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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames almost reward Wolf for performance, Gross overturned at last minute
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Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Flash Stevens
Apr 10, 2026, 10:02 EDT
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The Calgary Flames got strong goaltending to give themselves a shot, but ultimately fell to the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. 
CF% – 41.08%|| SCF% – 34.82%|| HDCF% – 37.84%|| xGF% – 35.88%
It’s a Team Game – The Flames may have had an opportunity to tie things late, but that was not a sign that the game was played very close at all. Dustin Wolf did a lot of heavy lifting for Calgary, keeping them in things longer than the players in front of him deserved. For me, this is not a knock on the Flames more than it is an example of just how good the Avalanche are. There was no lull in their attack, for two games now. There was a lull in production compared to the game last week, but the chances were still being found by the Avs. I’m glad a lot of young players got to play in this – it’s a good measuring stick to see what level great teams can play to. 
Corsi King – Connor Zary (65.23 per cent) and many others had middling performances. Nothing too crazy stands out beyond Tyson Gross (19.96 per cent) scoring his first NHL goal and his first NHL goal that got overturned. I thought it was Gross’ best  game in the league so far, but I also think he really needed some AHL time as the NHL’s best has been difficult for him to handle. He did go park himself in front of the net and got advantage of a bounce to make a lifetime memory, and no matter where his career goes he’ll always have that puck.  
Under Pressure –
Taken By Chance – A few forwards had positive high danger ratios. Connor Zary (60.02 SCF% // 59.79 HDCF%) and his Franken-line were able to keep their nose up – I thought Aydar Suniev (55.30 per cent // 59.79 per cent) was able to get a couple of better opportunities off. He also looked more comfortable overall in his second game. So far it looks like the AHL to start next season as well, but a call-up would not be far off again. He’s got good speed and a great shot, just need to see that pacing and decision making come in a bit faster. 
xG Breakdown –
xGF% – I think Zach Whitecloud (25.52 per cent) is never playing as a third pair defenceman in this league again, at least in his prime. No way after what he’s been thrown into Calgary does he ever go back to being a depth, defensive guy. He can help control the flow of play, aid in the neutral zone, has a great active stick, not afraid to sacrifice the body – I mean what does this guy not do well as an NHL pro. After being one of the best Flames for the past few weeks it was a come down to earth game for Morgan Frost (15.48 per cent). Going against the literal best of the league in Colorado and coming out without a 5v5 goal against is alright, but spending that whole game defending isn’t showcasing top centre ability. I’m a little more harsh in my critique of Frost because of the important role he plays and the fact is he needs to either be signed or traded next year. We need to know the value of two things 1) his worth in terms of dollars and term for his next deal or 2) his trade value. If he wants to accept a mid-term deal at 2nd line centre dollars I would not balk, but I would be hesitant to add any trade protection in. 
Game Flow –
Shot Heatmap –
In The Crease – The only reason this even remotely had a chance at thee end is because Dustin Wolf drug this team to that result. The Avalanche should have had 2-3 more goals all game long, but Wolf was the difference maker. Performances like this have me thinking there’s more of the goaltender we got last season in him than the one we got this year. Save percentages fluctuate so much season to season, it’s why goals saved above expected is becoming more popular among puck knowers – it removes the bias of a shooting percentage bump to make save percentages looks bad and only focuses on the quality of chances you are giving up. 3.40 expected against at 5v5 with just 1 getting past Wolf – love to see it. 
The Goals –
Flash’s 3 Stars –
1) Dustin Wolf
2) Zach Whitecloud
3) Tyson Gross
(Stats compiled from Naturalstattrick.com // Game Score from Hockeystatcards.com // xG and Under Pressure charts from HockeyViz.com // Game Flow and Shot Heatmap from NaturalStatTrick.com)

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