Welcome back to an ongoing series we like to call, Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads, where we go into one positive and one negative surrounding any given team in the National Hockey League. Today, we’ll be covering the Calgary Flames and a 1-4-0 road trip that they concluded on Monday with a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. With a fan base clamouring for a rebuild, the organization has finally figured out how to play below .500 over an extended period of time.
Despite finally going public with the direction of the franchise, there are still wins and losses on a smaller scale. With that said, here is Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads for the late season Calgary Flames
Tap of the Stick: Pospisil defends Brzustewicz
One of the uglier moments of their road trip happened early in the fifth game. At the age of 32 and playing his 18th NHL game, Dominik Shine knows his role. Do as much damage as you can on the forecheck and provide the odd boost in tempo when things get slow.
On Monday, Shine had two rookie defencemen playing on his side to put pressure on; Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz. The latter found himself hammered head first into the boards by Shine.
Martin Pospisil stepped up and fought Shine, and, well, lost.
Whack of the Pads: Ryan Lomberg didn’t jump at the opportunity
What could have been done better? You’ll see that just prior to the fight, Ryan Lomberg was on the ice and ready to go.
Like it or not, the five-foot-nine Richmond Hill, Ontario product is Calgary’s go-to enforcer. He hasn’t fought in over a month (Jan. 3) when he jumped into an impromptu brawl with rival Cole Smith.
Life if tough when you’re the muscle for an NHL team and you’re also under six feet tall, but the hard truth is that stepping up is Lomberg’s role; especially when the alternative is Martin Pospisil (who has been limited to only 13 games this season due to brain trauma issues) stepping up instead.
Lomberg is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and needs to prove that he can handle the role of Team Shepherd. That means no hesitation.
Whack of the pads.
Tap of the Stick: Huska finally plays the big two defence youngsters in the same game
As mentioned, two right-side rookie defencemen occupy the Flames roster this year. Parekh has played 22 games and Brzustewicz has played 20.
The two have played two career games in the same lineup. Once in their debut in game 82 of last season in LA on April 17, 2025, and the next time on Monday, March 17, 2026.
It’s encouraging to see the two get deployment; even if head coach Ryan Huska’s hand was forced a bit.
Parekh played for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. Saginaw, Michigan is a quick trip up the highway from Detroit. The Spirit had purchased tickets and had their whole roster in attendance for the game.
Brzustewicz grew up in Washington, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He was playing in his hometown and had a number of family members in attendance.
Hands tied or not, the two represent the future on the right side of the blue line. Tap of the Stick for finally getting them both out there.
Whack of the Pads: They didn’t rise to the occasion
Unfortunately, the two got bodied on the boards and failed to hit the scoresheet. Parekh looked like he was getting comfortable in the offensive zone and Brzustewicz made some gorgeous breakout passes, but the lack of strength was showing. Especially against career AHLers whose high point will be throwing a dirty hit on 21 year old.
Tap of the Stick: The Flames have seemingly reclaimed Olli Määttä
Included in the MacKenzie Weegar trade as more of a cap equalizer in a package that included three second round picks and center prospect Jonathan Castagna, Olli Määttä has surprisingly re-discovered his offensive touch with Calgary.
Four assists in six games is a freakin’ 54 point pace over 82 games. Compare that to Weegar’s one assist in six and he’s doing pretty well. Add to the fact that all four assists were primary assists at even strength and were confident in saying: nice.
Whack of the Pads: Olli Määttä is driving the tank
Unfortunately, scoring is only one aspect of hockey. Maatta went from averaging 12:10 a night in 22 games with the Utah Mammoth to averaging 22:57 per night with the Flames. He got up to 27:19 on March 12 against the New Jersey Devils.
You simply have to ask yourself what is going on there. Going from being a healthy scratch to a top-two defenceman on a +50 point pace make one challenge everything they know about NHL hockey.
It’s overwhelming. It’s nonsensical. It’s unsustainable.
Perhaps most importantly, the Flames are 2-4-0 during the Olli Määttä First Pairing Era. The Finnish defenceman is also a -3 in those six games getting outscored 5-9. The 31-year-old veteran is getting destroyed in almost every advanced statistical category.
Maybe Määttä’s deployment is quiet tanking, maybe it’s a lack of alternatives; it’s definitely a weird time to be a Flames fan.
One last one in reverse order.
Whack of the Pads: The Flames are a bottom-3 team
Should fans be mad about this? We’re getting pretty close to getting this roster down to the studs.
Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Zach Whitecloud, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Kevin Bahl are now the foundation among the skaters. We’ve learned to never underestimate any iteration of the Flames on their perpetual charge towards .550, but it appears that the team is finally bad.
They have the worst defence in the NHL since the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.
Worst Goals Against Per Game Since Mar. 6
Calgary Flames: 4.50
Tampa Bay Lightning: 4.00
Seattle Kraken: 4.00
Edmonton Oilers: 3.67
Their offence has somehow been better than they were pre-Kadri at 2.83 goals per game. No one in their right mind could have predicted that, but it all adds up to the worst points percentage in the NHL at .333 since the deadline.
Whether that is good or bad, you can decide for yourself, but they get a Whack of the Pads for being an NHL worst in the last 11 days.
Tap of the Stick: They’re still a threat at the Saddledome
We’ve touched on this earlier this season, but the Flames are still a half-decent team at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In fact, they would be in Wildcard territory if they brought their home game on the road.
Home vs. Road Record: Calgary Flames
Home: 16-12-4, 36 pts (28th)
.563 points% (21st)
Road: 10-23-3, 13 pts (32nd)
.329 points% (32nd)
They’re truly a horrible team on the road. If you want to know more, we went into it earlier this season, but here are the bottom five road teams this year for some contrast.
Worst Road Points Percentage: 2025-26
Calgary Flames: .329
St. Louis Blues: .409
Winnipeg Jets: .435
Vancouver Canucks: .439
Toronto Maple Leafs: .439
This is all to say that, hey, Flames fans get their tank season. They hold a two-point lead on 31st place—but they also make it relatively worth it to attend a game at the Saddledome.
Tap of the Stick for putting on a show for the fans.
Statistics courtesy of Cap Wages, Natural Stat Trick, and the National Hockey League.
Other Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads:
Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads: Seattle Kraken
Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads: Flames Call Up William Stromgren
Keep Reading:
Will Calgary’s NHL-Worst Offense Improve Post-Kadri?
Would Arber Xhekaj be a Fit With the Flames? Deadline Rumors
Do the Calgary Flames Have a Meritocracy Problem?
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