The Calgary Flames made the most of their power play opportunities and Devin Cooley played the lights out in a 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars.

It’s a Team Game – The Dallas Stars came out quick and if it were not for some great play from Devin Cooley the Flames would have found themselves down early. The first period remained in the Stars control, but when the puck dropped for the second the Flames took off.  Casey DeSmith ended up just as busy as Cooley and matched him save for save most of the night. Calgary did play a well-structured third period but some great individual efforts by Jason Robertson got the Stars into extra time. Nazem Kadri would seal things off with a filthy backhand move that went in just under the crossbar giving Cooley a much-deserved win. It was a well-battled game for the Flames who find another way to win while only scoring 2 goals.

Corsi King – Blake Coleman (78.07 per cent) just remains a model of consistency. I could see why any playoff team with serious dreams of contending want Calgary to enter early sell mode. Blake Coleman would be a significant addition to any team. He is currently being tasked with aiding in sparking Connor Zary (63.12 per cent) to find his old game. Spending the majority of your shifts in the offensive zone is a good way to start. I also want to acknowledge that all night the Flames coaching staff heavily relied on Yan Kuznetsov (51.55 per cent).  The top-4 defence were rolled out significantly more than the third pair and Kuznetsov was included in that bunch. From waivers to start the season to a surefire, dependable top 4 option before American Thanksgiving. Just another reason to say there’s too much weight put into pre-season decisions. Providing some stability for Mackenzie Weegar (49.92 per cent) to get back to the top of his game is an added bonus.

Taken By Chance – A week or so ago there was a few comments online about how Rasmus Andersson (67.89 SCF% // 77.14 HDCF%) had been bad for a quite a long time. I will say I agree that last year – particularly the second half – he struggled more than he had at any other point of his career. However, since the start of this season he’s not only got back to being a surefire top 4 defenceman, but rather found another gear along with it. The Flames control a lot of what goes on during Andersson’s minutes and with the offence starting to come he’s just looked every bit the part of a true top pair defenceman. 7-2 advantage in 5v5 high danger chances for Andersson, with a power play assist to boot. Standout performance.

xGF% – A week ago I was thinking my prediction that Matt Coronato (77.37 per cent) could reach 35 goals was ridiculous. Today he’s made it once again appear to be a realistic possibility. He’s scored in four straight games and has upped his 82-game pace to score 30. He’s the number three guy In the offence right now and will continue to get all the important looks with Huberdeau (78.53 per cent) and Kadri (39.82 per cent). This season is going to have many more ups and downs, but if he can stay as a consistent scorer it would make the low points have more hope.

In The Crease – Devin Cooley is so far past the questions about whether or not he should be the backup he’s into beating the skilled Dallas Stars as the games first star. His excellent play was essential to getting out of the first period. The stars got some sneaky good looks in tight every period and Cooley was ready for them all – rebounds smothered or directed into a safe area. When he let in the final goal he could have spiraled but came back and earned the win in the shootout. Fantastic night from the backup – We’ll likely see Wolf ono Sunday.

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