Down 3-0 to the Edmonton Oilers at the halfway mark of the second period, the Calgary Flames, through sheer force of will, scored three unanswered goals to tie the score and drag the game into overtime.
A truly remarkable turn of events.
Can you believe that there are still people saying that the Flames are a boring team to watch play hockey?
Not to mention that the two goalscorers were Matvei Gridin and Connor Zary; both players under the age of 25.
Does Calgary get even remotely close to pulling that shootout win off without the services of Dustin Wolf? Not likely. Fascinating to see the younger side of the roster take over a game against the Western Conference champs.
Fun fact on Nazem Kadri’s shootout goal: that was only the second attempt Naz had been given since the infamous Nick Ritchie shootout incident in 2023. Among most fans, Ritchie and Sutter take the entirety of the blame for the situation. Kadri and Mikael Backlund missed too.
So, Naz is now 2-for-11 in shootouts while wearing a Flames sweater. Maybe he gets the tap earlier than eighth next time.
While it would be nice to sit and bask in a Battle of Alberta underdog comeback victory, the Flames take to the ice again tonight. This time against the Vancouver Canucks.
Calgary Flames Projected Lineup
Farabee-Kadri-Klapka
Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Lomberg-Kirkland-Sharangovich
Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Pachal
Wolf
Cooley
Vancouver Canucks Projected Lineup
DeBrusk. EP40. Boeser.
Bains. Chytil. Garland.
Kane. Cootes. Lekkerimäki.
O’Connor. Räty. Sherwood.
Hughes. Hronek.
MP29. Myers.
Forbort. EP25.
Karlsson. Mancini.
Surprise Promotion
Much to the chagrin of some within the Canucks fanbase, Arshdeep Bains will start the game in the top six. The 24 year old left wing is more known for his checking abilities, but head coach Adam Foote doesnt seem to be worried about his placement in the lineup.
“We’re not going to be all over him for points,” said Foote after practice yesterday. “So we can give him a little bit more freedom in his mind to stay in that structure.”
Flames Fatigue
It will be interesting to see what this group can conjure up for offence on the tail end of a back-to-back. All three goals last night were lucky bounces.
Does Kadri take the confidence from his shootout goal and turn it into a point or two? How about the other seven veterans? Do we see a last minute insertion of Zayne Parekh into the lineup?
Time will tell. Calgary could very easily be shutout tonight.
Desperate Hockey
Speaking of Zayne Parekh, Jake Bean was playing like his job was on the line last night. While he did a good job winning puck races, he did mess up his gap on one of Edmonton’s goals.
Awkward situation, but something to keep an eye on.
Expect the puck to drop around 8:25 P.M. MST after a few season-opening ceremonies.
Stats courtesy of NaturalStatTrick and the National Hockey League. Canucks practice lines courtesy of Brendan Batchelor. @BatchHockey
KEEP READING:
Flames Game One Preview: Battle of Alberta Blowout
Hot Takes: Calgary Flames 2025 Preseason Grades
Neufeld: 11 Calgary Flames Preseason Thoughts & Observations
Neufeld: 7 Bold Predictions Heading into the New Season
9 Reasons the Calgary Flames Struggled Last Season
Remarkable Turnaround: How the Flames PK went from 30th to 1st
Five Former Flames Head Coaches: Where are they now?
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Thanks Fry!!!
What a comeback last night!
The boys looked tired tonight.
So glad hockey is back! Go Flames!!!!
I look they had good jump early. Couldn’t quite connect on the power play or several high-end chances. Not one of Wolf’s better games. I thought a few of the goals were stoppable (the first Vancouver goal was outright soft). NOt one of Kadri’s better games. either. Good not for Frost’s line with Farabee and Sharangovich (I didn’t love Huska breaking up Frost-Coronato so quickly, but this was easily the Flames’ best line tonight).