Nobody hands out silver chalices for a Sunday win in October. Still, if the Calgary Flames were looking for proof that their season has a pulse, beating the reigning Stanley Cup champions was a lively place to find it.
The Flames knocked off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 at the Saddledome, ending the champs’ seven-game winning streak and earning Calgary’s first home victory of the season.
Not bad for a team that entered the night with one win, faced a 1-0 deficit midway through the game and watched Carolina erase its first lead with four seconds left in the second period.
The Hurricanes arrived carrying the Cup-holder label and the swagger to match. Calgary left with the two points.
Yegor Sharangovich delivered the winner with 4:28 remaining, finishing a setup from Morgan Frost and Ryan Strome. The goal sent the Saddledome into full-volume mode and rewarded Calgary for a third period in which it attacked rather than merely trying to survive.
“We felt like we were a team playing to win and we weren’t scared. When they did get chances, we weathered them,” Zayne Parekh said to reporters.
That was the difference. Carolina knows how to turn pressure into panic. Calgary refused the invitation.
The opening period ended scoreless before Jesperi Kotkaniemi put Carolina ahead at 6:09 of the second. For a Flames team that had been outscored heavily through its opening seven games, the script looked uncomfortably familiar.
Then came 86 seconds of joyful nonsense.
Matvei Gridin tied it at 18:30, taking a pass from Matt Coronato and scoring his first goal of the season. Frost tipped home a Parekh feed on the power play 69 seconds later, giving Calgary a 2-1 lead.
Carolina answered almost immediately. Jalen Chatfield scored with four seconds remaining, turning a potential intermission celebration into a 2-2 tie.
Calgary could have sagged. Instead, it returned for the third and went after the champions.
Parekh’s assist was part of an encouraging night for Calgary’s young core. He moved the puck patiently on the power play, waited for Carolina’s coverage to shift and threaded the pass to Frost at the side of the net.
“I thought we moved it around really well on that power play. Joel made a really nice play to me, two guys slid, and I saw Morgan back door. Luckily, I got it through,” Parekh said to reporters.
At the other end, Devin Cooley made sure the victory survived. He stopped 34 of 36 shots, including several difficult chances while Carolina searched for the tying goal. Brandon Bussi made 31 saves for the Hurricanes.
Cooley’s explanation of his approach was considerably less conventional than his positioning.
“I’m a really bad conscious-brain goalie, if that makes sense. So I just let my unconscious brain do everything. Don’t think about anything. Don’t have too much fun. Don’t smile too much. Just shut it off,” Cooley said to reporters.
Apparently, the unconscious brain tracks shots rather well.
The win improved Calgary to 2-6-0. That record is not ready for framing, and one victory cannot erase a difficult start. But the quality of the opponent gives this one more weight than a routine early-season result.
Carolina entered 7-1-1, had won seven straight and had scored 34 goals across its first nine games. The Hurricanes were also playing for a second consecutive night after winning in Winnipeg on Saturday, but champions are champions. Calgary still had to beat them.
Beating Carolina did not suddenly turn October into June, but it gave Calgary a measuring stick worth respecting. The defending champions brought speed, depth and the league’s hottest active streak into the building. The Flames matched them shift for shift, killed every Carolina power play and did not spend the final minutes begging the clock to move faster.
The ending still required nerve. Carolina pulled Bussi for an extra attacker and pressed for the equalizer, but Cooley stayed square while Calgary’s skaters protected the dangerous middle. When the horn sounded, the celebration carried a little more juice than an ordinary game in October usually earns.
“It’s really nice to get a home win. We hadn’t found one yet until tonight, so it does bring some confidence,” Parekh said to reporters.
Cooley offered an even more direct message for anyone already sweating Calgary’s crease.
“Everyone’s panicking about the goalies. Everyone, just chill out. We’re going to be fine. Dustin’s going to be fine. I’m going to be fine,” Cooley said to reporters.
One win does not fix everything. It does, however, make the rink feel lighter and the next practice sound better.
For one Sunday night, Calgary did more than edge Carolina. The Flames stared down the champs, absorbed the counterpunch and found the last goal.
No parade route required. Just two points, a first home win and one very good reason to believe the fire is not out.
