass. Robertson fired it past Wolf to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead.

Nick Robertson puts the Leafs up 3-1

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/3dBc1DFYkP

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

A little while after that, the Flames got caught with six skaters on the ice – that’s a no-no. On the resulting power play, the Leafs moved the puck around superbly, with the Flames chasing them around. Eventually, Auston Matthews waited out an attempted block by Kevin Bahl and picked the top corner (short side) on Wolf to give Toronto a 4-1 lead.

The Flames can't handle the skill on the Toronto power play. Auston Matthews takes advantage of that.

4-1 Toronto.

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/8Zpy3bmQw2

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

A little after that, Pachal was pulled out of a scrum and given the only minor (for roughing). On the resulting Leafs power play, Matthews fired a feed from Matthew Knies past Wolf to give Toronto a 5-1 lead.

Toronto scores another power play goal. 5-1 Leafs

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/m858hR6HDf

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

Second period shots were 12-7 Maple Leafs. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-8 Flames (high-danger chances were 4-2 Maple Leafs).

The Flames swapped goalies after 40 minutes, bringing Dan Vladar into the game and giving Wolf a rest.

Vladar allowed a goal on the very first shot he faced. The Leafs had an extra attacker out on the ice for a delayed penalty after Andersson crashed into Woll. With the extra body to work with, Bobby McMann beat Vladar low to give the home side a 6-1 lead.

6-1 Toronto

: Amazon Prime | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/DMhag6imZw

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

The Leafs, knowing they had a ton of breathing room, went into cruise control in the third period and just tried to run out the clock and avoid taxing their netminder too much.

With 47.3 seconds remaining, a Kevin Bahl point shot ricocheted into the Leafs net off Scott Laughton to make it 6-2 Leafs. But that’s as close as the visitors got.

Third period shots were 12-3 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 7-1 Flames (high-danger chances were 2-0 Flames).

Why the Flames lost​

We’ve discussed ad nauseum this season that because of their lack of elite-level skill, the Flames have a very slim margin for error in their games – especially when playing a team that has elite players, or depth in terms of skill. Well, the Flames had two big issues in Toronto:

• They made way too many mistakes at bad times. Leaving Domi open on the rebound on the first goal. Leaving Domi unchecked behind the net on the third goal. The too many men minor leading to the fourth goal. And some undisciplined play that led to the penalty that led to the fifth goal.
• Their power play simply was not able to do enough to bail the rest of the team out. Mikael Backlund is absent, and so the penalty kill has rapidly become a work in progress after being pretty strong over the past few weeks. When your PK isn’t great, your PP has to be good enough to make up for it a little bit. The Leafs won the special teams battle 3-0. That’s not good enough.

The Flames didn’t get much puck luck, but they really lacked execution, discipline and composure at key moments in this outing.

Red Warrior​

Y’know, we’re going to pass on this one.

We don’t really place the blame on the goaltender here and Wolf was superb early on and held his club in this one for awhile, but Wolf also saw five goals get past him. Andersson scored a nice goal, but his penalty led to the sixth Leafs goal. And so on. For virtually everybody in red that did something positive, you could probably wash out their positive contributions with the rest of their games.

With a gigantic chance to take advantage of their games in hand in the playoff chase against a non-conference opponent, the fact that nobody in red stood out for positive reasons is a big disappointment.

Turning point​

The Flames completely unravelled following Morgan Frost’s goal being disallowed in the second period.

This and that​

Since this was St. Patrick’s Day, the Maple Leafs wore their green and white Toronto St. Pats retro jerseys and the Flames wore their home reds for a rare road game.

Joel Farabee played his 400th NHL game.

This was the first time this season that Ryan Huska has changed goaltenders mid-game.

The Flames’ penalty kill has allowed four goals on eight opposition power play opportunities since Mikael Backlund’s injury early in the Vancouver game.

Up next​

The Flames (30-25-11) are headed to the Big Apple! They’re back in action on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a Presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-fade-on-st-patricks-day-in-toronto

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames college prospects Aydar Suniev and Arsenii Sergeev could be playing a bit longer

A pair of Calgary Flames prospects saw their college teams eliminated from their conference playoffs this past weekend, but both could still end up playing for awhile longer.

2021 seventh-rounder Arsenii Sergeev and 2023 third-rounder Aydar Suniev both saw their teams knocked out of their conference tournaments this weekend, but both are well-positioned to potentially make the NCAA’s national championship tournament anyway.

Let’s get into how the Flames’ college prospects are looking and how things look for Sergeev and Suniev’s national title aspirations.

College prospects at a glance​

Teams still active in conference playoffs

Northeastern University (where Jake Boltmann plays in his graduate season) advanced to their conference semi-final round later this week via an upset over Boston College. They would need to win their conference tournament to qualify for the national tournament. They play Maine on Thursday.

The University of North Dakota (where Cade Littler plays as a freshman) advanced to their conference semi-final round next weekend via a win over Omaha in their best-of-three quarterfinal series. Littler, who had four goals over the rest of the season, had three goals over two games to help North Dakota win. They would need to win their conference tournament to qualify for the national tournament. They face the top team in their conference, Western Michigan, on Friday.

Teams eliminated and won’t make NCAA tournament

Niagara University (where Trevor Hoskin plays as a freshman) was eliminated by Army last weekend. They’re too low in the pairwise rankings to qualify for the national tournament, so they’re finished for the season.

Teams eliminated and probably making NCAA tournament

Penn State University (where Arsenii Sergeev plays as a junior) were eliminated by Ohio State in their conference semi-final round. Penn State is ranked 13th in the pairwise rankings as of this writing, so depending on what happens with the other conference tournaments, they have a good chance at being one of the 16 teams in the national tournament. (They would be a strong contender for one of the 10 at-large bids, as the six conference tournament wins automatically qualify and usually four of the six conference winners are top-16 in the pairwise rankings.)

The University of Massachusetts (where Aydar Suniev plays as a sophomore) were eliminated by Boston University in their conference quarterfinal round. UMass is currently 11th in the pairwise rankings, so they also have a good chance at one of the 10 at-large bids.

What happens if the Flames sign them?​

It seems improbable that the Flames will try to sign Boltmann, Littler or Hoskin this year – Boltmann is a fifth-year collegiate player whose NHL rights are about to expire, while Littler and Hoskin are still pretty inexperienced and likely need a bit more time.

However, we often get asked about the Flames potentially signing Sergeev or Suniev. In short: yeah, we could see it happen. Sergeev has played three college campaigns and has really had a breakout season at Penn State, while Suniev has progressed nicely through two college seasons, and the only question for him would be whether another season at UMass would be better than the challenge of the AHL.

So let’s just say either of them sign at the end of their college seasons. It’s worth pointing out that Suniev is 20 and Sergeev is 22, so neither of them would sign deals that are eligible for slide years. So they would have two potential paths:

• They go to the NHL and their entry-level deal begins running immediately – Matt Coronato did this in 2022-23
• They go to the AHL on an amateur try-out deal (and their entry-level deal would kick in next season) – Sam Morton did this last season

It would be one or the other, though: if you’re on an AHL try-out deal, you don’t have an active NHL deal so you couldn’t be called up, and if you go directly to the NHL after signing after the trade deadline you’re not eligible to play in the AHL based on their roster rules.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary-flames-college-prospects-playoffs

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames battle to victory over the 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!

Folks, we’re getting down to crunch time in the 2024-25 NHL season. The Calgary Flames have played themselves into the Western Conference playoff hunt, but they’ve had a few outings lately where they haven’t looked at their best. On Tuesday night, the Flames visited the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

The Flames played a really effective road game against a Rangers squad that didn’t look at their best. The Flames bounced back from an early Rangers goal and took control of the game en route to a 2-1 road victory.

The rundown​

The Rangers opened the scoring 73 seconds into the first period. MacKenzie Weegar lost the puck and then blew a tire, leading to a two-on-one rush for the Rangers with Joel Hanley defending. Artemi Panarin opted to shoot, beating Dan Vladar glove-side to make it a 1-0 Rangers lead.

MacKenzie Weegar turns the puck over and then falls down. It creates a 2 on 1 for the Rangers and they score.

1-0 New York early in the first period.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/KekugJKupZ

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

After that goal, though, the Flames put together a pretty nice remainder of the period. They had a flurry of strong chances, and eventually they were rewarded.

Midway through the period, Joel Hanley cranked a one-timer (seemingly) intentionally wide and it rebounded off the end boards and bonked around the net-front area in the Rangers zone. Nazem Kadri zoomed into the slot area undetected and deposited the puck into the net to tie things up at 1-1.

FLAMES GOAL

What a shocker. Nazem Kadri scores a big goal for the Calgary Flames. He ties this game up.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/sjfjXseJpc

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

The Flames kept pressing after they tied the game, including Jonathan Huberdeau ringing a shot off the post with about seven minutes left in the frame.

Late in the period, Matt Rempe got called for elbowing – he went to hit Jake Bean and because he’s very tall, he cracked Bean with his elbow… and also fell into the Rangers bench on the follow-through. On the resulting Flames power play, Matt Coronato won a face-off. The Flames made a couple passes, and Kadri fed Coronato in the slot and Coronato beat Igor Shesterkin to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato scores his 17th goal of the season! He puts the Flames up 2-1

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/Xqv7Ip94Bx

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

First period shots were 15-5 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 13-8 Flames (high-danger chances were 6-4 Flames).

The middle frame was fairly quiet offensively, given that neither team scored. The Flames had a few strong chances, as Morgan Frost dangled through the Rangers’ defenders and nearly scored, then the Flames had a flurry of chances after a Martin Pospisil penalty expired.

Second period shots were 10-3 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-1 Flames (high-danger chances were 5-0 Flames).

The third period felt like a continuation of the second period. The Flames generated some looks, but couldn’t bury them. The Rangers struggled to generate much at all.

The Rangers pulled Shesterkin late in regulation for the extra attacker. The Rangers pressed, but the Flames defended well and managed to clear the zone. It looked like Blake Coleman added a late empty-netter, but it was reviewed – all goals are reviewed in the final minutes of regulation and overtime for anything that could be a coach’s challenge – and the goal was disallowed.

The Flames held on to win 2-1.

Third period shots were 11-5 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 10-6 Flames (high-danger chances were 3-1 Flames).

Why the Flames won​

The Flames looked and played like the Flames usually do when they’re successful. Aside from the first few minutes of the game, the Flames played a really structured, tight-checking game. They didn’t take silly penalties or bad chances. They kept things simple at five-on-five, rolled their lines, did their thing, and that was good enough to get two points against the Rangers.

Red Warrior​

Man, Matt Coronato was excellent in this game. He’s had games where he’s generated more points, sure, but he was noticeable just about every time he hopped over the boards in this contest.

Turning point​

We’re gonna give it to Coronato’s go-ahead goal in the first period.

This and that​

This was just the second instance this season of the Flames winning the second game of a back-to-back set after losing the opening game. They previously pulled off this feat when they lost to Detroit on Feb. 1 and then beat Seattle on Feb. 2.

Connor Zary returned to action after missing two games due to a suspension.

At the end of the first, Kevin Bahl’s errant stick caught J.T. Miller in the, uh, well…

JT Miller get it in the He was in extreme pain #NYR pic.twitter.com/IeJm9n1ky4

— David (@DaveyUpper) March 18, 2025

Up next​

The Flames (31-25-11) are sticking around the New York City metro area. They face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a Presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-battle-to-victory-over-the-rangers

 

[Calgary Flames]

Comparing the remaining schedules for teams in the Western Conference wild card race

With the final stretch of the NHL season rapidly approaching, it’s about time – if you aren’t already – to start watching the scoreboard each night as the final wild card spot in the West gets decided. The race has ultimately come down to four teams: the Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club.

Let’s compare their remaining schedules in order to get a better idea of what might be to come.

Calgary Flames (31-25-11, 73 points)​

The Flames have 15 games remaining on the season:

• Home games: 8
• Away games: 7
• Versus playoff teams: 8
• Versus non-playoff teams: 7
• Key match-ups: Utah (Apr. 1)

The only real advantage the Flames have over the other teams in the playoff race is the fact they have an extra game or two in hand. Their remaining schedule features a mix of top and bottom teams. With upcoming games against the Edmonton Oilers (Mar. 29) and Colorado Avalanche (Mar. 31), as well as two games versus the Vegas Golden Knights (Apr. 5 and Apr. 15), the Flames will need to take advantage of match-ups against weaker opponents like the Anaheim Ducks (Apr. 3 and Apr. 9) and the San Jose Sharks (Apr. 7 and Apr. 13) if they want to have any chance.

For the Flames, it doesn’t seem to matter whether they’re facing a top or bottom team, as their main issue is an inability to score goals. If they want to make a push, they need to find ways to generate offence; otherwise, they may be better off sinking to a top-10 draft position.

Dustin Wolf will likely shoulder most of the load down the stretch. He alone has been the primary reason the Flames have been able to stay in games, carrying the team on his back. Can Wolf continue to drag them into a playoff spot?

Vancouver Canucks (32-25-11, 75 points)​

The Canucks have 14 games remaining on the season:

• Home games: 6
• Away games: 8
• Versus playoff teams: 10
• Versus non-playoff teams: 4
• Key match-ups: St. Louis (Mar. 20)

Like the Flames, the Canucks have also struggled to find offence. Now with Quinn Hughes back in the line-up, he should help in driving offence. If Hughes can stay healthy – or at least not injured enough to keep him out of the lineup – that should provide a boost to their offence as well as provide a glimpse of hope.

It’s safe the safe, of the four teams remaining in the playoff race, the Canucks have the most difficult schedule remaining. With only four games to play against non-playoff teams, and less games at home versus on the road, the path to the playoffs is a steep one. If the Canucks can manage to get into the playoffs, it’ll be because they earned it.

Utah Hockey Club (30-27-11, 71 points)​

Utah has 14 games remaining on the season:

• Home games: 8
• Away games: 6
• Versus playoff teams: 7
• Versus non-playoff teams: 7
• Key match-ups: Calgary (Apr. 1), St. Louis (Apr. 15)

Like Utah, their remaining schedule is fairly average. Utah has not been an overly flashy team this season, simply hanging around the middle of the standings all year. Now, they have a legitimate shot at sneaking into the playoffs.

If Utah can get past its next five games, which include two against the Tampa Bay Lightning (Mar. 22 and Mar. 27) and one against the Florida Panthers (Mar. 28), and manage to win a couple of them, the rest of the schedule won’t look as daunting. With a game against the Chicago Blackhawks (Mar. 30) and two against the Nashville Predators (Apr. 10 and Apr. 14), there are points up for grabs.

It might be easy to discount Utah as a playoff contender, but they have proven they belong in the race and could very well qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season.

St. Louis Blues (34-28-7, 75 points)​

The St. Louis Blues have 13 remaining games on the season:

• Home games: 8
• Away games: 5
• Versus playoff teams: 5
• Versus non-playoff teams: 8
• Key match-ups: Vancouver (Mar. 20), Utah (Apr. 15)

Ignoring the fact that the Blues have the fewest games remaining, it’s safe to say they have the most favourable schedule among the teams in the playoff hunt. With upcoming games against Nashville (Mar. 23 and Mar. 27), Chicago (Mar. 25), and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Apr. 3), the Blues also get to play the majority of their remaining games at home, which is a significant advantage.

While it looked as though the Blues were trending in the other direction before the trade deadline, they ultimately decided against trading captain Brayden Schenn or starting goalie Jordan Binnington. That decision has allowed them to remain competitive.

With the Canucks and Flames struggling, the Blues seem to be in prime position to take control and claim the final playoff spot.

It looks like the race for the wild-card spot will not be decided anytime soon, meaning hockey fans are in for an exciting stretch.

For Flames fans, however, the debate over the team’s direction continues. Given their recent play, it might make more sense to aim for the best draft position possible. But as everyone knows, players and coaches will never intentionally tank. As of now, all Flames fans can do is hope they don’t finish outside both the playoffs and a top-10 draft pick.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/comparing-the-remaining-schedules-for-teams-in-the-wildcard-race

 

[Calgary Flames]

Wild card recap: Three teams occupied the final wild card spot at one point on Tuesday

Tuesday was a busy day for the National Hockey League and the Western Conference wild card race.

All four teams in contention for the final wild card spot, the Calgary Flames, the St. Louis Blues, the Utah Hockey Club, and the Vancouver Canucks were in action. All but one team, the Utah Hockey Club, were in the final wild card spot at one point or another on Tuesday evening.

This is the wild card recap, where we look at how the three other teams battling the Flames fared for the final wild card the night before. The wild card recap will replace What’s Going On In The Pacific Division, at least until next season. This article will come after the busy days in the league, so usually Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Let’s take a look at what happened on Tuesday evening.

The Flames defeat the Rangers in a close game​

Monday wasn’t great for the Calgary Flames as they fell 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to begin their homestand. Tuesday was a lot kinder to the Flames though, as they defeated the New York Rangers 2-1.

Early in the first, Artemi Panarin scored his 30th of the season after MacKenzie Weegar blew a wheel on the rush. However, Nazem Kadri scored his 24th of the season midway through the first, followed by Matt Coronato’s 17th of the season on a power play late in the first period. If Coronato can consistently score 20+ goals a season with a couple of 30+ goal seasons, that’ll be great for the Flames.

As the Flames were on the East Coast, their game finished first, meaning that they were briefly in the final wild card, but that didn’t last long.

Up next, the Flames head to Newark, New Jersey to face Jacob Markström and the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

The Blues outscore the Predators​

Taking the Flames’ spot in the final wild card was the St. Louis Blues. On Tuesday, they defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1. Defenceman Justin Faulk opened the scoring six minutes into the first period, followed by Jake Neighbours’ goal late in the first.

Late in the second, Jordan Kyrou made it 3-0 and with a second left in the second, the Predators scored. However, they were unable to build off that and ultimately lost 4-1.

Up next for the Blues is the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, that’s a pretty big matchup.

The Hockey Club was smashed by the Oilers​

The only score that went the Flames’ way came courtesy of the Edmonton Oilers. On Tuesday, they smashed the Utah Hockey Club 7-1, scoring their opening goal with 7:34 in the first period and never looked back.

The Oilers added another two goals in the first period, and scored twice in the second (while the Hockey Club scored once), before adding two goals early in the third period.

Like the Flames, Blues, and Canucks, the Hockey Club is in action on Thursday as they return home to host the Buffalo Sabres at 7:00 p.m. MT. The Sabres haven’t been good this season but the Flames created some separation in the standings last night.

The Canucks blew out the Jets​

The St. Louis Blues occupied the final wild card spot for about two hours before the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 to regain the spot. Thanks to the Montréal Canadiens win on Tuesday, there are six Canadian teams in a post-season spot, with the Flames occupying a spot at one point last time. I don’t remember a time in my life that’s happened.

About five minutes into the first period, Drew O’Connor opened the scoring for the Canucks. Nikolaj Ehlers tied the game with about five minutes left but the Canucks scored two late goals thanks to Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander. The Jets scored 7:07 into the second period, but it was all the Canucks from there, as Boeser scored his second followed by two Pius Suter goals.

On Thursday, the Canucks travel to Missouri to take on the Blues. The question is, who should we root for? Well, let’s look at that in “how the standings look”.

How the standings look​

So here’s how the standings look as of Wednesday afternoon:

With a 32-25-11 record (68 games) and 75 points, the Vancouver Canucks occupy the final wild card spot. The St. Louis Blues have an equal number of points but have played one extra game (69 games), which happens to be the first tiebreaker.

That’s good news for the Flames, as they have a 31-25-11 record with 73 points. However, they have a game in hand on the Canucks and two on the Blues, meaning that if they win their extra game, they could move into the wild card spot. Let’s take a look at tiebreaking scenarios.

The first tiebreaker after games played (which doesn’t matter at the end of the season) is regulation wins, with both the Flames and Canucks having 25 regulation wins. After that, it’s the total number of regulation + overtime wins, with the Canucks having 30 to the Flames’ 28. If you’re curious about the other tiebreaker, the fourth is total wins (the Flames have one fewer), the fifth is points in head to head match-ups (both teams have five against one another), the sixth tiebreaker is goal differential (Canucks have a -14 GD, the Flames have a -24), and finally, the last tiebreaker is total goals.

It’s paramount that the Flames have more points than the Canucks by the end of the season because who knows how the tiebreakers will look in a month.

Returning to the standings, the Utah Hockey Club has a 30-27-11 record with 71 points and 68 games played. They aren’t out of it by any means but their loss on Tuesday set them back a bit.

---

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

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/wild-c...-final-wild-card-spot-at-one-point-on-tuesday

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames hoping for better showing in front of Dustin Wolf against Devils

There’s a saying in hockey: if you take care of your goalie, your goalie can take care of you. That is to say, if you play well in front of your netminder and do the things you can do to minimize the great chances they face, they’ll do what they can to help the team win.

On Monday night in Toronto, the Flames weren’t great in front of Dustin Wolf, and it resulted in Wolf’s shortest outing as an NHL starting netminder. On Tuesday night in New York, the Flames were quite good in front of Dan Vladar, and it resulted in what Vladar called his easiest night as a Flame – facing just 13 shots in a 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Flames head coach Ryan Huska reiterated on Thursday morning after morning skate at Prudential Center that Wolf’s early exit against Toronto was not a reflection of Wolf’s performance, attributing it to the team’s discipline and lack of ability on the penalty kill.

The Flames may not be as stingy defensively against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday as they were against a struggling Rangers side, but an outing similar to Tuesday’s in terms of their effort and details is probably the expectation.

“We did a good job of, one, I would say winning races to lose pucks,” said Huska. “I thought we were there quicker, so we had the puck more in that game, and I thought we did a good job with our sticks too. So whenever I felt like a Ranger player had it, they looked up, we were kind of right in their face, and we didn’t give them a lot of space to get their game going. So if we could mirror that one tonight, we’d love to see that same type of effort.”

The Flames come into Thursday’s game with a 3-4-3 record over their past 10 games. The Devils have won four of their last five, and are 5-5-0 over their last 10 – they’ve been streaky. Huska was asked about the challenges the Devils pose about opponents.

“They’re a dynamic team,” said Huska. “They’re missing a couple players with injuries, but they still have tons of skill. And if you give them room, they’re a very dangerous team off the rush. And I think the one thing that you can’t underestimate against them is the quickness, how they can shift from defence to offence, and vice versa. They come back the other way really fast. So there’s a lot of challenges they possess. And I guess the other one that I should be mentioning is the special teams on that side. They’ve done a great job over the last little while.”

It’s no secret that the Flames haven’t score a ton this season: they enter Thursday’s action with the lowest goals for in the NHL, averaging 2.54 goals per game. They’ve gotten consistently good and occasionally excellent goaltending from both Wolf and Vladar; they’re 12th league-wide in all-situations save percentage and third in five-on-five save percentage.

Their win-loss record is primarily a reflection of how often they score goals, and Wolf’s goal support in wins and losses in an example of that. In 22 wins for Wolf, the Flames have scored 3.3 goals per game. In 19 Wolf losses, they’ve scored just 1.9 per game. The margins have been that tight for the Flames.

The Flames know how they need to play in order to win games, in terms of pace, discipline and structure. If the Flames can light the lamp three or four times a game, they tend to be successful. If they struggle to do that, their success becomes reliant on their goaltender standing their head.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-hoping-for-better-showing-in-front-of-dustin-wolf-against-devils

 

[Calgary Flames]

Want to understand the Flames? Watch their win over New Jersey

The Calgary Flames are not a perfect hockey team.

They don’t score a lot of goals. They low on what’s termed “elite” offensive skill. Their blueline group features two experienced, reliable veterans, leading a group that’s otherwise full of interesting projects. Their primary netminder is a fresh-faced rookie from California who’s considered small for the position.

The Flames are not a perfect hockey team.

But they haven’t needed to be a perfect hockey team to be successful so far in the 2o24-25 season. With 14 games remaining on the calendar, they are firmly in the Western Conference’s playoff picture – somewhat improbably, if you believe the off-season betting markets and pre-season media previews.

There’s no better encapsulation of the fascinating, often contradictory nature of the current Flames than Thursday evening’s 5-3 comeback win over the New Jersey Devils.

Through two periods, the Flames had played just poorly enough to be down 3-1. A wrap-around rattled off Adam Klapka’s stick, Dustin Wolf’s pads and was jammed into the net by Timo Meier. Another shot went in off Kevin Bahl after an initial disruption of a Devils scoring chance. The Devils got a third goal with less than 30 seconds left in the period. The Flames had played pretty well, but bounces and a couple miscues came back to haunt them.

“Our second period probably wasn’t our best, but the message in here was we have to find a way,” said Wolf, post-game. “These points are critical and we’re kind of in do or die range right now. So a heck of an effort from the boys in the third period there and I had a real nice seat for it.”

The Flames won the third period. Thoroughly. They registered three shots in the first minute of the period. A minor reshuffling of the defensive pairings – Bahl paired with Daniil Miromanov, Rasmus Andersson paired with Jake Bean – gave the team a jolt, and they just rolled their lines and played their game and chipped away at the Devils.

A fortuitous bounce off a Connor Zary shot cut the Devils’ lead to 3-2 at 6:50.

A superb shot from a pinching Daniil Miromanov tied the game at 3-3 at 15:40.

A Matt Coronato rush chance was broken up by Johnathan Kovacevic, but he poked the puck away from Coronato… and right to the trailing player on the rush, Jonathan Huberdeau, who went top corner on Jacob Markstrom to give the Flames a 4-3 lead at 16:40.

Nazem Kadri added an empty-netter to make it 5-3 at 19:48.

What was different for the Flames in the third period?

“Just the pressure,” said Huberdeau, post-game. “I think we were getting under defencemen. I think they were turning the puck over. So I think that was just us. I thought we had more legs. You know, we were skating a little faster. And I think we were creating more chances. I felt like, you know, we kind of knew that was going to come. I feel with the pressure we were giving them.”

The Flames did an strong job in the final period of translating zone time into chances. Wolf made several big saves. Four different players scored. Yeah, they got some bounces and nice breaks, but they also worked to create those situations – Zary did what players are told to do and put the puck on net, while Coronato battled his way into the net-front area and induced the Devils to make sub-optimal decisions. And so the team that usually can’t score a lot popped off for four goals in one period.

“Third period was a really good period for us,” said head coach Ryan Huska after the game. “There was a lot of the game that we did like. I thought we gave up some goals at tough times in a game, but a lot of resilience in the third period. It was a good period where I felt like we stayed on the gas as it went along.”

The Flames are not a perfect hockey team. But they seem to have made peace with their imperfections this season, and have done a pretty savvy job of working around them. It would be great if they could play complete 60 minute games and control a game from the opening puck drop until the final buzzer. But this season, that hasn’t been a frequent occurrence.

This edition of the Flames are a fascinating jumble of contradictions. And despite those contradictions – heck, maybe even because of them – they’re a group that simply will not go away quietly, both in games and in the Western Conference playoff race. Thursday’s win over the Devils saw the Flames’ strengths and flaws on full display.

The Flames are not a perfect hockey team. But they still might be good enough to make the playoffs.

The Flames complete their road trip on Saturday when they face the New York Islanders.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/want-to-understand-the-flames-watch-their-win-over-new-jersey

 

[Calgary Flames]

The Jacob Markstrom trade might go down as Craig Conroy’s finest piece of work

The Calgary Flames did extremely well in acquiring Kevin Bahl and a first-round pick from the New Jersey Devils for Jacob Markstrom last year, but those two pieces are still secondary reasons why they won that particular trade.

Especially in a year where their own first-round draft choice could potentially end up with the Montreal Canadiens, the Flames needed to give themselves another bullet in 2025’s top 32. By the looks of it, that pick could end up in the late teens. But it’s not why they won the trade.

Bahl, who turns 25 in June and is due for a new contract the following month, has exceeded expectations in his first season as a Flame, averaging more than 21 minutes per night and collecting 17 points in 59 games. He’s a big guy who skates well, and he should have a long and successful career. But he’s not why they won the trade.

No, the Flames won the Jacob Markstrom trade because they didn’t waste their chance to strike when they had the opportunity to upgrade on multiple levels. They needed to get another pick — they did. They needed another defenceman — they got one. And best of all, by moving on from their incumbent 34-year-old goaltender, they opened the door for a certain 23-year-old to step in and take the reins.

And guess what? That 23-year-old is already better than Markstrom. That’s why they won the trade.

Dustin Wolf makes an incredible breakaway save!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/QKQszA1GDM

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 21, 2025

None of this is meant to take away from what Markstrom gave the Flames during his four seasons here. He chose to sign in Calgary at the height of a global pandemic, leaving a Pacific Division rival in the process, and backstopped the Flames to the second round of the playoffs in 2022. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist that same year.

But the Flames only made the playoffs once during Markstrom’s tenure, and his later years in Calgary were marred by inconsistency between the pipes. He constantly gave up goals on the first shot he faced to start games. In a league where a .905 save percentage is essentially the Mendoza line for a goaltender, Markstrom only exceeded it once with the Flames.

As we covered at length here on FlamesNation last summer, the Flames completely reset the trade market for veteran goaltenders when they sent Markstrom to the Devils last June. Goalies in their 30s, even past Vezina nominees, seldom ever go for more than a mid-round pick and a prospect. A month after Marc-André Fleury won the Vezina Trophy in 2021, Vegas couldn’t get a single asset when they dealt him to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Devils paid an inordinate price to land Markstrom because they desperately needed stability in net, even after adding Jake Allen at the previous trade deadline. But while Markstrom has undoubtedly been an upgrade on the likes of Akira Schmid, Nico Daws, and Vitek Vanecek, his numbers — especially since his return from injury earlier this month — haven’t been anything to write home about. He’s 22-14-5 with a .901 on the year and has won just one out of six games in March.

In any event, how Markstrom performs in New Jersey is largely immaterial. Even if he had a .920 this year, the Flames still would’ve made the right choice by freeing up the starter’s job for Dustin Wolf, who has made for a sensational replacement in his first full NHL season. He’s quick, smart, and cool as a cucumber. Getting Bahl and the first-rounder? That’s gravy.

Will the success of the Markstrom trade help to inform any of the future decisions Flames GM Craig Conroy will have to make over the next few months? The Flames have done relatively well in selling off key veterans in off-season deals since Conroy took over, with the Andrew Mangiapane and Tyler Toffoli returns still looking strong (Yegor Sharangovich’s difficult year notwithstanding). And with another blue-chipper in Zayne Parekh already aggressively staking his claim for an NHL job next year, will Conroy be able to pull off a repeat of the Markstrom deal by trading Rasmus Andersson? Or will the Flames opt to have them coexist on the big club? It’s certainly easier to swing it with defencemen than goalies …

Either way, the Flames are in a much better spot today than they were before they traded Markstrom, and a lot of it comes down to the fact that they acted when they did. Wolf has already proven himself to be the best young goalie in the NHL; Markstrom is a year away from unrestricted free agency and certainly wouldn’t have re-signed in Calgary. How would things look today if the Flames had kicked that particular can down the road another year? In all likelihood, not good.

Now, if Wolf ever gets the Flames past the Oilers in the playoffs, he’ll have Markstrom beat for sure. But that’ll have to wait … won’t it?

---

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-ja...go-down-as-craig-conroys-finest-piece-of-work

 

[Calgary Flames]

3 Flames players will lose their waiver exemption after this season

As the 2024-25 regular season winds down, we’ll start turning our attentions to the future.

Quietly, one of the most important parts of the National Hockey League’s roster building tools is the waiver wire: the Calgary Flames currently feature a pair of blueliners (Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal) that they acquired for the waiver fee.

But waiver statuses often change between seasons – especially for younger players. The Flames organization currently features nine players, three NHLers and three minor-leaguers, that will lose their waiver exemptions when the 2024-25 season concludes.

(Stick-taps to our pals at PuckPedia for providing all the contract details.)

The NHLers​

Two of the players losing their exemptions are players that we doubt will be considered for a demotion to the AHL anytime soon. Goaltender Dustin Wolf, currently the club’s top netminder and a Calder Trophy contender, and right wing Matt Coronato, currently third on the club in goals, will require waivers to go down to the minors. The duo were both highly-touted prospects, and have graduated into pretty strong NHL players.

The third player, though, is a bit fascinating: big-bodied winger Adam Klapka. Klapka has been up and down from the Wranglers a half-dozen times this season. He’s listed at 6’8″ and 235 pounds, and while he’s more of a gentle giant than a wrecking ball, his sheer size makes him really challenging for other teams to deal with. He’s currently on the NHL roster and attempting to carve out a full-time spot for himself on the fourth line.

He’s not nearly as cemented into the big club’s plans as Wolf or Coronato are, and if he hits the waiver wire next season, it might be tough for another team to resist claiming a player with his sheer size.

The minor-leaguers​

Six current AHLers will be losing their waiver exemptions after this season: goaltenders Waltteri Ignatjew and Connor Murphy, defencemen Yan Kuznetsov and Jeremie Poirier, and forwards Rory Kerins and Sam Morton.

Ignatjew has played one season in North America, primarily serving as Devin Cooley’s backup. He’s shown flashes of strong play, but likely wouldn’t merit a claim from an NHL club. The same goes for Murphy, who’s been really reliable depth over the past two seasons for the Wranglers – he was recently rewarded with an NHL contract.

The four skaters are a bit more unclear.

Kuznetsov and Kerins have each gotten NHL looks over the past couple seasons. Kuznetsov projects as a shutdown defender, and teams always need those, and has been a valuable steady partner for Hunter Brzustewicz as he’s adjusted to pro hockey. Kerins has been the most consistently dangerous offensive player for the Wranglers this season. He’s far from a complete 200-foot player, sure, but he can score goals.

Poirier projects as more of an offensive-minded defender. His production is a little bit less than in his first pro season, but he’s possibly still getting his swagger back after missing a lot of last season with a really nasty skate cut. Meanwhile, Morton is playing his first pro season after signing out of college last spring. He’s built his game pretty nicely this season as a two-way forward, and his offensive production over the past month or two has seen a bit of an uptick.

This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary​

Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary’s best run adult recreational hockey league. Now is the time to get in for summer registration. Mention “Barn Burner” to get $100 off your team registration. 14 games plus for the summer in women’s, co-ed and men’s divisions. For more information, click here.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/3-flames-players-will-lose-their-waiver-exemption-after-this-season

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames close out eastern swing with overtime triumph against Islanders

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 headed to Long Island on Saturday afternoon to face the New York Islanders in the fourth and final game of their eastern road swing. Playing their fourth game in six days, the Flames played a pretty smart road game despite missing a couple key regulars.

In a back and forth affair, the Flames completed the New York metro area sweep with a 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.

The rundown​

The Flames got off to a pretty good start, and they opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game. With Jonathan Huberdeau serving as a screen, Matt Coronato fired a shot that eluded Marcus Hogberg to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato opens the scoring early in the 1st period! That's three games in a row with a goal for Coronato!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/rnXaj1CGH5

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

The Islanders managed to get that one back, though, midway through the second period. Anthony DeAngelo fired a shot from the right point. His shot bounced off the skates of two different players… and ended up going right to Bo Horvat at the side of the Flames’ net. He put it into the net past Dan Vladar to tie the game up at 1-1.

Bo Horvat ties the game.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/891Vc8Gkcm

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

With under three minutes left in the period, Islanders took the lead. The Islanders fourth line won possession in their own zone and executed a really nice breakout that led to an odd-man sequence after Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov both drifted to the same defender. That gave Marc Gatcomb time and space to get a nice shot off that beat Vladar’s glove and gave the Islanders a 2-1 edge.

Marc Gatcomb puts the Islanders up 2-1

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/0S9kLCkcGy

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

First period shots were 13-11 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 11-8 Islanders (high-danger chances were 5-2 Islanders).

Midway through a pretty back-and-forth second period, the Flames managed to tie things up. Huberdeau made a really savvy pass in the Islanders zone, throwing the puck to a streaking Coronato. Coronato received the pass and fired the puck past Hogberg’s glove, and his quick shot found the back of the net to make it a 2-2 hockey game.

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato scores his 20th goal of the season!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/RUzEW6PhLT

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

Second period shots were 13-6 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 8-4 Flames (high-danger chances were 2-1 Islanders).

The third period was pretty back and forth. The Islanders had the better scoring chances of the two clubs, but Vladar was very sharp when called upon.

Late in the third period, rookie Maxim Tsyplakov spun out from behind the net and threw the puck on goal. Vladar made a blocker save, but the rebound went right to Kyle MacLean, and he fired the puck past Vladar to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead.

3-2 Islanders.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/TGMoOhsXmJ

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

But just 27 seconds later, the Flames answered back. After an offensive zone face-off win, Rasmus Andersson’s point shot was tipped by Huberdeau and beat Hogberg to tie the game at 3-3.

FLAMES GOAL

Jonathan Huberdeau scores another clutch goal! He ties this game late in the 3rd period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/LjW3d1bb26

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

With the game tied, Vladar made a superb glove stop on Ryan Pulock to send this game to overtime.

Dan Vladar makes a huge save! A big reason why this game is going to overtime!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/E4gTr0VbGo

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

Third period shots were 9-7 Islanders. Five-on-five scoring chances were 12-4 Islanders (high-danger chances were 4-1 Islanders).

This game required extra time to decide. The Flames had puck possession for much of extra time, but seemed to be picking their spots when looking for scoring chances.

Just after Morgan Frost failed to convert on a breakaway, Nazem Kadri was fed the puck by Andersson and beat Hogberg to give the Flames a 4-3 victory.

FLAMES GOAL

NAZEM KADRI WINS THE GAME IN OVERTIME!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/BIwl0G3ws0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

Why the Flames won​

The Flames were short a couple key players, but they played a pretty smart road game. They had a few miscues here and there, but their goalie bailed them out. And when they were able to get good looks at the Islanders net, they did what they could to capitalize.

Considering the amount of hockey they’ve played this week, this was a fully-earned two points.

Red Warrior​

We’ll do a split award for this one. Matt Coronato scoring a pair of goals in his return to Long Island was a huge plus for the Flames. But let’s give a ton of credit to Dan Vladar. He doesn’t get nearly the amount of praise – local or national – that Dustin Wolf does, but he’s been really effective over the last month or two for the Flames.

Turning point​

Let’s give it to Kadri’s overtime winner.

This and that​

The Flames were without Joel Farabee due to illness and MacKenzie Weegar due to a lower body injury.

With Farabee and Weegar not in the lineup, here’s how the two power play units lined up:

• PP1: Andersson, Coronato, Frost, Kadri & Huberdeau
• PP2: Miromanov, Pospisil, Sharangovich, Coleman & Zary

This was Jonathan Huberdeau’s 900th NHL game.

Up next​

The Flames (33-25-11) are headed home. They’re back in action at the Saddledome on Tuesday night when they host the Seattle Kraken.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a Presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instan...swing-with-overtime-triumph-against-islanders

 

[Calgary Flames]

Beyond the Boxscore: Flames get streak started with gutsy win against Islanders

The Calgary Flames’ top players came up big as the Flames earn a comeback victory in Long Island on Saturday afternoon over the New York Islanders.

CF% – 48.47%|| SCF% – 48.6%|| HDCF% – 34.4%|| xGF% – 35.38%

It’s a Team Game – It was a strong start for the Flames in the first period, starting things off on the right foot. Matt Coronato scored within the first minute of the game to keep his hot streak alive. Being back in his home state sparked some serious offence out of him, at a time when Calgary needed it the most. The first period was fairly level, both teams getting goals and chances. Calgary entered the second down a goal but again Coronato would tie things up. The Flames offence would start to run on fumes a bit and the Islanders started to grab some third period momentum. After New York took a late lead, the Flames had an excuse to pack it in – they didn’t use it and Huberdeau got a deflection to tie things up. Nazem Kadri would take matters into his own hands in overtime sealing a much-needed win for the Flames to remain in the playoff hunt.

Corsi King – Jonathan Huberdeau (57.11 per cent) continues to elevate his game with his new linemates. What was once a stale attack waiting for one line to work together has quickly changed into a new dynamic top 6 where Huberdeau is leading his own line. Matt Coronato (53.95 per cent) is doing more than his fair share of lifting on that line, but thee dynamic between the passer in Huberdeau and the shooter in Coronato has had some instant chemistry. Morgan Frost (50.12 per cent) has nestled right in-between them to provide some quality breakout support and neutral zone transition ability. It’s all working very nicely three games into its creation.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – The other half of the new dynamic top six is an old favourite from last year. Nazem Kadri (67.40 SCF% || 44.22 HDCF%) with Connor Zary (64.35 per cent || 37.18 per cent) and Martin Pospisil (63.70 per cent || 37.18 per cent) on the wings. The natural chemistry along the boards, especially low in the attacking zone, is just naturally more creative than most of the other line combinations we’ve seen this year. Kadri himself has been on a hot streak himself – the first such instance we’ve seen in 2025 where multiple Flames, on different lines, are on a week-long offensive hot streak. The Toronto game seems to have been a wake-up call and the Flames have listened to it.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – With MacKenzie Weegar out of the lineup the Flames defence was poised to be quite vulnerable. Brayden Pachal (55.99 per cent) stepped back into the lineup with no issues. He’s a reliable bottom-pair guy but he did an admirable job after sitting out. Pachal wasn’t the guy that needed to showcase some high-level success. That would be Rasmus Andersson (31.43 per cent) who was as polarizing as ever. He saw the most dangerous chances against and was out for the most 5v5 goals against, but he also contributed three assists. Two sides to every coin – when they win this seems like it’s nitpicky, but it needs to be relevant in case they get into some must-win pressure situations down the stretch.

Game Flow –

Game Score –

NHL GameScore Impact Card for Calgary Flames on 2025-03-22: pic.twitter.com/m6lmLaiQA5

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) March 22, 2025

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – Dan Vladar’s run of quality starts continued as he earned another win in 2025. Nothing unusual from the Flames backup goaltender. He let a few goals in, maybe one you’d want back, but stood tall at the end and gave the team a chance to win. Dustin Wolf is going to be leaned on heavily, giving him nights off and earning wins is a bonus for this team. 2.94 expected goals against at 5v5 with three getting behind him

The Goals –

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato opens the scoring early in the 1st period! That's three games in a row with a goal for Coronato!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/rnXaj1CGH5

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

FLAMES GOAL

Matt Coronato scores his 20th goal of the season!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/RUzEW6PhLT

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

FLAMES GOAL

Jonathan Huberdeau scores another clutch goal! He ties this game late in the 3rd period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/LjW3d1bb26

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

FLAMES GOAL

NAZEM KADRI WINS THE GAME IN OVERTIME!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/BIwl0G3ws0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

Flash’s 3 Stars –

1) Matt Coronato

2) Jonathan Huberdeau

3) Nazem Kadri

(Stats compiled from Naturalstattrick.com // Game Score from Hockeystatcards.com // xG and Under Pressure charts from HockeyViz.com // Game Flow and Shot Heatmap from NaturalStatTrick.com)

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/beyond...reak-started-with-gutsy-win-against-islanders

 

[Calgary Flames]

Barn Burner Candy Bracket (Elite 8)

Barn Burner Candy Bracket

Get ready for the sweetest showdown of the year! The Barn Burner Candy Bracket is in full swing, and we’ve already seen some intense matchups as our favorite treats battle it out for the ultimate title of Candy Bracket Champion!

After a thrilling first round, we’re now down to the Elite Eight, and the competition is heating up. On one side of the bracket, Nibs has proven to be a serious contender, pulling off a strong victory against Jolly Ranchers and now taking on Swedish Berries, who survived a close battle against Cherry Blasters. Meanwhile, Cola Bottles—the top seed—continues to dominate, setting up an exciting matchup against Nibs in the next round.

On the other side, the sour vs. sweet rivalry is alive and well! Fuzzy Peaches powered past Dino Sours but now face a surprising challenge from Sour Soothers, who knocked out Starburst in a shocking upset. Meanwhile, Gummy Bears have held strong and will now go head-to-head with Sour Patch Kids in what promises to be a heavyweight fight between two chewy, fruity powerhouses.

Who will advance to the Final Four? Will the classic favorites hold strong, or will we see an underdog pull off a major upset? It’s all up to the votes as we continue the Barn Burner Candy Bracket!!

LINK TO VOTE:

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/barn-burner-candy-bracket-elite-8

 

[Calgary Flames]

Recap: Wranglers split weekend series against Firebirds after 4-2 loss

The Calgary Wranglers and Coachella Valley Firebirds wrapped up their weekend and season series on Sunday. Going into this game, Coachella Valley had the winning record on the season with a 5-2-0-0 record against Calgary. They were neck and neck in the standings with the same winning percentage but after the Firebirds won 4-2, they took the fourth spot in the standings and put the Wranglers in fifth.

Lineup notes​

There weren’t many changes to the lineup for this game. Devin Cooley did not dress for Friday’s game but did start for this game. Waltteri Ignatjew dressed as back up. Connor Mylymok was out for this game and Trevor Janicke, who was called up from Rapid City on Saturday, slotted into the lineup.

Tyson Barrie was out again but interim head coach Joe Cirella provided an update on him post-game saying he is currently recovering from whiplash.

Wranglers lines​

Rory Kerins – Sam Morton – Martin Frk

Sam Honzek – Clark Bishop – William Stromgren

Lucas Ciona – Kyler Kupka – Ty Tullio

Parker Bell – Alex Gallant – Trevor Janicke

Ilya Solovyov – Jonathan Aspirot

Yan Kuznetsov – Hunter Brzustewicz

Artem Grushikov – Jeremie Poirier

Devin Cooley

Game at a glance​

Devin Cooley was back between the pipes after getting Friday night off. The Firebirds opted to keep their netminder the same for this game with Nikke Kokko starting for the second half of this series. Cooley was getting the majority of the work in the opening frame. The first penalty went to Alex Gallant for boarding.

The Firebirds got a couple of shots on this man advantage but didn’t open the scoring until a few minutes later. The visitors got on the board at 8:17 when Ben Meyers deflected a shot past Cooley off a shot from the point.

A few minutes after this goal, Parker Bell got some energy going with a brief fight against Ville Ottavainen. Both took their respective fighting majors.

Parker Bell exchanges a few punches with Ville Ottavainen pic.twitter.com/LnkfubRYwa

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) March 23, 2025

Coachella Valley got the next few chances but Calgary bounced back in the dying seconds rattling off a couple of shots from Sam Morton and Martin Frk. It was a limited shot period for Calgary and that little 20 second boost improved them from three to five. The score after 20 minutes was 1-0 Coachella Valley and they had a 15-5 edge in shots.

The Wranglers got their first chance on the power play just 2:18 into the second period but couldn’t generate an opportunity to even up the scoring. Shortly after their power play ended, they were on the penalty kill when Ilya Solovyov was called for cross checking.

This penalty kill was successful but the Firebirds were the next to score at 9:28 with a goal from Max Lajoie. It was another shot from the point, but this one did go straight through without deflection.

After this goal, these teams exchanged some chances and both goalies turned them away. At 17:18, the Wranglers were back on a power play but did not register a shot by the end of the period. After 40 minutes of play, the Wranglers trailed 2-0 in goals and 23-17 in shots.

Calgary was on a penalty kill early in the third after Artem Grushnikov was called for hooking at 2:24. About four minutes into the third, Cooley and a Firebirds skater collided and this collision pulled Cooley’s left leg back and appeared to hyper-extend his hip. He was looked at by the training staff shortly after and remained in the game but showed signs of discomfort between whistles.

At 6:48, the Firebirds forced a turnover in the neutral zone and came up on a rush. Logan Morrison set up Ryan Winterton for the one-timer that he blasted five hole on Cooley to put the Firebirds up 3-0. At 7:40, the Wranglers got a power play chance of their own and used this chance to get their first goal of the game. Rory Kerins set up Martin Frk with a cross ice pass and he finished the play with a goal. Jonathan Aspirot also assisted on this marker.

Martin Frk puts the Wranglers on the board on the power play pic.twitter.com/KyD9relkEq

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) March 23, 2025

The Wranglers and Firebirds exchanged penalties after this goal and the next team to score was Coachella Valley. David Goyette beat Cooley on his blocker side and put the visitors up 4-1 at 14:58.

27 seconds later, Alex Gallant and Nikolas Brouillard got into it along the boards and were both given roughing calls. Gallant ended up with the extra two minutes for a double minor and was also called on a 10 minute misconduct for continuing the altercation.

The Wranglers opted to pull Cooley at 17:48 and did get one more on the board from Lucas Ciona at 19:25. He was screening Kokko and ended up deflecting the puck over the Firebirds netminder’s shoulder. Sam Honzek and Jeremie Poirier assisted on this marker.

Ciona cuts the score in half!!! pic.twitter.com/RCn4IteetC

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 23, 2025

That was all the offence Calgary could drum up and by the end of regulation, they fell by a final score of 4-2. None of the Wranglers ended up in the three star selections and shots finished 35-28 for Coachella Valley.

Scoring stat summary​

Jeremie Poirier – 1A

Rory Kerins – 1A

Lucas Ciona – 1G

Martin Frk – 1G

Sam Honzek – 1A

Jonathan Aspirot – 1A

Highlights​

Next up​

That wraps up the regular season series between Coachella Valley and Calgary. The Wranglers just had a quick two game home series and will be back on the road to face a couple of Pacific Division opponents in California. They’ll play the Bakersfield Condors next Friday at 8:00 p.m. MT and the San Diego Gulls on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MT.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/recap-wranglers-split-weekend-series-against-firebirds-after-4-2-loss

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames sign college goalie Owen Say to entry-level deal (one year, $872,500) for 2025-26

The Calgary Flames have dipped into the college free agent market. On Monday morning, the club announced that they’ve signed goaltender Owen Say to a one year entry-level contract worth $872,500 at the NHL level. The contract kicks in next season.

The 23-year-old netminder just completed his junior year in the NCAA with the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, going 10-15-0 with a 2.82 goals against average and .920 save percentage in 27 appearances. He spent his first two seasons in college with Mercyhurst University, where he posted a combined 12-23-4 record while posting a .903 save percentage as a freshman and .913 as a sophomore. Prior to heading to college, Say played two seasons in the BCHL with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and went 23-10-6 over 38 games in his second season there and was named the circuit’s top goaltender.

Say is listed at 6’2″ and 185 pounds, and he’s originally from London, Ontario. Before heading to the BCHL, he played most of his hockey within his home province.

You could fill an arena with what we don’t know about goaltending. But Say’s performances thus far have shown some promise: he progressed quite nicely over two seasons in the BCHL, then did the same thing in college, with his numbers improving markedly as he moved from the Atlantic Hockey conference to the more competitive Big 10 conference. His play during the recent Big 10 tournament and down the stretch for Notre Dame drew him praise from people that know things about goaltending, and considering this deal is for just a single season, it’s a pretty low-risk, high-reward gamble on a promising young goalie.

Say is 23 currently but turns 24 in June, so for the purposes of the CBA he’s signing as a 24-year-old, so he’s limited to a one-year deal. He’s the third goaltender the Flames have under contract for 2025-26, along with Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley. (AHLers Waltteri Ignatjew and Connor Murphy are eligible to become restricted free agents at the conclusion of this season.)

Presented by…​

This article is presented by Servus Credit Union. Start saving now to have your chance at winning $1 million with the Servus Big Share® Contest.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...-entry-level-deal-one-year-872500-for-2025-26

 

[Calgary Flames]

On the road trip, Nazem Kadri also potted a New York metro hat trick

Before last week, only one Calgary Flames player had scored goals against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils on the same road trip.

But now, there are three!

Flames all-time leading scorer (and special assistant to the general manager) Jarome Iginla completed the feat in December 1999 and was the first to do so. Flames winger Matt Coronato was the second to score against all three teams, finishing things off with a goal against his hometown Islanders just 36 seconds into his first visit to Long Island.

In overtime against the Islanders, Nazem Kadri became the third Flame to complete the New York metro hat trick. We put some shine on Coronato, the Long Island kid, getting three goals in three games on his first trip to his old stomping grounds as an NHLer, but let’s give Kadri some credit, too: he was really effective on the road trip.

On Tuesday against the Rangers, Kadri tied the game up at 1-1 at the 10:22 mark of the first period. The goal came on a pretty smart little play, as Joel Hanley intentionally fired wide of the Rangers net, resulting in a big rebound off the end boards into the net front area. Amidst a bit of a scramble in front, Kadri zoomed in and fired the loose puck past Igor Shesterkin.

FLAMES GOAL

What a shocker. Nazem Kadri scores a big goal for the Calgary Flames. He ties this game up.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/sjfjXseJpc

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 18, 2025

On Thursday against the Devils, Kadri scored on an empty net to make it 5-3 at the 19:48 mark of the third period. Yes, it was an empty-netter, which by default makes it less impressive than other goals he’s scored. However, this was a pretty savvy empty-netter, as Kadri muscled a Devils player out of the way to complete a zone exit, then carried the puck up ice before firing into the empty net. As far as empty net goals go, he worked to get this one.

FLAMES GOAL

Nazem Kadri completes the comeback! That's four straight 3rd period goals for Calgary!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/OuhVyAcpz8

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 21, 2025

On Saturday against the Islanders, Kadri scored the game-winning goal to make it a 4-3 final at the 3:53 mark of overtime. The goal came after a pretty eventful overtime period that saw the Flames hold onto the puck quite a bit. In the lead-up to the goal, the Flames had offensive zone possession and Kadri’s teammates both went for a change. Kadri seemed to feint towards the bench for a change, then cut back towards the net – past a few Islanders defenders that probably bought that he was tuckered out and headed for a change – and fired the puck past Marcus Hogberg to give the Flames a victory.

FLAMES GOAL

NAZEM KADRI WINS THE GAME IN OVERTIME!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/BIwl0G3ws0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 22, 2025

Kadri’s three goals against the New York area teams were all in different game situations – five-on-five, five-on-six and three-on-three – but they were all pretty big goals for the Flames at key times. (Yes, even the empty-netter.)

The Flames return to action on Tuesday evening when they host the Seattle Kraken.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/on-the-road-trip-nazem-kadri-also-potted-a-new-york-metro-hat-trick