Team

Betting

FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Beyond the Boxscore: Flames five-on-five play remains strong, but special teams their undoing in 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights

Photo credit: Christopher Trim-Imagn Images

By Flash Stevens

Oct 16, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 16, 2026, 03:45 EDT

Comments

The Calgary Flames could not keep the good vibes rolling, falling 6-2 at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

CF% – 51.2% || SCF% – 55.66% || HDCF% – 71.4% || xGF% – 68.33%

It’s a Team Game – At this point of the season I can say one thing with certainty, the Calgary Flames do start games on time. They still lack the ability to score frequently, but they do show up from the first whistle with good effort. Does that effort start to wane as the game eventually gets away from them – yes. Is that natural when you are getting blown out and have a record of 1-5-0 – yes. Last game, when it was close, you could sense the players’ efforts in trying to hunt down the victory. However, at times when it’s gotten away from them, the effort subsides from what it could be. I’m not talking the entire third either, I actually think the start of the third period (with a 3-1 score) Calgary was giving Vegas all they could handle. That second goal from Mark Stone? That was the moment in this one.

I believe that’s perfectly okay, so long as they’re on the road. If they’re playing in one of the final Saddledome games I would expect it to be different, but they weren’t, so it’s really a mute point.

I’m also still thoroughly impressed with the team’s focus on where the shot attempts are coming from. If the defence wasn’t making so many mistakes the Flames could be in these games pretty easily. They’re shooting from the slot with a frequency I wished they had when Kadri had just got here. Oh well, at least it’s showcasing the shooting talent of Matt Coronato or Aydar Suniev every game – those are the kind of small wins you’d like to see right now.

Corsi King – Matvei Gridin (71.11 CF%) led the way for the Flames up front, while Kevin Bahl (55.69 CF%) continued his fantastic start to the season on the backend. Every game, even in the blowouts, Bahl seems to play solid minutes. His 5v5 game has been a real strength. It’s just that the Flames are giving up goals on special teams. Shorthanded, 4v4, and power play all contributed to the Vegas scoreboard in this one – something they can absolutely continue to work on. Kevin Bahl has not even come close to being the problem, his pairing with Simon Nemec (63.17%) has been quite the bright spot.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – Matvei Gridin (78.69 SCF% // 100 HDCF%) was a beast at 5v5. It’s really a shame he couldn’t get more than a PP assist on the scoresheet. High danger chances (at 5v5) while Gridin was deployed were 8-0 in favour of the Flames. Considering the team earned 13 high danger looks overall, being out there for 8 meant he was a huge driver of offence. We have to remember that he is still only 20 years old. A lot of people that talk about this team – myself included – put a lot of expectations on him this season. If things go a little slower that’s okay, the consistency will develop with more time. Nights like this one, where he was clearly involved in inherently more positive situations than negative ones, are signs of good progress.

Goals and points will come, he’s got the skill.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – I think Jacob Middleton (72.70 xGF%) had himself a really nice moment with his first goal as a Flame. He also found himself on his stomach with the puck sliding directly behind him, completely out of the play, for a backdoor tap-in. I’m not a fan of the belly slide, some people might be, but I think it just takes you out of the play and leaves your goaltender out to dry. Wolf shouldn’t have to worry about both guys, give him the shooter and trust in him. Shout-out to Adam Klapka (52.22%) for being noticeable in every game, whether its shooting, hitting, or pestering you’ve been able to see Klapka’s presence in every game.

Game Flow –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – I think Wolf got caught in a few situations where there was nothing he could do, but there were some goals you wish he could have held on to/got a piece of. 1.67 expected goals against at 5v5 with 2 high danger goals and 1 medium danger goal beating him. Throw in the three special teams goals and it’s hard to say much positive about it. 6 goals against is rough, but in the new NHL goals are in abundance and if you’re going to have defensive and situational gaffs like the Flames this is where you end up.

The Goals –

Robert Munnich

@Robert_Munnich

·Follow

🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥 Jake Middleton scores his first goal as a Calgary Flame! 🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames

Watch on X

3:18 AM · Oct 16, 2026

Read 3 replies

Robert Munnich

@Robert_Munnich

·Follow

Matt Coronato scores a nice backhand goal on the power play. 🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames

Watch on X

4:43 AM · Oct 16, 2026

Read 1 reply

Flash’s 3 Stars –

1) Matvei Gridin

2) Kevin Bahl

3) Matt Coronato

(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)

This article is presented by Jason.Mortgage

A Better Mortgage Starts With the Right Question

What are you actually trying to accomplish? Most people don’t want a mortgage. They want a first home, a bigger one, a rental property, or breathing room on their debt.

Jason starts with that question.

A mortgage broker for more than 20 years and named one of Canada’s top 30 mortgage brokers by Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine, Jason works with Dominion Lending Centres A.I.M.I. Collective, serving clients across Alberta and British Columbia. His clients include first-time buyers, move-up families, self- employed business owners, investors and homeowners looking to refinance.

He lays out the real options, makes a clear recommendation, and does the legwork so the right lender says yes.

Ready to talk it through? Contact Jason at www.jason.mortgage.