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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames use long power play to overcome Panthers in 4-1 victory
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Flash Stevens
Mar 21, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 21, 2026, 10:13 EDT
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The Calgary Flames earned their second straight victory on home ice, a 4-1 defeat of the Florida Panthers.
CF% – 45.4%|| SCF% – 49.52%|| HDCF% – 41.6%|| xGF% – 46.38%
It’s a Team Game – It wasn’t a knock your socks off great performance, but it was one of the more entertaining games the Flames have played all season.They actively changed the philosophy on how to attack in the offensive zone, as well as how to enter through the neutral zone, and it was great to see. Yes, that came with more turnovers than normal, but it also came with more goals. It would be very good for this team to score a lot down the stretch to prove to themselves they can do it going into next year. It is also good for the coaching staff to advertise that they can be the guys to steer this kid-centered ship, that they can grow both the offensive and defensive games of the players. Tonight was a good example of what happens when you break formation and try and drive the net or find a tight seam pass – it can be really fun to watch. 
Corsi King – Zach Whitecloud (52.71 CF%) is going to play a whole lot more minutes in Calgary than I think he ever expected to play in his career after being a 3rd pair, penalty killing guy in Vegas. He’s already showing he’s a capable top 4 defender, but the ice time isn’t hindering him at all. He makes smart defensive plays, and has transitioned the puck well too. Not a lot of errors coming off the stick of the Flames newest alternate captain. Before getting yard-saled into the boards head first, from behind, by A.J. Greer I thought Connor Zary (49.60 per cent) was flying again. Some of these young guys got back home and the swagger missing from their game came right back. More willing to make moves, more willing to fight harder in a puck battle, and more willing to drive the net for scoring chances. All great things, we just need to see the production have a significant uptick if we want this hockey style to continue into next season. 
Under Pressure –
Taken By Chance – The Flames had hardly been able to stretch a pass through the neutral zone all year long. It was a lot of short passes, staying wide, and dump and chase with a heavy forecheck instead. Enter Zayne Parekh (57.65 SCF% // 30.50 HDCF%) who is already capable of firing a dot from his own end, through everyone, right on the tape of a player on the opposing blueline. He does this in a seemingly effortless fashion, it comes off as natural to him. Newsflash – that is not natural (in the best way). Guys do not have both the vision nor the skill to do that, let alone doing that at 19 years old. Matt Coronato (63.86 per cent // 55.02 per cent) better work on his breakaway speed because Parekh isn’t going to lose that ability anytime soon. Shoutout to the other young gun, Matvei Gridin (62.86 per cent // 64.17 per cent) who also showcased his stretch pass ability in this one. Basically – the kids are alright (and the most skilled players on this roster already. 
xG Breakdown –
xGF% – If any veteran player is properly showcasing that the talent isn’t exclusively with the kids it’s Morgan Frost (47.69 per cent). He was dancing on the ice tonight and came inches away from what would have easily been a top 5 goal of the year league wide. The play has shifted off the wall and into the middle of the ice and that has only made Frost better. He’s the de facto number 1 centre on this team now, a tremendous opportunity to showcase his ability to be an impact NHL player going forward – I like what I’ve been seeing the last couple of weeks and I especially loved what he brought to the game against Florida. 
Game Flow –
Game Score –
Shot Heatmap –
In The Crease – I love it when the Flames win and it’s a great result for their goaltender. Wolf was good, but never really had to be great. Florida was starting to press in the third, but having over 8 minutes of power play with a bit of 4v4 mixed in the middle killed a lot of the Panthers momentum. Regardless, Wolf did his job, stopped everything but one goal, and ledd his team to victory. Things got close and he did make a big save in the 4v4, but  that’s as close as Florida ever got to coming back into this. 
The Goals –
Flash’s 3 Stars –
1) Zach Whitecloud
2) Morgan Frost
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)

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