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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames fourth straight win puts dent in Kings playoff hopes
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Flash Stevens
Mar 25, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 25, 2026, 10:14 EDT
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The Flames played a steady game against the Los Angeles Kings and eventually came away with a 3-2 shootout victory. 
CF% – 38.87%|| SCF% – 44.6%|| HDCF% – 42.6%|| xGF% – 44.35%
It’s a Team Game – The Flames just earned their longest winning streak of the season – at 4 games – with this victory over the Kings. It hasn’t been perfect performances, but the team themselves is playing more loose and creative in order to generate offence. They had themselves a rough middle frame, the Kings were able to generate the majority of their high danger looks then, but rebounded in the third to limit things after the second Byfield breakaway goal. The 5-on-3 would prove to be needed, but it’s a good thing they scored because it sent things into an entertaining overtime and a successful shootout. Calgary’s future schedule is very tough, stacking these wins now shouldn’t hurt them too much in the long run. 
Corsi King – The Flames typically have whatever line Mikael Backlund (58.96 per cent) winning their 5v5 minutes, this game was no exception. Joel Farabee (69.97 per cent) fits perfectly with the captain and Blake Coleman (66.72 per cent). Right now the defence unit the Flames rely on nightly, Kevin Bahl (50.42 per cent) and Zach Whitecloud (45.24 per cent), is not showcasing the consistency they had on display a few weeks ago. That’s not to say things are going bad, but they aren’t pushing play into the attacking zone as much in recent games. Defensively it’s been more than fine, but they aren’t helping on the attack at the same pace – nothing shocking either with their combined scoring history. 
Under Pressure –
Taken By Chance – Olli Määttä (42.70 SCF% // 45.42 HDCF%) took those “he won’t provide much offence reports” and laughed in their face. After scoring his first goal as a Flame he’s up to 6 points in 10 games. I don’t expect this to continue long-term, but it’s always nice to see someone new find some scoresheet success early. Helps them settle into their games and bring their best. That happened to all of the new guys and they’re all still rolling. The two assists on Määttä’s goal were Ryan Strome (46.12 per cent // 38.51 per cent) and Victor Olofsson (49.20 per cent // 38.22 per cent) who have also found early success. In third line minutes too – just a good story for them all around. 
xG Breakdown –
xGF% – I feel like if I don’t talk about how much the two kids impressed me then I am not talking about what the people really care about these days. Zayne Parekh (15.55 per cent) spent most of his 5v5 time in his own end, but surrendered no goals and finally broke his goose egg in the goal department with the power play goal to tie things up. Matvei Gridin (25.86 per cent) only needs one shift to make a difference. He has a drive, an obsessive need, to get the puck to the middle of the ice for a good opportunity. When he starts getting into a rhythm I’m excited to see what his ceiling could be. Already displaying his ability against other top players in the league – it’s exciting stuff. As long as these guys are in the lineup there’s an exciting reason to tune in to every game. 
Game Flow –
Shot Heatmap –
In The Crease – Dustin Wolf was only beat by one man during regulation and the plays were the same – breakaway. Every other high danger look that was set up off possession or the rush was handled by Dustin Wolf. The Kings were not nearly as desperate as they should be, seeing how close they are to the playoffs, but Wolf handled what he did see. Fairly even game by the end of things, the Kings had a few more chances but it was nothing egregious. 
The Goals –
Flash’s 3 Stars –
1) Olli Määttä
2) Victor Olofsson
3) Kevin Bahl
(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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