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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames resilient group despite overturned goals in 2-1 shootout win over Blues
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Flash Stevens
Mar 19, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2026, 10:26 EDT
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The Calgary Flames stayed with things all night long and were eventually able to snag a win over the St. Louis Blues in a shootout, 2-1. 
CF% – 43.33%|| SCF% – 41.38%|| HDCF% – 44.41%|| xGF% – 36.93%
It’s a Team Game – Yes, it was wild that the Flames had three goals called back. In retrospect though, all three were guilty of a clear violation. That’s a bummer because there were some nice looking goals called back. Zary’s mid-air tap over to Sharangovich who picked a perfect spot… a darn shame it doesn’t matter. As for the flow of the game, things remained very even in terms of chances for two full periods. Both goaltenders had to make some good saves, but mostly some middling ones. Joel Hofer did falter, but only Zary’s first period goal was able to be registered. Things would all end with game on Matvei Gridin’s stick. He went with a dirty roof job in the shootout and earned Calgary a well fought two points. Good moral victory after a tough road trip. 
Corsi King – Joel Hanley (60.17 CF%) was the only defenceman to be on the positive side of shot attempts. Partner Zayne Parekh (49.22 per cent) was right behind. Not surprising that Zayne Parekh was a factor in creating the mist shoot attempts, he had his passing game on full display tonight. Ryan Strome (59.99 per cent) continues to be a good quality veteran. The initial point burst is over and he’s back to his old self. A dependable pivot that is okay to go out there for a regular shift. 
Under Pressure – 
Taken By Chance – Not a ton of high danger chances were earned, Mikael Backlund (49.14 SCF% // 59.13 HDCF%) was top of the list for Calgary. He and new linemate Joel Farabee (52.64 per cent // 58.62 per cent) have developed some good chemistry of late and it leads to a couple of significant looks each game. Consistency from them at least. On defence Olli Maatta 45.32 per cent // 47.29 per cent) was the only defenceman to help get 3 or more high danger chances for. He had a few harsh positioning blunders on that road trip, and that’s fine, because they’ll rely on him more than they probably should – especially with three rookies rotating in for playing time. 
xG Breakdown –
xGF% – One of the best games we’ve seen out of Connor Zary (36.43 per cent). He continually was driving the net and always had his feet in motion. After a couple games on the 4th line he got some more significant linemates and played like he did not want to lose them again. As long as the coach doesn’t default into switching lines just for the sake of switching lines, and Zary keeps what we saw from him in this one up, things could turn for him in a hurry. However, at this point of the season, anything changing in a major way would be quite the shock. Guys with 20 points in 60 games are not magically going to be point-per-game players. A reality that’s just good to remember. 
Game Flow –
Game Score –
Shot Heatmap –
In The Crease – Cool man Cooley with the darn fine performance and the number one reason Calgary was able to win. Seems to be the case whenever he’s played this season, establishing himself as a long-term professional after this. He faced 2.00 expected goals against at 5v5 and only let in the one goal. Athletic, swift, and able to read the play quickly with great reaction time. It’s a treat to watch Devin Cooley whenever he’s in the crease. 
The Goals –
Flash’s 3 Stars –
1) Devin Cooley
2) Connor Zary
3) Joel Farabee
(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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