Only one game was left for the Calgary Flames this season and they made it count with young players in the lineup for a 5-1 victory in California over the Los Angeles Kings.

It’s a Team Game – This was a beautiful end to a rough season for the Flames. Rough in the sense that they have more points than two Eastern Conference playoff teams but missed the dance themselves. As such a youth movement overtook the lineup and gave the fans a glimpse into the future – not unsimilar to what they did with a young Johnny Gaudreau back in the day. Calgary came together and played themselves a quality game against a pretty good Kings squad getting tuned up for another date with the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They never got too ahead of themselves and eventually the dam just burst open In the third period with four goals in rapid succession. It was more than enough to propel them to victory before their offseason got underway. A fitting bow on a decent season, but ultimately one that leaves you wanting just that little bit more.

Corsi King – Yegor Sharangovich (73.19 CF%) continues to be a shot generation beast next to Morgan Frost (61.59%). Weeks long stretch of Yegor being the best version of himself – just like last year’s 30 goal pace. Once he gets the scoring touch back, he has the potential to be a real damaging presence. Now’s the time to close the book on this chapter and start fresh next year. Who knows – maybe Calgary will add or promote a player who can be a real catalyst in terms of offence. These games still have plenty of importance to them, even if it is next year.

Taken By Chance – Of the kids that played, Hunter Brzustewicz (75.29 SCF% || 83.01 HDCF%) was the most consistent shift over shift player to lace ‘em up. He was controlled in his execution and genuinely tried to contribute more offence with how he approached his neutral zone play. He wasn’t the only one too not register a point – Aydar Suniev (46.06 per cent || 54.13 per cent) also went pointless despite showcasing a decent use of his size. Suniev had similar production to that of Matt Coronato (56.30 per cent || 29.40 per cent) when he left the NCAA, as such I think Suniev needs some time in the AHL where he can thrive. Brzustewicz can have a shot at the opening day lineup, however the team typically operates with a little too much caution with the kids sometimes. Letting them learn to thrive is sometimes the best thing for them.

xGF% – Congrats to Sam Morton (53.98 per cent) on his first NHL goal. I’m still not as certain about his long-term outlook, but there’s no denying today ended up being really special for the guy. The other rookie goal scorer – Zayne Parekh (54.54 per cent) – was just as smooth as I expected him to be. As someone who highly advocated for his early inclusion in games him coming out and controlling the neutral zone in his minutes probably took a lot of people by surprise. His skill and ability to skate around people with the puck still in control is quite good – some time against NHL competition is only going to make it better. It was a true treat to get to watch him start his career, I have very little doubt he won’t be in the lineup to start game one next season.

In The Crease – In what very well could wind up being his last game as a Flames player Dan Vladar was truly great. His 2025 is the best he has ever played and has earned him a multi-year contract from someone. Calgary has the cap space to not have him worry about it, but do they use it? 1.95 expected goals against dug up by the LA Kings but they only ever solved Vladar with the man advantage, earning him a “5v5 shutout”. Thanks for the quality play Dan – the team almost making the playoffs would never have been possible without your contributions.