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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames show some resiliance, but can’t finish on top in 7-3 loss.
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Flash Stevens
Mar 10, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 10, 2026, 09:29 EDT
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The Calgary Flames showed some good mid-game pushback, but fell back in the third on their way to a 7-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.
CF% – 51.65%|| SCF% – 50.99%|| HDCF% – 49.23%|| xGF% – 48.81%
It’s a Team Game – In reality this was a tale of three different games, a different one in each period. The first saw the Capitals come out strong, scoring early and pushing the Flames into quite the deficit. Calgary was struggling and it looked like they were on their way to another night similar to Dallas from last week. Then the next period began and the Washington Capitals forgot how to play defence – especially on the power play. Calgary got two shorthanded goals on the same penalty and made it to the second intermission tied after being down 3-0. The third really was closer than the final score indicates, with an empty net goal and Ryan Leonard taking advantage of the players asleep at the wheel in the last minute of the game. It had some fun moments, including a Matvei Gridin goal, giving the fans that are tuning into the rebuild something to feel good about. 
Corsi King – Yegor Sharangovich (59.99 CF%) was noticeable in transition multiple times in this one. He was able to get creative with some zone entries that lead to some decent shot opportunities. I have been quite vocal in my wonder for what the lines are going to look like with this many bodies able to play in the NHL, Sharangovich got moved back into the middle and when  trying to score late he got bumped up the lineup and double shifted. On defence Zayne Parekh (57.15 per cent) had his good moments and he had his struggles. He’s looking more comfortable the more he’s getting to play. Starting to learn his teammates’ tendencies. The boxscore will say somewhere around 20 games played, but since the new year this is game 8, and since the Olympics game 6. He’s just getting into the swing of things again and I do like the skill I see emerging more and more each game. 
Under Pressure –
Taken By Chance – Olli Määttä (51.24 SCF% // 65.97 HDCF%) had the best high danger ratio, finishing with a 6-3 advantage. It was another solid performance for Määttä in a Flames sweater. Another defenceman, Yan Kuznetsov (50.44 per cent // 54.23 per cent), was given the increased responsibility next to Kevin Bahl (48.52 per cent // 49.70 per cent). I thought  they did alright, and a lot of pucks happened to bounce off Kevin Bahl in a negative way. Up front there was the debut of a new Flame in Victor Olofsson (39.06 per cent // 36.48 per cent). Nice to see him indeed and it’ll be interesting to see what he could possibly bring to the team down the stretch. A pending UFA I’m not entirely sure what the overall plan is, but he got power play time and just shy of 16 minutes in 5v5 ice time. Not a bad opportunity. 
xG Breakdown –
xGF% – I just want to take a minute and really appreciate the ascension of Matvei Gridin (57.05 per cent). Often in games he’s the most noticeable player on the ice, he is aggressive at finding space in the offensive zone and has a fantastic nose for the net. Gridin just turned 20 years old and he’s right up there with Parekh (36.38 per cent) and Dustin Wolf in terms of reasons to be excited to watch. Finding this level of success in the NHL at his age – it’s an incredibly positive sign. The future is already bright, and that’s before the Flames likely draft in the top 5 this June. 
Game Flow –
Game Score – 
Shot Heatmap –
In The Crease – For the sheer amount of good Devin Cooley has done this season he really does escape all scrutiny for this one. Not his night, that happens to every goaltender. It wasn’t an essential must win game, most pucks went in off some form of a deflection, and the teams going to move on as soon as Tuesday when they play the Rangers. Get them next time, it’s okay. 
The Goals –
Flash’s 3 Stars –
1) Blake Coleman
2) Matvei Gridin
3) Olli Määttä
(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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