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The Calgary Flames extended head coach Ryan Huska’s contract for two additional years on Thursday, keeping him signed through the 2027-28 season.

Huska became the franchise’s 24th head coach in June 2023.

He has since led the retooling Flames to a 79-66-19 record, coming within one point of a playoff appearance last season.

A former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, Huska began coaching in 2002 as an assistant with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, becoming the club’s head coach in 2007.

The 50-year-old from Cranbrook, B.C., joined the Flames organization in the 2014-15 season as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Flames.

That job moved to Stockton for three years before Huska became an assistant in Calgary for five seasons.

“Weâ€re thrilled to extend Ryan for two more years,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said in a statement. “Heâ€s done an excellent job creating a strong culture in our room and helping our team take steps in the right direction. His communication, work ethic, and commitment to developing our players have been outstanding. We believe in his vision and are confident heâ€s the right coach to lead us forward.”

Huska said he’s grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the Flames.

“I believe in this group, in their character, talent, and potential. Iâ€m excited about the direction we are heading,” he said. “I want to thank Craig, the ownership, and the entire organization for their trust and support. We are committed to pushing forward and bringing success back to Calgary.”

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The Vancouver Canucks clobbered the Calgary Flames 8-1 in their penultimate preseason game at home on Wednesday evening.

The main casts for both teams were suited up and ready to go.

Despite getting a power play in the second minute, the Flames veterans had some summer rust and clearly needed to get warmed up. They would eventually get adjusted and outshoot the Canucks 7-3 in the first 11:18, but Vancouver scored on their very first shot taking a 1-0 lead. Johnathan Huberdeau had a great breakaway opportunity after a pass from Matt Coronato at the 10:15 mark but was denied by Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.

Afterwards, for the rest of the period, the Canucks ran all over the Flames, outshooting them 9-4 including scoring three goals in a span of 1:18 that included a shorthanded goal.

The players who led the Flames in faceoffs last season found themselves on a losing battle once again. Nazem Kadri was 2-for-6 (33.33%), Mikael Backlund was 0-for-3 (0%) and Morgan Frost was 1-for-2 (50%)

In the second period, Calgary regrouped and performed better. So good, that Joel Farabee scored a goal for the home side 30 seconds in, albeit that would’ve been called back for offside in the regular season. Unlike the first period, the Flames outshot the Canucks in expected goals and scoring opportunities.  They produced the same number of shots on goals, two, in their first power play of the second period as they did in BOTH of the power plays in their first period. It also helped that they didn’t give up a shorty.

The faceoff leaders had also shown improvement: Kadri and Backlund were both 5-for-11 (45.45%) and Frost was 6-for-13 (46.15%) by the second recess.

Unfortunately, two careless goals were given up by Calgary that put the Canucks up 6-1.

Vancouver took only three shots in the final period, but two of them found the back of the Calgary net, sealing the Flames’ night with a seven-goal drubbing.

Close to the end, Huberdeau would collide with the goal post and would need help walking off the ice. Let’s hope he is okay.

Calgary were 0-for-6 on the power play which included giving up two shorthanded goals.

Both goalies Ivan Prosvetov and Devin Cooley played in the game and both let in goals that had no business being in the back of the net.

The penalty-kill went 2-for-4.

Rory Kerins was a bright spot with 5-for-9 (55.6%) faceoff wins in the game and three shots on goal.

The Flames final preseason game will be against the Winnipeg Jets at home on Friday.

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CALGARY — As Matvei Gridinâ€s confidence grows, so do his chances of sticking around.

As if the 19-year-old Calgary Flames hopeful wasnâ€t making enough of an impression in Seattle Monday with a goal in his second straight game, Gridin punctuated the evening by adding the shootout winner in a 2-1 win over the Kraken.

Winding his way into Seattleâ€s zone by taking slow, wide turns at either side, he then flashed the shot that has Flames brass so excited, roofing it past Philipp Grubauer to kickstart a celebration that saw the self-assured youngster tuck his stick into his holster before being mobbed.

“I would say itâ€s a Gridin Signature, like (Justin) Kirklandâ€s Signature,†he chuckled.

“I scored like five goals last year in the shootout like that.â€

Gridin, a first round pick of the Flames in 2024, was the QMJHLâ€s rookie of the year with 36 goals and  79 points in 56 games.

A soft-spoken Russian who may just have the best shot/speed combination of any Flames prospect, Gridinâ€s game has been building throughout camp.

Intrigued by Gridinâ€s talents, coach Ryan Huska placed him on the top line with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato Monday. By far the teamâ€s best trio all night, it was responsible for the teamâ€s lone regulation goal when Gridin took a slick pass from Ilya Solovyov, skated in alone and unleashed a rocket past Grubauer.

“Amazing pass by Solo, a breakaway so Iâ€ve just got to score,†laughed Gridin.

“I know my shot is my strength, so shoot more and find the back of the net. Playing with Frosty and Matty builds my confidence up, so I felt nice.â€

Gridinâ€s co-star on the night, Dustin Wolf, enjoyed seeing the NHL debut of the “Gridin Signature.â€

“I hadnâ€t seen the shootout yet, until today, but I could tell taking it slow and taking it wide he knew what he was doing,†said Wolf.

“Pretty neat release. Excellent shot. Every day he picks your corners. Heâ€s going to score a lot of goals in this league.â€

Although heâ€s still junior-eligible, Gridin is also eligible to play in the AHL this season where heâ€s likely to open the season. However, if he continues to impress like he has the last few outings thereâ€s an outside chance he could open the season in the bigs.

It’s a longshot as one of the other tough decisions Flames brass must make revolves around Rory Kerins, who is the teamâ€s second-leading scorer, with four points in five pre-season games. Kerins was 8 of 13 in the faceoff circle Monday and would be a risky player to try putting through waivers for the purposes of returning him to the AHL.

Gridin doesnâ€t require waivers, so he would most likely start in the minors and be eligible for promotion later on.

No one was sharper Monday than Wolf, who made 16 of his 35 saves in the first period when the flat-footed Flames allowed 10 high-danger scoring chances.   Â

“They came out hard in the first and we found our footing as the game went on,†said Wolf, who will make one last pre-season start Friday at home against Winnipeg.

“This is a great step for me.â€

Frost continues to impress, pacing the Flames†top line once again, spearheading the top power play, scoring in the shootout and finishing 11 of 13 in the faceoff circle. His assist on Gridinâ€s goal puts him amongst NHL pre-season leaders with six points in four outings.

Speaking of league leaders, former Flames prospect Matthew Phillips has three pre-season goals in Anaheim, one off the pace set by Sonny Milano.

Martin Pospisil was in vintage form, drawing penalties and the ire of Vince Dunn (once again) on a night when he was in the fray regularly.

For the record, Kirkland used his signature move in the shootout, but hit the post.

The Flames shooters were Frost, Kirkland, Coronato and Gridin.

Gridin – Frost -Coronato
Farabee – Kerins – Klapka
Lomberg – Kirkland – Pospisil
Honzek – Morton – SunievÂ

Bean – Pachal 
Kuznetsov – Brzustewicz
Solovyov  – CicekÂ

Flames host Vancouver Wednesday

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CALGARY — Saturdayâ€s game in Winnipeg was supposed to help crystallize which goalie had the edge in the battle for the Calgary Flames†vacant backup job.

The jury is out on whether it did.

Facing a beefed-up Jets squad, Devin Cooley made 25 saves in a 4-2 loss in Winnipeg. He couldnâ€t be faulted on any of the goals.

All told, Cooley has stopped 51 of 58 shots in a pair of losses.

Ivan Prosvetov has stopped 53 of 58 shots to go 1-1.

With Dustin Wolf slated to start two of the last three pre-season games, you can bet the Flames goalie gurus will be huddled up Monday, trying to figure out who gets the other start — a gig expected to symbolize who has won the job coming out of camp.

Given how close the battle has been, thereâ€s also a chance theyâ€ll instead split the lone game with both goalies†short-term futures on the line.

One goalie will be named to the opening night roster and the other will be put on waivers with an eye on sending them to the Wranglers for further seasoning.Â

Thereâ€s a chance neither would clear waivers, as several teams have expressed interest in Cooley, and a handful of teams were bidding to sign Prosvetov out of the KHL this summer. Â

Both are on one-way contracts, meaning the 28-year-old Cooley will get $775,000 regardless of where he plays, and Prosvetov will get $950,000.

Prosvetov, 26, has the edge in NHL experience (24 games to six), but neither has posted impressive numbers in the bigs.

The Flames have invested a year in building the structure of Cooleyâ€s game, leading him to an AHL all-star nod last season before concussion issues derailed his first campaign with the Wranglers. Prosvetovâ€s game requires similar adjustments, but they feel that with their help, the staff can help the six-foot-five Russian evolve like Cooley and Dan Vladar did. Â

Rory Kerins continues to impress, making the biggest push of any youngster to break through for an opening night roster spot.

“I thought their line was the best line tonight,†said Ryan Huska of Kerins†trio with Adam Klapla and Sam Honzek in Winnipeg.

“Every time they were on the ice, I thought they actually pushed back and controlled the majority of play when they were out there. Rory continues to do a good job, as do his linemates.â€

Kerins picked up an assist on a power-play goal, hit the crossbar in the third period and did a good job driving play on a night in which he faced off regularly against heavyweight middlemen Jonathan Toews and Mark Scheifele.Â

Going 6 for 13 in the faceoff circle isnâ€t bad against those veterans, giving the 23-year-old centre a good lesson in what it will take to eventually be an everyday NHLer.

Kerins†situation is one of the most interesting as the regular season nears, as the sixth-round pick would need to clear waivers before being sent to the minors, which is a risk the Flames may not want to take given how disappointed they were a year ago when another promising young centre, Cole Schwindt, was plucked off waivers by Vegas.

Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of the pre-season when his point shot found its way through traffic and bounced in with Klapka causing confusion in the crease.

“He played a lot of minutes (23:43) and I feel like every game heâ€s played, he continues to get better,†said Huska.

“He seems like heâ€s becoming more and more confident again, which is something we were hoping to see. He brings something to the table we donâ€t really have on the back end, the way he walks the blueline and the way he runs the power play. So, I thought he did a good job tonight.â€

Parekh will start the season with the big club, no question.

Matvei Gridin will be a productive NHLer at some point. And while that day is likely another year away, he impressed Saturday when he deftly banged in a rebound for his first goal of the pre-season.

“I thought he had another strong game as well,†said Huska of the first rounder, who was the QMJHLâ€s rookie of the year.

“Heâ€s a really interesting guy. Heâ€s going to learn the game as he grows older and matures a little bit in regards to the details and structure side of it, but heâ€s a really talented player and you can see that in some of the decisions and the reads he makes. The longer he plays, the better this guy is gonna get.â€

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The Calgary Flames have an interesting decision to make with Rory Kerins this season. For the first time in his career, the 23-year-old forward will need to clear waivers if he doesnâ€t stick with the big club out of camp. That means if Calgary tries to send him down, thereâ€s a very real chance another team could scoop him up.

So the question is: do the Flames risk losing him, or do they find a spot for him on the roster?

Kerins sees himself as a natural centre — and letâ€s be honest, the Flames could use more stability down the middle. The problem is, at the NHL level, he hasnâ€t quite earned the coaching staffâ€s trust to take on those heavier defensive minutes. His skating still needs another gear, and his overall two-way game has to tighten up before heâ€s handed full-time centre duties.

That said, you canâ€t ignore the upside. Kerins has great hockey sense, heâ€s committed to improving, and he knows how to generate offence. Just think back to his final year in junior with the Soo Greyhounds, where he racked up a ridiculous 118 points (43g,75a) in 67 games.

He scored the game-winning goal on the power play and added an assist in the Flames†4-1 preseason victory against the Seattle Kraken on September 23.

Last season was another big step forward for Kerins. He lit it up with the Calgary Wranglers, putting home a career-high 33 goals and leading the team with 61 points. Even in limited NHL action, he chipped in four assists in five games and finished plus-3. For a sixth-round pick back in 2020, thatâ€s hinting at some serious value.

Calgary rewarded him with a one-year, two-way deal in July — essentially a “show us what you can do†contract. Now itâ€s up to Kerins to prove he can turn those AHL numbers into NHL consistency.

The Flames have to decide if heâ€s worth a roster spot right now, or if theyâ€re willing to gamble that he slips through waivers. Either way, Kerins has put himself squarely in the conversation. For a guy whoâ€s been flying under the radar, heâ€s quickly becoming one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the season.

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Last week, Ben Kuzma of The
Province reported the Detroit Red Wings were among the
clubs monitoring Quinn Hughes’ situation with the Vancouver Canucks
this season.

Hughes’ future in Vancouver has been
the subject of ongoing speculation since the spring, after Canucks
president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said his captain would
one day like to play alongside his brothers Jack and Luke, who both
belong to the New Jersey Devils.

The Canucks aren’t shopping Hughes, who
is signed through 2026-27. However, this season could be crucial in
determining his fate. If they miss the playoffs again, the
25-year-old defenseman could be reluctant to sign a contract
extension, forcing the Canucks to consider trading him.

Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now pointed
out Hughes’ ties to Michigan, including playing for the USA Hockey National
Team Development Program in Plymouth and with the NCAA’s Michigan
Wolverines.

If Hughes were interested in playing
for the Red Wings, Duff believes they should make a serious trade bid
next summer. That would include offering up top prospect Axel Sandin
Pellikka in a package deal.

PuckPedia indicates that Hughes lacks
no-trade protection, meaning the Canucks can ship him to the highest
bidder. However, if the Wings become one of them, they must ensure
he’s willing to sign an extension.

NHL’s Biggest Trade Bait With 2025-26 Season Almost Here
It is an exciting time for hockey fans with the new season approaching. Soon, NHL teams will be back to playing regular-season hockey, as it officially begins Oct. 7.

Turning to the Calgary Flames, they
seemed headed toward an amicable parting of ways with Rasmus
Andersson.

The 28-year-old defenseman is
UFA-eligible next July, and contract extension talks broke down in
June, sparking speculation about possible trade destinations.

Andersson denied he only wanted to be
traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, calling it “fake information.â€
While this season could be his last with the Flames, he doesn’t
believe it will distract his teammates.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes Andersson
is likely to be moved by the March 6 NHL trade deadline. However, he
reported that neither side has fully closed the door on a contract
extension.

LeBrun believes Andersson might be open
to an eight-year contract, but doesn’t think the Flames are willing
to go that long. Andersson turns 29 in October, which explains their
reluctance.

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CALGARY — Ivan Prosvetov didnâ€t think heâ€d get another shot in the NHL.

Nor was he necessarily looking for one.

But he sure found one in Calgary.

After playing small parts of four seasons with Arizona and Colorado, the 26-year-old netminder went back to Russia last season where he signed a three-year deal with his hometown CSKA.

Life was good, as heâ€d finally landed a successful starting gig on a storied franchise heâ€d grown up idolizing.

“Well, then there were trade talks,†said Prosvetov of a development that prompted him to get his agent to nix the final two seasons of a three-year deal.

“I didn’t want to get traded because it was probably only one of the teams I always wanted to be on. Itâ€s my hometown and it’s CSKA. (Vladislav) Tretiak played for that team, (Boris) Mikhailov, (Sergei) Fedorov, (Valeri) Kharlamov, you can name it.

“I was basically in Tretiakâ€s spot there, right? So, it’s pretty special to play on that team.â€

“But when trade talks came my agent did a good job and it was an opportunity here.â€

Calgary Flames goalie guru Jordan Sigalet expressed immediate interest in the athletic, 6-foot-5 goalie who heâ€d been watching closely the last five years.

Several other NHL and Russian teams also tried signing the lad with a 2.32 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in the KHL, but the opportunity that had opened up in Calgary with Dan Vladarâ€s departure this summer made it an easy decision.

Either Prosvetov or Wranglers all-star Devin Cooley will have a chance to start upwards of 20 games this season as Dustin Wolfâ€s backup.

On Wednesday it was Prosvetovâ€s turn to state his case, starting behind a skeleton Flames squad in Abbotsford against the Canucks.

Despite being on the short end of a 3-1 score, Prosvetov was a stabilizing force who finished the evening stopping 28 shots in a game largely controlled by the hosts.

The Canucks scored two power-play goals and none of the shots that beat him could be blamed squarely on the Flames goalie, who was under siege early and often.Â

A good showing, despite the result.

“I don’t think about battles and stuff, I just try to come play my game, show my game and never look too far ahead,†said the fourth-round pick of the Coyotes in 2018 who has only played 24 NHL games.

“I know that I can. I’m already kind of building my game that I don’t want to change. I’ve been a starting goalie on one of the best teams in Russia, and played many games there (38). I think I’m a good goalie, and I have a lot to show.â€

Earlier in the week, Round 1 of the goalie battle went to Prosvetov, who stopped 28 shots in a split-squad overtime win in Edmonton Sunday. Meanwhile, Cooley let in two suspect goals in a 3-0 loss at home.

Cooley will start Game 5 of the pre-season Saturday in Winnipeg and whoever appears to have wrangled the job will get one more start after that.

The other goalie will be placed on waivers for the purpose of being sent to the Wranglers — a tough decision given several teams around the league have expressed interest in both backups at times.

Both have one-way deals.

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“Heâ€s just always been a big, raw, athletic guy,†said Sigalet of the 6-foot-5 Russian, who is the same height as Cooley.

“Almost like when we signed Vladar, if you adjust some things with depth and add a little more structure to his game you could see him turn into another guy like Dan.

“The talent is there, heâ€s just got to put it all together.â€

And the window to do so is even smaller than his NHL sample size, which never saw him start more than 11 games in any given season.

“To be honest, I’m not looking at this like I’m here to kind of show myself, because I know I have it,†said Prosvetov.

“It’s just, are people gonna see it here? Iâ€m gonna continue my career here and it’s gonna be awesome.â€

Joel Farabee continued in his quest to prove his first half-season in Calgary wasnâ€t an accurate representation of his talents, picking up an assist on Connor Zaryâ€s power-play goal and adding a fight against hulking Canucks journeyman Joseph LaBate. LaBate is 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, which is five inches taller and 39 pounds heavier than the Flames winger … Jake Bean left the game briefly in the third period after being crosschecked by Vilmer Alriksson, only to return minutes later … The Flames’ next game is Saturday in Winnipeg.

Zary – Kerins – Pospisil
Farabee – Morton – Honzek 
Basha – Bishop – Hunt
Suniev – King – Laing

Hanley – Brzustewicz
Bean – Poirier 
Moran – Miromanov

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The Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 in Abbotsford, BC in NHL preseason action.

This group of players did not consist of the veterans or star players that played the night before and it showed.

The first period started off poorly as the Canucks scored two goals by the first 7:12. Calgary couldn’t get shots on target, looked messy and by the end of the first period, Vancouver outshot Calgary 9-4.

The Flames did come back in the second period strongly. However, a foolish roughing penalty by Joel Hanley at the 12:42 mark put the Canucks on the power play for the third time in the game.  Filip Chytil would proceed to score a mere 25 seconds later, putting Vancouver up 3-0. At the 14:02 mark, the Flames would get some relief as the home team was called for a penalty for too many men. Connor Zary scored on the ensuing power play, reducing Calgary’s deficit by two.

Vancouver kept pressing hard on gas pedal in the third and there was no coming back for Calgary.

The Canucks outshot the Flames in every period. The overall was 30-19.

The defensive pairings looked disoriented and not in quality shape. I will add Etienne Morin stood out amongst the blueliners.

Vancouver skaters pressured Calgary into producing giveaways and the home side capitalized on the opportunities. The Canucks were more aggressive and played more physical.

It didn’t help that Vancouver fill-in goalie Nikita Tolopilo absolutely robbed Calgary of a goal with a terrific save in the middle of the third period that drew audible “Ooohs” from the crowd.

Coming into this game, the Flames were 7-for-7 on the penalty-kill and that became their undoing. They conceded two power play goals, ultimately going 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.

As mentioned earlier, Zary scored Calgary’s only goal, going 1-for-5 in the Flames power play.

Calgary goalie Ivan Prosvetov made 27 saves, registering a save percentage of exactly 0.900.

Chytil was designated player of the game for his two points.

The Flames next preseason game will be on Saturday against the Jets in Winnipeg.

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CALGARY — Last year there was more talk about Yegor Sharangovichâ€s work with Lego than there was about his game.

One year after piecing together a team-high 31 goals, the Belarussian winger dropped to just 17, prompting plenty of concern his five-year, $28.7 million contract extension might not age well.

Invisible on many nights and unable to build enough chemistry to get his deadly shot off with enough regularity, Sharangovich is tasked with trying to be more relevant more often.

On Tuesday he found his scoring touch with a nifty redirect to open the scoring in a 4-1 pre-season win for the Calgary Flames over Seattle at the Dome.

Itâ€s a good sign for a player who said he spent increased time on the ice this summer with an eye on getting off to a stronger start — something he was unable to do last year after suffering an injury in the final pre-season game.

 â€œWhen youâ€re healthy going into the season itâ€s so nice,†said the soft-spoken 27-year-old, who played alongside Rory Kerins and Matvei Gridin Tuesday.

“Really, just work hard in practice and do the same in the game. When youâ€re playing hard you always have chances to score and do something good for the team. You just need to play hard.â€

Indeed, he is aware intensity is an issue, as he needs to work on his board battles and engagement.

“I think itâ€s much the same as we had last year for him, we feel like when Sharon is hard on pucks, when heâ€s committed to getting into the battle a little bit more often his game comes along nicely,†said coach Ryan Huska.

“Thatâ€s probably one of the bigger messages.

“I said last year I probably had a hand in his slow start. He had an injury to start with, not ideal, your last game of the exhibition season.

“I bounced him from the middle of the ice to the wing and I didnâ€t really give him an opportunity to get himself going.

“The hope and the belief for me this year is heâ€s going to be much more committed, and I think looking for a fresh start as well. He wasnâ€t happy with the way last year went, so I think weâ€re going to get a better Sharon this year.â€

A look at four other players who stood out Tuesday:

Kerins scored 33 goals to lead the Wranglers last season, was an AHL all star, had a point per game and snagged four assists in his five-game NHL debut.

Yet, few mention the 23-year-old when talk surfaces of who might be the first call-up if the Flames need a centre.

He made a solid case for himself Tuesday with a nifty finish in tight that saw him roof an early second period go-ahead goal past Philipp Grubauer while on the power play.

It was part of a two-point night in which he also did some nice work in the corner to help set up Sharangovichâ€s goal.

“I feel like in a lot of ways itâ€s kind of like my first pre-season, so this is very exciting for me and something I would have killed for the last three years,†said Kerins, who wasnâ€t given a single pre-season assignment last year.

“Projections are projections and Iâ€m just going there and doing my best and playing the game I love and having a lot of fun with it.â€

Wolf only faced 13 shots in his two-period pre-season debut, but showed enough to inspire confidence heâ€s ready to shoulder an even bigger load this year as the face of the franchise.

Wolf was beaten just once before giving way to Owen Say to start the third period, leading 2-1.

“Rocky the first 15 minutes to kind of kick off the rust, just kind of antsy out there, but settled in in the second,†said Wolf.

“Thatâ€s the opportunity of pre-season, you want to get touches and feel the way I want to feel.â€

Parekh didnâ€t stick out as much as he did against Edmonton Sunday, which is a good thing.

Give his partner Kevin Bahl plenty of credit for that, adding a stability to the pairing that Parekh enjoyed the night of his NHL debut.

Parekh wasnâ€t hard enough on Mitchell Stephens when he scored Seattleâ€s lone goal, but the 19-year-old, who will be a story every night he plays, finished the night plus-1.

Running the top power-play unit with confidence, Parekh barely missed connecting early in the third on a nice pass while driving the net.

“I thought he did a good job, not just with the power play but we were fairly liberal with who he was on the ice against for the majority of the night and I thought they did a really good job together,†said Huska, who gave Parekh almost 22 minutes of ice time.

“Bahler is very steady…and I think it allowed Zayne to play his game a little more than from what we saw against Edmonton.â€

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Zary was noticeable throughout the evening, driving play, creating chances, picking up an assist and three shots on goal on a line with Justin Kirkland and Adam Klapka.

Zary was the recipient of four significant hits, including one blast by Mason Marchment that had him skating back to the bench at the end of the shift shaking his head.

This is a big year for Zary, who signed a bridge deal after what was essentially a lost season last season when he suffered two separate leg injuries.

Huberdeau – Frost – Coronato
Zary – Kirkland – Klapka
Sharangovich – Kerins  – Gridin
Stromgren – Morton – Honzek

Bahl – Parekh
Kuznetsov – Brzustewicz
Solovyov – Pachal

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The Calgary Flames beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Tuesday night in NHL preseason action.

This team performance was a complete 180 to the one we covered on Sunday night.

The Flames handily outshot the Kraken 34-20.

Calgary opened the scoring with a deflection goal from Yegor Sharangovich off a pass from Hunter Brzustewicz at the 7:40 mark. That must have DEFINITELY felt good for the 27-year-old Belarusian after his already scrutinized five-year $28.75 million contract from a couple of off-seasons ago received even more criticism after he experienced a down season last year.

When the Flames first power play kicked in, the intensity picked up thanks in huge part to Zayne Parekh. Just like the last game, Calgary had Seattle players scurrying and panicking while undermanned due to Parekh’s quarterbacking skills. The upcoming rookie got two scoring opportunities and the ensuing momentum nearly led to a wrap-around goal by Jonathan Huberdeau at the first period whistle.

Parekh WILL revolutionize the Flames power play this upcoming season.

While Calgary didn’t get a power point courtesy of Parekh, they did score a game-winning PP goal  by Rory Kerins via Connor Zary and Brzustewicz 3:14 into the second period. We have mentioned how we believe Kerins will be brought up sooner rather than later in the season.

Speaking of the second period, the Flames dominated the Kraken, outshooting the away team 15-6. Of course, it helps that Calgary had two power plays and one trickling power play from the first period in the second period. In the man-advantage, the Flames outshot the Kraken 8-2 in the game. In fact, Calgary got a couple of shots at the Seattle net in the Kraken’s own power play.

But the quality of shots were outstanding.

Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato had high-danger shots in the first three minutes of the second period.

Gridin stole a fumbling puck from Seattle’s Ryker Evans at the 12:11 mark and nearly squeezed the puck past goaltender Matt Murray on a breakaway.

Sam Morton had as many as three shots on goals just in the period. It was only fitting he got the empty-netter in the end.

The pace did slow down for Calgary as they put in only five shots on goal in the first 13:29 of the third period. Luckily, one of those was a Matt Coronato goal scored 39 seconds into the period for insurance.

The Flames were a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill which has just become a regular occurrence now.

Dustin Wolf who played in net for a majority of the game looked in shape and registered a save percentage of 0.923. Owen Say who came in later did not give up any goals.

Kerins was designated the player of the game.

Calgary will play their next preseason game tomorrow at Vancouver against the Canucks.

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