The Calgary Flames leaned on persistence and a strong third period to earn a 4–2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Both clubs entered the contest tied with 30 points in the standings, and while the score remained tight throughout, Calgary’s sustained pressure eventually broke through. After firing shot after shot for most of the night, the Flames were finally rewarded with two third-period goals that flipped the game in their favour.

Mikael Backlund scored twice, Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, and Matt Coronato found the back of the net for Calgary, while Rasmus Andersson recorded a three-assist night from the blue line. Dustin Wolf was steady between the pipes, stopping 21 shots to collect his 11th win of the season.

Calgary set the tone early, controlling play and hemming Seattle in their own zone for long stretches. The Flames outshot the Kraken 18–6 in the opening frame, generating several quality looks, but Joey Daccord stood tall to keep the game scoreless.

At the other end, Wolf remained sharp despite limited action, calmly turning aside a handful of high-danger chances to ensure a clean slate after 20 minutes.

Scoreless after one.

Seattle struck first despite Calgary’s edge in shots. A neutral-zone turnover at 7:52 led to Eeli Tolvanen feeding Chandler Stephenson, who waited out Wolf before sliding a backhand into the net to give the Kraken a 1–0 lead.

The Flames answered with a captain’s response. Mikael Backlund drove hard to the crease and redirected a point shot from Andersson past Daccord for his sixth of the season, tying the game midway through the period.

Late in the frame, a goaltender interference penalty against Jonathan Huberdeau opened the door for Seattle. On the ensuing power play, Ryker Evans found Kaapo Kakko in front, and the Finnish winger tipped the puck top corner to restore the Kraken lead.

Seattle led 2–1 after 40 minutes.

Calgary’s patience finally paid off in the final frame. On a power play at 10:04, Kadri set up at the hash marks and hammered a one-timer past Daccord to even the score, with Andersson and Morgan Frost earning the assists.

The decisive moment came shortly after. Coronato burst into the offensive zone off the rush and snapped a perfectly placed shot over Daccord’s shoulder for his 11th goal of the season, sending the Saddledome crowd into a frenzy. Andersson picked up his third assist of the night, while Huberdeau added a helper as well. Backlund added an empty-netter to seal it for the Flames. 

Three Takeaways

1. Volume without finish remains a work in progress

Calgary dominated the shot clock early and often, particularly in the first period, but struggled to turn pressure into a cushion on the scoreboard. While the win is encouraging, the Flames continue to flirt with danger by keeping games closer than they need to be when scoring chances pile up.

2. Backlund leads where it matters most

In milestone territory after his 1,100th NHL game, Backlund once again showed the value of doing the hard things. His willingness to attack the crease and battle in traffic provided a timely spark and helped steady the group when momentum briefly shifted.

3. Andersson quietly drove the game

Three assists and his 200th career NHL helper capped another impactful night for Andersson. Logging big minutes, quarterbacking the power play, and influencing every key goal, the defenceman continues to assert himself as one of Calgary’s most reliable and dynamic contributors.

The Final Word:

Andersson on the vibe:

“I’ve liked the feeling all day… I thought we had a good morning skate, the boys felt loose and ready to move on from last game. Then, I really liked our start.”

Backlund on the effort:

“I thought we were the team that played with the most energy right from the start… Overall, I thought we were the better team.”

Kadri on cashing in on the powerplay:

“That was a big-time goal for us. Coming into the game our powerplay wanted to step up for our team and wanted to make a play. We did a good job drawing some opportunities today and it was important we cashed in, it was a huge goal in the game.”