The Calgary Flames entered the final game of the season with really nothing at stake, aside from draft lottery positioning. The Los Angeles Kings began the evening with perhaps a chance of avoiding Colorado in the first round if the out-of-town scoreboard broke their way.

Well, the Kings fate was sealed midway through this game and the Flames did what they’ve done for the past month or two: they just played their game. The Flames’ youngsters made some nice plays and made some big stops en route to a 3-1 victory over the Kings to close out the 2025-26 season.

Neither team scored in the first period, but the Kings looked quite sharp, moving the puck well and throwing a lot of rubber at rookie Flames netminder Arsenii Sergeev. For his part, Sergeev was really sharp. He made a big stick save off an end-boards rebound that went right to Trevor Moore midway through the period.

First period shots were 10-2 Kings.

The Flames opened the scoring a few minutes into the second period off a nice bit of hockey on a power play. Matvei Gridin fired a shot towards the net – or perhaps a hard pass – and Morgan Frost made a nifty mid-air redirect past Anton Forsberg to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

A few minutes later, the Kings tied things up again, though. Alex Laferriere fired the puck on net. Sergeev made a stop, but Trevor Moore grabbed the rebound, passed to Quinton Byfield, and Byfield put the puck past Sergeev to make it 1-1.

Second period shots were 10-10.

A few minutes into the third period, the Flames grabbed the lead. They won an offensive zone face-off, moved the puck around a bit, and Zayne Parekh pinched down, rushed past a defender and fired the puck past Forsberg to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.

The Kings pulled Forsberg for the extra attacker late in regulation. Joel Farabee managed to score into the empty net for his 20th goal of the season and the Flames held on for the 3-1 victory.

Third period shots were 9-8 Flames.

Let’s call a spade a spade, friends: this was a weird hockey game. The Kings sorta had something to play for, but with a playoff spot assured they were basically waiting to see if Anaheim or Edmonton would lose so they could avoid a date with Colorado in the first round. No dice. As for the Flames, they went in very much knowing that a loss of any sort would help their draft lottery standing.

The Flames were perfectly acceptable in this game given the circumstances, and the Kings just never kicked things into second gear.

Arsenii Sergeev was legitimately impressive in this game. He was busy and he was up for the challenge.

Honestly, perhaps the turning point was the lack of one. The Flames were perfectly content to roll their lines and do their thing. The Kings just never seemed to wake up and take over the proceedings.

Arsenii Sergeev started in net, making his NHL debut, as a replacement for an ill Devin Cooley. Matt Coronato and Ryan Strome came back into the lineup after being absent against Colorado, which bumped Connor Zary and Tyson Gross to the sidelines.

Anze Kopitar got a tribute video in-arena during a first period TV timeout. Kopitar is retiring at the end of the season. At the conclusion of the game, the Flames players – even the injured players and the scratches – came out to shake Kopitar’s hand in recognition of his excellent career.

Join Cami Kepke and Mike Gould right after the game for After Burner!

The Flames (34-39-9) have concluded their 2025-26 season. Exit meetings are on Friday and then we’ll see everybody again in the fall.