Flames seize momentum on Hockey Day in Canada with 4–2 win over Islanders
Calgary built a four-goal cushion by the midpoint of the game and held off a late Islanders push to earn a 4–2 victory on Hockey Day in Canada. The win keeps the Flames within striking distance in a crowded Western Conference playoff race.
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames leaned on opportunistic scoring and strong goaltending Saturday afternoon, defeating the New York Islanders 4–2 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Hockey Day in Canada to collect two critical points in the Western Conference playoff race.
Despite being outshot 30–19, Calgary converted its chances at key moments and received a composed performance from goaltender Dustin Wolf, improving to 21 wins and 46 points on the season.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring late in the first period, snapping a wrist shot past Islanders netminder David Rittich at 11:51 after setup work from Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl. The goal gave Calgary a 1–0 lead after a tightly contested opening frame.
The second period proved decisive not because of puck possession, but execution. While New York held a 9–7 edge in shots during the middle frame, the Flames struck three times in an eight-minute span.
Adam Klapka doubled the lead at 3:04 of the second with a net-front tip-in off a point shot from Bahl, with Morgan Frost also earning an assist. Justin Kirkland followed at 9:50, scoring his first goal of the season to make it 3–0 after taking a cross-slot feed from Ryan Lomberg and lifting a shot over Rittich. Yan Kuznetsov added another at 11:49, finishing a play created by Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary to cap the surge.
The Islanders responded quickly through Jean-Gabriel Pageau at 12:21 of the second, but Calgary’s early cushion held through the remainder of the period.
New York pushed hard in the third, and Islanders head coach Patrick Roy made an aggressive move by pulling Rittich for the extra attacker with more than eight minutes remaining. The extended six-on-five pressure produced a late goal from Anders Lee at 17:04, but that was as close as the Islanders would come as Calgary closed out the win.
Wolf finished the afternoon with 28 saves on 30 shots for a .933 save percentage, turning aside sustained pressure and limiting second chances. Rittich stopped 15 of 19 shots (0.789) for New York.
Three Stars
Kevin Bahl, CGY — Two assists and steady defensive play.
Adam Klapka, CGY — A goal and an assist.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY — 25:40 TOI and an assist in what could be his last game with the club.
Kirkland’s goal stood as the game-winner and reinforced a familiar formula for Calgary, which continues to find success when it generates enough offense to reach the four-goal mark.
The victory came in front of an announced crowd of 17,358 and carried notable standings implications. The Flames remain five points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference currently held by the San Jose Sharks. In the Pacific Division, Calgary trails the Vegas Golden Knights by 12 points, the Edmonton Oilers by eight, and the Seattle Kraken by five, keeping the race behind the division leader tightly contested.
Calgary has also made recent roster adjustments aimed at boosting its offense, including the recall of Matvei Gridin from the Calgary Wranglers. With eight games remaining before the Olympic break, the Flames enter a critical positioning window. Once play resumes, the stretch drive toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs truly begins.
Saturday’s performance offered a clear blueprint: efficient finishing, disciplined structure, and goaltending capable of holding the line. For a team still within reach, it was exactly the type of afternoon that keeps belief intact.
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.
Kerins, Coronato Lead Calgary Past Seattle in Preseason Win
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames leaned on a mix of youthful energy and veteran stability Tuesday night, skating to a 4–1 preseason win over the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring midway through the first period, deflecting a Hunter Brzustewicz shot to give Calgary an early edge. Seattle answered before the intermission, knotting the game 1–1.
Early in the second, Rory Kerins restored the Flames’ lead. After Connor Zary carried the puck into the zone, a broken play left the puck bouncing loose in front. Kerins pounced and snapped a shot past the Kraken goaltender from close range to make it 2–1 Calgary. The 23-year-old prospect, who scored 33 goals last year for the AHL Wranglers, added an assist later in the night to cap a strong outing.
On fresh ice to start the third, Matt Coronato struck quickly. Stationed below the left circle, he one-timed a slick low cross-slot feed from Morgan Frost, beating the Seattle goalie clean to push the Flames ahead 3–1. Jonathan Huberdeau also picked up an assist on the play.
Sam Morton sealed it with an empty-netter at 17:26, created by a sharp defensive play from Sam Honzek, who broke up a Seattle rush and turned the puck the other way before sliding it ahead for Morton’s finish.
Brzustewicz finished with two assists and two shots on goal, continuing to impress with his poise from the back end. Sharangovich, Huberdeau, and Frost each chipped in helpers to round out a balanced offensive showing.
Between the pipes, Dustin Wolf stopped 12 of 13 shots before giving way to Owen Say, who turned aside all seven attempts he faced to close out the win.
The victory offered a glimpse of Calgary’s depth in action — with veterans setting the tone and young players like Kerins, Brzustewicz, and Honzek making strong cases to stick around as roster battles intensify heading toward opening night.