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Eight minor penalties — one for each of the consecutive losses the Calgary Flames have piled up.

“Thatâ€s the difference,†said Flames winger Blake Coleman after a 5-3 loss in Winnipeg Friday, during which the Flames allowed two power-play goals and an empty-netter.Â

“Youâ€re not going to win games, youâ€re not going to get out of a rut like weâ€re in, youâ€re just beating yourself at that point.â€

Insisting his club is finally starting to like its five-on-five play, the carelessness that led to a good chunk of the squadâ€s sins put the Flames on their heels in a game they led early, only to give up two of four goals in the second period while out-manned.

“And theyâ€re not physical penalties, theyâ€re stick penalties,†said Coleman, whose third finish through Eric Comrieâ€s legs made it a one-goal game for the final ten minutes.

“Theyâ€re penalties that are avoidable; you can work hard to avoid it, and we just arenâ€t doing it. Itâ€s disappointing because itâ€s been talked about, and we know itâ€s been an issue, but itâ€s just not getting through.â€

Pausing, the most eloquent member of the Flames offered up a simple, “Weâ€re running out of words right now.â€

Weâ€ll do the same, so readers can get back to their Blue Jays parties:

Nazem Kadri had his best outing of the season, drawing his first of two penalties just 19 seconds into the game.

The second penalty he drew, five minutes in, led to his first goal of the season, a one-timer on the power play set up brilliantly by the passing of Zayne Parekh and Morgan Frost.

Kadri had a career-high 35 goals last season and will definitely be needed to help lead the way if the Flames are to improve on their league-worst scoring rate.

With an eye on trying to speed up the puck movement on the power play, Parekh was promoted to the top unit Friday.

It worked, well, early on at least.

Five minutes in, his assist on the Kadri goal marked his first in the NHL.

“He did a good job up there tonight,†said Ryan Huska of the 19-year-old defenceman.

 â€œThe puck movement up top was noticeably different from him tonight, so it was a lot quicker moving side-to-side, and I think thatâ€s what opened up that chance for Naz on his goal.â€

Ultimately, the power play let the Flames down, as it finished 1 for 6.Â

Mikael Backlund may have had his best outing of the season, scoring a beauty, setting up Colemanâ€s third-period tally, hitting the crossbar, and finishing plus-two with four shots.

The teamâ€s chief penalty killer was also busy doing his best to limit a potent Jets†power play to two goals in eight chances.

Special teams have been a huge issue for the Flames throughout the teamâ€s horrific start, with the power play sitting 29th in the league at 13.2 per cent, and the penalty kill now 22nd at 74.4 per cent.

Adam Klapkaâ€s team-leading third fight of the season came early in the first period when the six-foot-eight, 235-pound winger found a dance partner in Logan Stanley, who stood just one inch shorter and five pounds lighter.

Heavyweights by stature, if not reputation, the two exchanged just a few punches before an off-balanced Klapka was thrown to the ice.

Klapka hits everything that moves. Heâ€s got some hands, but most importantly, heâ€s got some jam, willing to do whatever it takes to make an impact in a lineup with too many passengers many nights.

The Flames host the Rangers Sunday night before jetting off for a four-game eastern swing through Toronto, Ottawa, Nashville and Philadelphia.

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Turns out backup goaltending is the least of the Calgary Flames’ concerns right now.

In the most important start of his career, Devin Cooley made an overwhelmingly positive first impression with a 29-save performance that made him the gameâ€s first star Wednesday in Utah.

However, his heroics werenâ€t enough as the offensively-challenged Flames lost their fourth in a row, this time by a 3-1 score to the Mammoth.

And while the effort was solid, the reality is becoming daunting, warned coach Ryan Huska afterwards.

“You need to find your game in a hurry because you canâ€t make the playoffs the first month of the year, but you surely can miss them,†said Huska, whose club played in Calgary the night before and arrived at their Salt Lake City hotel after 3 a.m.

“It is important for guys to recognize the work is there, but itâ€s some of the execution thatâ€s not, or the mistake at an inopportune time that is costing us some of these games.â€

“That stuff has to be cleaned up. I do feel weâ€ve beaten ourselves in this stretch weâ€re in right now. Those are all things I think are correctable for sure.â€

Given the nightmarish second half he had in the AHL last season, followed by a subpar pre-season, plenty was riding on Cooleyâ€s opening performance.

With rumours abounding the Flames are already looking to bolster their backup position, the 28-year-old responded to the pressure by being the gameâ€s first star, keeping Calgary in a game that could easily have gotten out of hand without him.

“I thought for his first game of the year I thought he was excellent,†said Huska, who will need Dustion Wolfâ€s backup to win at least half his starts for the team to make the playoffs.

“He made the saves he had to, and he sprinkled in some that were competitive saves, and thatâ€s what you want to see from him.â€
Making just his seventh NHL start, Cooleyâ€s first NHL action in 18 months saw him make a trio of great saves in the first period that gave plenty of early hope he was up to the task.

“I felt pretty good, maybe a little jumpy, a little scrambly, but maybe that comes with not playing in a while and having a lot of energy and feeling excited to have an opportunity,†said the California native, who was an AHL all-star last season.

“Especially in a backup role, my job is to give the team a chance every single night Iâ€m in, whether itâ€s a tough travel day or whatever, Iâ€ve got to find a way to dig in.â€

He did. And his teammates did well to scrap their way through a tight game, despite the obvious fatigue that comes from playing their second back-to-back in eight days.

“I thought our guys battled really hard,†said Cooley.

“I think we got in at 3:30 or 4 in the morning on a back-to-back, so it wasnâ€t easy, but our guys battled to the end.â€

With just six goals in their last four games, the Flames†inability to finish continues to plague a franchise that missed the playoffs last season because of it.

Joel Farabee and Matt Coronato were the most dangerous of all Flames Wednesday, as they pushed hard in the third period to erase a one-goal deficit, outshooting the hosts 12-4.

But shortly after Karel Vejmelka made a crucial shoulder save on Nazem Kadri in the final minute, the door opened for Kevin Stenlund to bank a lucky clearing attempt into an empty net after banked it in off the side boards.

Fact is, scoring is hard enough for the Flames without having to kill six Utah power plays.

Full marks to the revamped penalty kill approach and personnel the Flames employ for being perfect on the night, but it makes it awfully tough to come back in a game when youâ€re constantly down a man.

“Itâ€s going to be a hard game to win when you take six minors,†said Rasmus Andersson, whose power-play goal in the first period came courtesy of a fortuitous rebound off a defender.

“The penalties cost us tonight, I thought.â€

Huska didnâ€t disagree, pointing to a second-period lapse in which the Flames were outshot 18-3 and outscored 2-0 while having to kill off three penalties.

“Once we were killing that many penalties, I donâ€t think we got out of our zone the whole period,†he said.

“Then youâ€re making fatigue mistakes more than anything.â€

One of those mistakes saw Zayne Parekh fail to close a gap at mid ice and lose a footrace to JJ Peterka, whose breakaway conversion stood as the winner.

The Flames visit Vegas on Saturday.

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CALGARY — Ryan Huska preceded the Flames†final pre-season tilt with a rather philosophical reminder to those on the bubble

“First impressions are important, but last impressions are critical,†said the Flames coach.

He wasnâ€t speaking of anyone in particular, but as the teamâ€s final cut looms Matvei Gridin came to mind.

Heâ€s been, without question, the breakthrough story of camp.

A first-round draft pick in 2024 who was the QMJHLâ€s rookie of the year last season, the 19-year-old has used his speed and shot to earn a look right until the end of the silly season.

In Fridayâ€s final audition, he further bolstered his chances of cracking an opening night roster that could certainly use his offensive skills.

A nifty backhand tuck through Connor Hellebuyckâ€s legs in a loss to Winnipeg Friday night gave the young Russian a team-high three goals in the pre-season.

Add to that a shootout-winning move earlier in the week, the confident youngster is already dubbing the ‘Gridin Signature’ and youâ€ve got enough ingredients to form a pretty solid argument for starting his pro career in the bigs next week.

“Obviously happy because I scored goals and built my confidence and feel like I could make the team,†said Gridin following a 5-4 shootout loss at the Dome.

“If coaches think Iâ€m ready to go, Iâ€m ready.â€

Playing on a line with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato, Gridin raised eyebrows early when he slipped a beauty backhand pass through Neal Pionkâ€s legs in close, setting Mikael Backlund up for a great chance the captain wasnâ€t able to get a handle on.

His goal put the Flames up 2-0 when he corralled a loose puck in front of the Jets’ net and quickly finished, as he did 36 times in Shawinigan.

Asked how it felt to beat the worldâ€s best goalie, the soft-spoken lad smiled.

“Felt good,†beamed Gridin, who was later denied in the 14-person shootout in which he had the game on his stick.

“Gotta score in the shootout though. The ‘Gridin Signature’ didnâ€t work.â€

Heâ€s been hearing plenty from his teammates the last few days about his “trademark†shootout finish.

“Ras (Rasmus Andersson) is trolling me every day now,†he chuckled, comfortable that such internal ribbing is a sign of acceptance.

Late in the second he made a great play to intercept a breakout pass at the Jets’ blueline, creating a good scoring chance all by himself. Even as the pace and intensity elevate, heâ€s made things happen throughout camp.

In three short weeks, Gridin has shown heâ€s going to be a key piece for the Flames.

The only question now is whether it starts Wednesday in Edmonton.

“Heâ€s been good, heâ€s had impact, so weâ€re happy for him and we know weâ€ve got a really nice young player there who is going to do some really nice things,†said Huska, who gave Gridin almost 14 minutes of ice time, including more than two minutes on the power play.

“Heâ€s given himself an opportunity and thatâ€s all we can ask.â€

Hereâ€s the tough part for Gridin — heâ€s the easiest one to send down, as heâ€s the only candidate that doesnâ€t have to clear waivers.

The good news for him is that the Flames†decision on how to pare down their season opening roster from 24 to 23 could be made for them if Jonathan Huberdeauâ€s day-to-day status turns into a stint on the injured reserve list.

In that case, Gridin avoids demotion and sticks around.

If Huberdeau and the rest of the crew is healthy, the team would have to risk putting someone on waivers to make room for Gridin, namely Daniil Miromanov.

Putting anyone else through that process makes no sense, as potential opening night extras like Brayden Pachal, Adam Klapka or Martin Pospisil are valued pieces.

The Flames are essentially off for the weekend, and the deadline to declare their 23-man starting grid is Monday afternoon.

While many would like to see the exciting prospect rewarded for his pre-season production, there is certainly no damage done by sending him to the Wranglers for his introduction to the pro game.

Regardless of where he starts, you can bet Gridin will be in Flames silks soon.

“We need whoever is going to give us a chance to win,†said Huska, admitting the team has a tough decision on its hands.

“What I do look at is if youâ€re a young guy you need to play. So for me, if heâ€s here heâ€s going to play. If heâ€s not here heâ€s going to play somewhere else.â€

Despite blowing a 4-2 lead in the third period Friday, the Flames ended the pre-season feeling much better than they did two nights earlier when they lost 8-1 to the Canucks. They finished the exhibition season 3-4-1.

Rasmus Andersson scored in the seven-round shootout, as did Justin Kirkland, with his (legit) signature finish. But the game ended in bizarre fashion when Dustin Wolf stopped Tanner Pearsonâ€s initial shot, only to bobble it with his glove as he turned and it dropped down and trickled into the net. “That will be on a weird clip show soon,†smiled Wolf, who made 31 saves.

The Flames were relieved Rory Kerins cleared waivers on Friday, but the club lost Ilya Solovyov, who was claimed by Colorado.

Flames second-round pick Theo Stockselius had his rights traded from Seattle to the Calgary Hitmen on Friday, but no word when or if the 18-year-old centre will join the club, as heâ€s currently on the roster with Djurgardens in his native Sweden.

Farabee-Kadri-Klapka
Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Lomberg-Kirkland-Sharangovich

Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Parekh

Wolf (Starter)
Cooley

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If you’re a Pittsburgh Penguins’ fan, it’s probably hard to come away from this pre-season disappointed.

On Friday, the Penguins capped off their 5-1-1 pre-season with a 5-4 overtime comeback win against the Buffalo Sabres. Captain Sidney Crosby registered the game-winning goal – as well as the team’s tying goal in regulation – and Philip Tomasino, Harrison Brunicke, and Rickard Rakell also added tallies for the Penguins.

Tristan Jarry started the game in goal and allowed three goals on 19 Sabres’ shots, and Sergei Murashov came in relief midway through the second period and stopped 12 of 13.

The game got a little hairy in the middle of it, and there were some mistakes by the young guys, which I’ll get to momentarily. In a game that comprised mostly of NHL players on both sides, the Penguins’ prospects who were in the lineup put forth strong efforts once again, which is going to make for some difficult decisions for head coach Dan Muse and his staff leading up to Monday – which is when final NHL rosters need to be submitted.

“There’s going to be a lot of conversations here,” Muse said. “Starting into tonight, just with [Kyle Dubas] and management. There’s still some hard decisions to make. So, those decision are going to need to be made, and conversations are going need to be had, and we’re going to prepare.”

Here are some notes and observations from this one:

– This game was an utterly perfect example of why Brunicke needs to be on the opening night NHL roster.

First thing’s first: his goal was a thing of beauty, and it showcased why he’s such an intriguing, higher-ceiling defensive prospect. On the goal, Brunicke started at the right point then put his skating on display to weave past two Sabres along the wall and walk to the goal line, where he placed a perfect shot top-shelf over Alexander Georgiev’s shoulder from a bad angle.

But, this game was not without its mistakes for the young blueliner.

On Buffalo’s second goal by Tage Thompson, Brunicke was caught a bit when Ben Kindel turned the puck over at center ice. Brunicke allowed Thompson to get to the inside and lost him, leaving him exposed to the slot and the net-front. On Buffalo’s fourth goal – the second of the game by Jiri Kulich – he simply lost his man at the net-front, which also happened to be the goal-scorer.

Opinion: If Penguins Don’t Go Young With Roster, They’re Doing It Wrong
Just prior to the onset of training camp, Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas took to the podium and made a declaration of sorts.

The point here is that these are defensive zone mishaps that are only going to get worse at the junior level. The kinds of mistakes he is making are ones that many young NHL defensemen make and improve upon with NHL experience.

What exactly is sending him back to the WHL going to teach him? His mistakes are coming as a result of either trying to do too much or defensive details. And both of those things are not things he’ll be improving upon by playing junior hockey against players younger and far less developed than he is. He needs to be reading off of, learning from, and playing against NHL competition.

If he is not on this roster when final rosters are submitted Monday, something is amiss.

– Speaking of youth mistakes, Ben Kindel had a bit of an up-and-down night as well. He did register the primary assist on Tomasino’s weird goal – extending his pre-season point streak to three games – but he also committed that crucial turnover on Thompson’s goal.

Kindel said it’s key to just “wash” those mistakes right after they happen and focus on the next shift. Brunicke echoed a similar sentiment. I asked Muse about how he and the coaching staff weigh the expectation that young players are going to make mistakes against their current evaluation process.

Should Ben Kindel Get The Nine-Game Trial? The Case For And Against
There are a lot of stories coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this year. Many of them involve young players making an impression and pushing for the NHL roster.

“It’s how they respond,” Muse said. “With Kindel, I thought his reponse was good. You go out there and make up for it. You’ve got to keep playing the game. Especially for a young guy, it’s, ‘How are they going to respond?’ And then, as you go through, you’re watching… Are we learning? Maybe the situational awareness, knowing where you are on a shift, knowing where you are on the ice… it’s our job to help them understand those things and understand it while not overthinking the game at the same time and not putting themselves where they’re able to go out there and play scared or play on their heels. That’s not what you want.”

I’m not exactly sure what to expect with Kindel when final rosters are revelaed. I believe that he has earned a look at the NHL level, even if it’s only for the nine games. He’s been that good in the pre-season, and it’s worth mentioning that he played in six of the seven games – which is usually a good indicator that the organization likes what it’s seeing.

But there are several young forwards deserving of a roster spot out of camp, too, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

– Rakell has pretty consistently been killing penalties at this point, and man, has it been a treat to watch. He excels at pressuring guys one-on-one, he cuts off angles, his reads are excellent, and he takes it the other way for a scoring chance at least once per game.

I think this is going to be something that bleeds into the regular season, and I quite like Muse’s philosophy of deploying “power play guys” on the penalty kill. I think Bryan Rust will also continue to be part of that equation once he returns from injury.

Penguins Forward Bryan Rust Out Week-To-Week
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their best players to start the 2025-26 season.

– I said it in my last piece, but I really like the early returns on the Parker Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson pairing. Wotherspoon is very non-eventful, and it’s working really well in tandem with Karlsson being very eventful.

I think it’s safe to say that this will be the first pairing when the regular season opens on Oct. 7.

– As far as line combinations, I’m curious to see what sticks. I do believe that the first line of Ville Koivunen, Crosby, and Rakell will be kept intact, as Koivunen has been pretty glued to Crosby throughout camp, and Rakell has always excelled on 87’s wing. It has the right recipe to be a pretty formidable line for the Penguins: Sidney Crosby, a playmaking specialist with excellent vision, and a strong finisher who excels at creating space.

I’m also intrigued by the third line, as Kindel, Tommy Novak, and Philip Tomasino – with a little bit of Avery Hayes sprinkled in – have been working together for the last several practices. Regardless of what combination of three has been working together, it’s gone relatively well in game action. Tomasino has had a strong camp, as have Kindel and Hayes. And I do think Novak’s pre-season got better as it bore on.

It’s probably reasonable to suggest that either Kindel or Hayes might occupy one of those spots as we move ahead to the regular season.

– I’ll keep this short and sweet, but I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen with the goaltending situation.

Murashov is the best goaltender in this organization, period. Will he supplant Jarry or Arturs Silovs, or will he get a run of development at the AHL level?

A few days ago, my answer was different. Now, I’m not so sure he won’t be in New York on Oct. 7.

Penguins’ Pre-Season: Final 23-Man Roster Prediction Edition
A few days ago, we had our Mailbox Monday, and I gave my final predictions for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ final 2025-26 roster.

– Speaking of pairings, Caleb Jones was – again – paired with Kris Letang, and Clifton played his off-side with Brunicke.

We’re reaching the point where we can, indeed, begin to read into some things. Because of the fact that Jones has been glued to Letang, I expect him to be on the roster. I don’t necessarily think he’s been one of the Penguins’ six-best defensemen in camp, but they seem to like what he brings to that pairing.

And I do think it’s interesting that we’ve seen Clifton play the off-side a few times, and same with Shea. Honestly, that alone bodes well for Brunicke, as he has stayed put on the right side along with Karlsson and Letang, who won’t miss out on a roster spot.

But the Jones situation does complicate things a bit for Brunicke. Matt Dumba has also had a good camp, Clifton showed well, and Ryan Shea has been good. Ryan Graves is also still part of the picture.

So, do the Penguins keep eight defensemen? And if so, who is the odd man out? What if they elect to keep 14 forwards?

There is a whole lot of intrigue to this roster situation. Monday can’t come soon enough. Stay tuned, folks.

Penguins Make Wave Of Roster Cuts, Place Six Players On Waivers
With each passing day, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster is coming more and more into focus.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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