The Calgary Flames kept coming back, but ultimately fell apart at the bitter end in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s a Team Game – Overall I do think this was one of the better overall games we’ve seen from the Flames in the year of 2026, their inability to turn those chances into tangible goals was a problem again. They were shutout at 5v5, scoring all 3 goals on the powerplay. I’m happy about that – the Flames were 32nd of 32 in terms of percentage coming into the game – so seeing them score a bunch was a welcome sight. It’s all for nothing though because they couldn’t find another one at 5v5. There’s not much of a counter strategy if their normally good defence falters due to bad bounces or worse turnovers. They were 94 seconds from collecting a point in the third – their best period of the night, too – before MacKenzie Weegar coughed up the puck allowing Boone Jenner to snipe home the game winner. Even on the good nights of late the Flames end up on the wrong side of the results, a trend that could become the new normal going forward if the Flames sell off some pieces pre-deadline.

Corsi King – Joel Hanley (58.24%) quietly remains one of the best bottom pairing defenders in the league. The lapses in offence limit how much he should play up in the lineup but having him in the lineup does decrease the work on the goaltender in terms of shot volume from suppression or blocking the shots. He was with Brayden Pachal (52.55 per cent) in this one, who also deserves to play games. I know fans want to see nothing but Brzustewicz or Parekh (at some point when he’s healthy), but Pachal has been anything but a liability in his ice time this season. He belongs in the NHL – although in a similar sense too Hanley the offensive limitations get in the way of having him play more impactful minutes. The Flames fourth forward line has really seen their ice time become limited of late. It’s not just rookie William Stromgren (48.53 per cent), its Ryan Lomberg (48.39 per cent) and Justin Kirkland (38.39 per cent) too. Not a lot of trust in that grouping on the road.

Taken By Chance – It’s nice to see Nazem Kadri (58.27 SCF% // 73.92 HDCF%) finish with such a high disparity in high danger chances – winning his 5v5 minutes with a 8-3 advantage. Of course, no goals, but this hasn’t been the case in this losing skid, he’s not been getting his looks. If he does this for another game or two, he can break the offensive dam back open and get some swagger back. It’s really vacant from the Flames lineup right now from every player not named Connor Zary (56.74 per cent // 72.52 per cent) or Mikael Backlund (55.42 per cent // 20.97 per cent). Not sure if Adam Klapka (57.72 per cent // 84.07 per cent) can shoulder the energy of this lineup all alone – hopefully Martin Pospisil returns with a bang after his current conditioning loan.

xGF% – I thought Yegor Sharangovich (27.72 per cent) was noticeably involved in creating some space for some offence tonight. He also was out for two goals against too, so it wasn’t perfect. The Flames are in tough if he can’t produce on that contract. He and Jonathan Huberdeau (61.22 per cent) are going to be in Calgary a long time based on not just their production, but also the lack of intensity in their play for long stretches. Even if they do re-biggle those pieces aren’t leaving this team without paying a significant price upfront. May as well hope something trends positively on those fronts.

In The Crease – The old “Let 4 goals in and still have a save percentage over .900” game for Dustin Wolf in this one. Classic Rick Bowness hockey – a ton of shots, most from the perimeter, coupled with some high pressure on the defence to force turnovers. Keep it simple to start and Columbus found success in that. Wolf was good, the team in front of him kept leaving him out to dry though and it eventually caught up with them. They need him to have just a bit of a stronger game though – we can’t count on the forwards to score as consistently as we can bet on Wolf keeping things under 3 goals. Bold strategy the Flames operate with – and their record reflects how often that works.

Take $20 off your first Vivid Seats order of $200+ using promo code FLAMESNATION (new customers only, $200 USD minimum before taxes & fees)