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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames turn slow start into late game victory over the Kings

Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

By Flash Stevens

Nov 15, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 15, 2026, 10:44 EST

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For a road game, it was one the Calgary Flames would take again and again, going into Los Angeles and beating the Kings 3-2.

CF% – 49.19% || SCF% – 44.89% || HDCF% – 54.68% || xGF% – 45.47%

It’s a Team Game – The Flames weren’t particularly great overall, but the opponent on the other side brought the same energy. The Kings definitely had momentum early when Dustin Wolf answered the call with ease. Rested and ready to go back in California, Wolf was great from start to finish. His performance made up for a game where the defence struggled to transition the puck early. The Kings had a good forecheck and were forcing some turnovers – to the Flames credit they recovered from those well. On the flip side – that is exactly how Calgary earned their goals. Two quick strikes off turnovers to make LA pay for a mistake. Even the empty net goal was from a player stepping up in the neutral zone. It’s my favourite brand of hockey – turnovers and explosive plays – but sometimes the cost comes in being able to effectively cover your own zone. It did not burn Calgary on one of their off nights, as such they get to bank the two points and now just focus on the Ducks.

Corsi King – Nobody prevents every chance, every game, but constantly being on the positive side of shot attempts and goal differential is a darn fine goal. That has not been happening lately for Aydar Suniev (78.05 CF%) who is trending to be the player that may get sent down when Huberdeau gets activated. Being exempt from waivers only hurts his chances, as Calgary needs to invest some time to see what Huberdeau has in the tank after a serious surgery. He sure played like he didn’t want it to be him in this one – racking up over 4 high danger looks at 5v5 and helping that 4th line really utilize the best of their minutes. William Stromgren (65.89%) also looked good again, further solidifying the Flames need to move on from the Tysplakov experiment and focus on players that could be a part of both the present and immediate future.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – I don’t think it’s crazy to say that with Kevin Bahl in the lineup this game leans towards the Flames more significantly. Joel Hanley (9.43 SCF% // 28.29 HDCF%) struggled in this one, and because of the quality of the opponent it just raises more of a flag. They don’t have anything else ready to plug in and go, nor should they move assets to try and fix it right now. One game is never a tell all, but it is something to monitor moving forward. Moreso because I want to see continued growth out of Simon Nemec (25.75% // 53.96%). He was doing really well with Bahl, in un-insulated minutes too. I don’t want him to start feeling like he has to do too much to overcompensate, but only time will tell how this is going to go.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – It was a rough outing for Jonathan Castagna (5.90 xGF%). There is never much expectation for a 21 year old centre playing in his 17th career game, but worth noting it was a down evening. Joel Farabee (51.78%) has gone quiet recently, having just one point at 5v5 in his last 6 games. The overall 5v5 scoring has been a problem. Calgary have been power play merchants in the early portion of the year – if that’s going to regress to the mean they need to capitalize on these chances at 5v5 to make up for it. They got away with it because of Wolf in this one, but they certainly have better performances in them.

Game Flow –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – By this point I’ve praised Wolf twice, and may as well do it a third time. I was loving that the Kings broadcasters (because of the crazy flight delays in America they were casting the feed on Sportsnet) were complimenting Wolf’s agility. It always has been a top notch tool in his arsenal. Once he gets things dialed he gives performances like this one where he shows exactly why he belongs in the NHL. LA had 2.51 expected goals at 5v5 with just one getting past him. Quality outing for sure!

The Goals –

Calgary Flames

@NHLFlames

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Sharky ➡️ Frosty ➡️ 🚨

Watch on X

4:21 AM · Nov 15, 2026

138

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Calgary Flames

@NHLFlames

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The steal and the snipe 🔥

Watch on X

5:39 AM · Nov 15, 2026

161

Read 3 replies

Calgary Flames

@NHLFlames

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Shark attack 🦈

Watch on X

5:52 AM · Nov 15, 2026

Read 2 replies

Flash’s 3 Stars –

1) Dustin Wolf

2) Yegor Sharangovich

3) Jacob Middleton

(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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