Late Goal Sinks Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome as Pacific Race Tightens
Calgary tied the game twice but surrendered the deciding goal in the final minute, falling 4–3 as movement elsewhere in the Western Conference continued to tighten the standings.
CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames fell 4–3 Saturday night, undone by a late third-period goal in a game that intersected with a busy day across the Western Conference standings.
Calgary opened the scoring just 1:56 into the first period when Yan Kuznetsov stepped into a slap shot from the point to make it 1–0. The lead was short-lived. Erik Haula tied the game midway through the period, then scored again less than two minutes later to put Nashville ahead 2–1.
The Flames answered late in the opening frame. Rasmus Andersson pulled Calgary even at 2–2, closing a first period that produced four goals in under 14 minutes.
Nashville regained the lead early in the second when Michael Bunting scored unassisted at 4:08, restoring a 3–2 advantage. Calgary pushed back again in the third period, with Blake Coleman finishing a play from Mikael Backlund and Matt Coronato at 12:49 to tie the game 3–3.
The tie held until the final minute. Nicolas Hague fired a slap shot past Calgary at 19:31 of the third, delivering the game-winning goal.
Dustin Wolf was the goalie of record for Calgary, stopping 32 of 36 shots for an .889 save percentage.
The result followed movement elsewhere in the Pacific Division earlier in the day. The Edmonton Oilers were defeated 5–2 by the Philadelphia Flyers, creating an opportunity for Calgary to close the gap in the standings. With the Flames losing in regulation, the distance remains six points between the two clubs.
Edmonton sits at 46 points, one point ahead of both the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks, who are tied at 45. Further down the board, the Los Angeles Kings picked up a win over Minnesota, moving to 43 points and into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference wild-card race with the Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks.
Calgary’s margin to Edmonton stayed the same, but results elsewhere continued to compress the Western Conference playoff picture.
Flames sweep Flyers, tighten wild card race as Calgary hits season midpoint Saturday
The Calgary Flames completed a season sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 5–1 win, tightening the Western Conference wild card race as they approach the halfway point of their season.
CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames strengthened their position in the Western Conference wild card race Wednesday night with a 5–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, completing a 2–0 season series sweep.
Mikael Backlund opened the scoring at 13:30 of the first period, unloading a slap shot after receiving passes from Matt Coronato and Blake Coleman. Calgary carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission despite being outshot early.
Jonathan Huberdeau made it 2–0 just 3:08 into the second period, finishing a setup from MacKenzie Weegar and Yan Kuznetsov. Philadelphia briefly pulled within one when Travis Konecny scored unassisted at 8:49, but Calgary answered later in the period.
Rasmus Andersson restored the two-goal lead on the power play at 12:03, converting off passes from Connor Zary and Nazem Kadri. Yegor Sharangovich added another power-play goal at 17:52, snapping a shot past the Flyers with Coronato and Weegar recording the assists. Calgary took a 4–1 lead into the second intermission.
Connor Zary capped the scoring at 9:37 of the third period, finishing a play created by Ryan Lomberg to put the game out of reach. Calgary finished with 25 shots, went 2-for-3 on the power play, won 54.5 percent of the faceoffs, and limited Philadelphia to one goal.
The win moves the Flames to 40 points through 40 games, placing them fourth in the Western Conference wild card standings and just outside the playoff picture. Calgary sits six points back of the Pacific Division lead, currently held by Edmonton at 46 points. The Flames have 18 wins on the season, compared to Edmonton’s 20. The Oilers lost 6–2 to Boston on Wednesday, two nights after Calgary defeated the Bruins 2–1 at the Saddledome.
Calgary will reach the halfway point of its season Saturday when it hosts the Nashville Predators in a 5:00 pm MT matchup. Both teams enter with 40 points, though Nashville holds one game in hand. The Flames then host the Seattle Kraken on Monday at 7:30 pm MT before heading out on a five-game road trip through Montreal, Boston, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Chicago.
On the international stage, Canada closed the preliminary round at the World Juniors with a 7–4 win over Finland and will face Slovakia in the quarterfinals on Friday, Jan. 2. The semifinals are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 4, with the final set for Monday, Jan. 5.
The Calgary Wranglers are also in action at the Saddledome this week, hosting Colorado on Thursday, Tucson on Friday, and Tucson again on Sunday.
Calgary defeats Boston 2-1 in overtime behind 24-save night from Wolf
Dustin Wolf made 24 saves as the Calgary Flames defeated the Boston Bruins 2–1 in overtime Monday night, moving to within one point of a playoff spot.
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames earned a 2–1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Monday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Blake Coleman scored for Calgary, beating Jeremy Swayman seven hole for his 12th goal of the season, while Dustin Wolf turned aside 24 of 25 shots in goal for a .960 save percentage.
The game went to overtime, where it ended in unusual fashion. A Bruins own goal sealed the result, with Connor Zary credited for the winner.
The victory was Calgary’s 17th of the season. The Flames move to 38 points and sit one point outside of a playoff spot.
Calgary is back in action on New Year’s Eve, hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at the Saddledome. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT.
Earlier in the evening, Canada defeated Denmark 9–1 at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Zayne Parekh recorded a goal and an assist as Canada picked up its second three-point win of the tournament.
Canada now leads Group B with eight points and will close out the preliminary round against Finland on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. CST. Finland sits second with seven points, with first place in the group on the line.
Flames shut out Sharks 2–0 behind Wolf’s 16-save gem as Skinner exits with injury
Dustin Wolf posted a 16-save shutout and Blake Coleman scored the winner as the Flames beat San Jose 2–0, while the Sharks lost Jeff Skinner to a lower-leg injury.
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames snapped their three-game losing streak and halted the San Jose Sharks’ momentum with a 2–0 win Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf posted his first shutout of the 2025-26 season by stopping all 16 shots he faced, standing tall as the difference in the contest. Calgary broke through when veteran Blake Coleman ripped a high shot at 5:46 of the second period after forcing a turnover. Rookie Sam Honzek sealed the win with an empty-net tally in the final seconds.
The night’s turning point came even before the score sheet filled. Sharks forward Jeff Skinner collided hard into the boards in the opening period and exited the game without putting any weight on his leg. A local physician at ice level told reporters the impact and Skinner’s reaction were consistent with a tibia or fibula fracture. At the time of the game, the Sharks had not released an official update.
Calgary dominated the shots early, outshooting San Jose 13-1 in the first period and 27-6 after two, but relied on disciplined defensive structure and timely plays to preserve the lead. Wolf remained sharp throughout, particularly when San Jose pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker late in the third.
With the result, the Flames improved to 5-12-2 and snapped a slide, while San Jose fell to 8-7-3 and will now await an update on one of their key forwards. Calgary now shifts its focus to converting strong starts into deeper momentum through the remainder of the season.