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Beyond the Boxscore: Flames find redemption (and goals) in victory over Kraken

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

By Flash Stevens

Oct 31, 2026, 11:30 EDTUpdated: Oct 31, 2026, 11:49 EDT

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A dominant second period was the key factor in the Calgary Flames finding some redemption, beating the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Friday evening.

CF% – 60.46% || SCF% – 53.46% || HDCF% – 59.44% || xGF% – 50.93%

It’s a Team Game – I don’t think we can keep the narrative that these Flames can’t score anymore. The youth on this team have shown their ability to be top end creators and finishers over the last 6-7 games. Aydar Suniev and Matvei Gridin have especially been adept at finding the back of the net, aided by Matt Coronato, Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost regularly.

Calgary got off to a hot start, with Frost finding some space on the power play to let off an accurate shot. Calgary played alright in the first, trading chances with Seattle and not caving after they scored to tie it. The second period was all Calgary. In terms of chances, possession, goals and more it was all going in the Flames favour. They even happened to get some bounces go their way – with Gridin’s goal coming off a defender’s skate. Still Seattle got a goal at the end of the period to keep hope alive, Thankfully Matt Coronato started the third by sniping one and taking the wind out of Seattle sails. Calgary kept the pressure on, a matter of pride after being blown out 6-1 twice, and cruised to the victory.

Corsi King – Zayne Parekh (78.74 CF%) led things with a 21-6 advantage in shot attempts. It’s fun to watch his game come together every night, the confidence is growing and he’s making space for himself more often. He’s not taking devastating hits and is seeing his path up the ice more clearly than ever. When he finds his scoring touch the sky is the limit for him. Simon Nemec (69.37%) isn’t as flashy, but he’s been effective as well. Calgary already has some special pieces working on the back end. With Carson Carels coming and Hunter Brzustewicz waiting his turn this could become a special defensive unit sooner rather than later. If Zach Whitecloud (30.13%) and Jake Middleton (34.71%) can’t get some more consistency out of them the Flames may want to start listening on those trade offers. It’s still early, but the players under 25 on this roster are leading this charge – I’m of the opinion Calgary could embrace that movement even more than they already are.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – Aydar Suniev (75.48 SCF% // 82.81 HDCF%) can score beautiful goals like the one he got here all day long. I knew he had potential, but that ability to finish chances has been on full display, regularly. He can make passes work off the rush, find space when they grind in a cycle, or simply just take the rock to the house himself. A multi-faceted approach to scoring goals – Calgary was missing a piece like this off their roster desperately the last 2 seasons. Matt Coronato (33.34% // NA) was the only guy (outside of Kadri) consistently putting the puck in the net. He still had cold stretches in his game though, and nobody ever picked up the slack. Not to worry now, with Suniev sniping and Matvei Gridin (47.43% // 38.33%) on a tear the weight of that responsibility is being spread out. It’s been incredibly entertaining to watch.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – With all of this youth talk it’s about time I mention Jonathan Castagna (55.73 xGF%) again. His inclusion is a bit different, as he’s not someone I have much expectations for on offence, but he has been incredibly reliable up the middle for weeks now. He’s filling a 3C/4C role providing stability in transition and good defensive play in his own zone. That extra centre position that was such a worry got filled by a candidate that many thought, myself included, that would need more AHL time. This is why opportunity matters – and why I’m excited to watch recent call-up William Stromgren get a look.

Game Flow –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – How about that! A solid game for Dustin Wolf is just what we needed to see. After Devin Cooley’s solid play forced him into a starting role the injury gave Wolf an opportunity to showcase his bounce-back ability. 1.67 expected goals against at 5v5 with one getting past him, the other goal coming on the power play for the Kraken. If you’re a frequent reader of BTB you’ll know I don’t put much blame for power play goals on the goaltender, it’s not like they took an extra guy off the ice. He was solid and this game can help grow some confidence and consistency moving forward. I would start Arsenii Sergeev for the back-to-back, to keep Wolf fresh while Cooley is out, but I’m not the coach. Interesting to see what they choose to do.

The Goals –

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Forecast calls for Frost 🥶

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12:24 AM · Oct 31, 2026

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