CALGARY, Alberta — In a thrilling match on Saturday night, Jonathan Huberdeau netted the decisive goal early in the third period, and goaltender Dustin Wolf made an impressive 31 saves, leading the Calgary Flames to a narrow 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Matt Coronato contributed to Calgary’s success with both a goal and an assist. This win marks the Flames’ second consecutive victory following a stretch where they had dropped three out of four games.
On the other side, Jacob Moverare scored the first goal of his season for the Kings, while David Rittich managed 16 saves. Despite the loss, the Kings had an impressive run prior to this game, having won five games in a row.
An originally scheduled matchup between these two teams in Los Angeles on Wednesday was postponed due to severe wildfires in the area.
Takeaways from the game reveal that the Kings struggled on special teams, entering the matchup ranked 28th in power play efficiency. They had gone without a goal on their last seven power play attempts over the previous three games and failed to convert on three opportunities against the Flames. Their first power play brought a flurry of nine shots, but none could get past Wolf, with the other two chances yielding no shots at all.
For the Flames, this game marked the first appearance without Connor Zary, who is sidelined with a knee injury. The coaching staff adjusted the lineup by moving Yegor Sharangovich to center between Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko, the latter being promoted from the fourth line. However, this trio was unable to add to their scores as they each continued their scoring droughts: Pelletier has not scored in 13 games, Sharangovich in 15, and Kuzmenko has gone 28 games without a goal.
The pivotal moment of the match came at 4:36 in the third period when Huberdeau broke the 1-1 tie, pouncing on the rebound from Coronato’s shot during a power play, marking his 18th goal of the season, which also leads the team.
As for a notable statistic, Wolf’s outstanding performance at home continues, improving his record at the Saddledome to 11 wins, 2 losses, and 1 overtime loss, along with a stellar save percentage of .936 across 14 starts.
Looking ahead, the Kings will travel to Edmonton for their next game on Monday, while the Flames will embark on a four-game road trip, starting with a matchup against Chicago.
