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The Flames scored several times against St. Louis (and some of them counted)
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Mar 19, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2026, 03:44 EDT
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Heading into Wednesday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues, the Calgary Flames sat in an inauspicious spot in the National Hockey League as the lowest-scoring team in the circuit.
Through 66 games, the Flames had put 164 goals past opposition netminders during regulation and overtime play. The Flames work extremely hard, but just struggle to light the lamp with regularity.
So you would think that putting six pucks behind Joel Hofer in Wednesday night’s game would represent an offensive breakthrough. But it was one of those nights for the Flames against the Blues. Yeah, they beat Hofer six times. But only one of those goals will count in the goals-for tally in a 2-1 shootout victory.
2:34 into the first period, the Flames opened the scoring. Ryan Strome and Connor Zary executed a really slick give-and-go in the Blues zone, ending with Zary tucking the puck past Hofer for Zary’s first goal since Feb. 26 to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
“It was just a race for a puck, and I was able to get into their zone,” said Zary. “And then I heard Stromer calling for it, and then I kind of called for a right back. He made a good play, and I saw the goalie kind of move out of the crease a little bit, so I tried to take it to the other side on him.”
From there, things got a bit weird.
At 12:39 in the first period, Kevin Bahl intercepted a Colton Parayko pass up the middle. He passed to Martin Pospisil, who beat Hofer. But the Blues challenged for a missed off-side call, and it was judged that Bahl’s intercepted pass wasn’t held in at the blueline. The game remained 1-0.
At 17:22 in the first period, the Flames scored again! This time, on a rush sequence, Yegor Sharangovich fired the puck past Hofer. But the Blues challenged on the basis of a missed stoppage, and it was judged that Zary had knocked the puck down with a high stick prior to Sharangovich’s shot. The game remained 1-0.
The Blues tied the game early in the second period.
Midway through the period, 9:38 into the second, the Flames scored again. this time, Joel Farabee converted a pass from Mikael Backlund on an odd-man rush. But the Blues challenged and it was determined that the zone entry was off-side. It remained 1-1.
In the shootout, Farabee and Matvei Gridin scored. The Flames won, but neither player is credited with an official goal.
Following the game, Flames head coach Ryan Huska reflected on the oddness of the game.
“We’re going to have to review the rules, I guess,” said Huska. “Can’t go offside, can’t use a high stick. When you look at those ones, it’s weird to happen all in one game, but I would rather a linesman not blow down a close play to negate a potential two-on-one if it was on-side. So I think what they did was the right way to do it and it allowed them to challenge. They were both off-side. Can’t do anything about that.”
Three disallowed goals due to coach’s challenges tied a record originally set when the San Jose Sharks had three goals wiped out by Edmonton challenges in March 2023.
“I think at the end of the day, you see two, you’re like, this is crazy. You see three, you just have to laugh,” said Zary.
Flames netminder Devin Cooley made 26 saves during regulation and overtime, then two more stops in the shootout, to get the victory for the Flames. But he had to stand helpless in his crease while his club had their goals waved off.
“It was just hilarious,” said Cooley. “The first one is like, okay, whatever. And then the second one, and then the third one, I was just kind of laughing in my crease. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. And I’m glad we were able to get the win because we definitely deserved it.”
The Flames are back in action on Friday evening when they host the Florida Panthers.
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