The Calgary Wranglers’ Halloween matinee had the kind of chaos that can swallow a game whole. Costumes, giveaways and trick-or-treating filled the concourse, but once the puck dropped, the story turned into special teams, scraps and a pair of shorthanded goals that sent Laval home with a 2-1 win.
Calgary struck first, but it never found much room to breathe after that. Alex Nylander opened the scoring for the Wranglers, only for the Rocket to answer twice while down a man. By the end of the afternoon, Calgary had been outshot 28-11 and the two-game set was split.
The lineup had a different look before the opening faceoff. The Wranglers were already dealing with movement to the Flames, with Arsenii Sergeev called up to backfill Devin Cooley, who is out with a week-to-week injury, and William Stromgren brought up to cover for Brennan Othmann, who is day-to-day. Friday also brought clarity on Connor Zary, who underwent knee surgery on Thursday and is now listed as week-to-week.
Calgary had already summoned Alex Campbell for extra depth because of Zary, and with the Sergeev and Stromgren moves, the club made additional calls to Rapid City. Owen Say was brought up and was the expected goalie call-up, but the Wranglers chose Kyle Walker on the blue line instead of a forward. That left Calgary skating 11 forwards and an extra defenseman.
Kirill Zarubin got the start in net for Calgary, while Kevin Mandolese went for Laval. The opening period belonged mostly to the Rocket, especially after Abram Wiebe was whistled for delay of game at 1:38. Calgary had to kill that off, then spent more time shorthanded after a roughing call on the Wranglers at 7:41.
The physical edge ramped up at 12:08 when Laval was called for holding the stick, and then the gloves came off. Dryden Hunt and Alex Belzile were assessed roughing minors, while Rory Kerins picked up an extra penalty for interference against Hunt.
There wasn’t much five-on-five flow to speak of, and after 20 minutes the game was still scoreless. Laval held a 6-2 edge in shots.
The second period finally gave Calgary a lift. Jake Livingstone was called for holding the stick just 18 seconds in, but the Wranglers killed that penalty and then Nylander broke through at 6:00. Luke Philp set him up, Mike Benning picked up the secondary assist, and Nylander scored his third goal in as many games.
The middle frame also turned into a wrestling match. Axel Hurtig explained the sequence this way:
“I thought he had a bad hit at the end of the first and then as a team you want to make a statement. You’re not going to come in here and run around.
So it was a good time to go at him. Trying to get the guys going.”
On the cluster of fights that followed, he added:
“It was something. It was pretty tight in the penalty box there when everyone got in. But it’s good to see the guys sticking up for each other.”
The parade to the box continued. Jared Davidson and Ben Jones were both called for roughing at 12:51, then Ben Berard went off for interference at 13:18. That set up Laval’s first goal, with Jared Davidson springing free out of the penalty box and scoring shorthanded at 14:59.
Calgary got another chance on the power play at 15:44 after Mike Benning was called for cross-checking, Braden Hache for roughing and Sasha Pastujov for goaltender interference. The Wranglers generated their best looks of the night there, with chances from Dryden Hunt and Rory Kerins, but they couldn’t cash in. After all that, the teams were tied 1-1 and Laval had stretched its shot advantage to 18-9.
The third period tilted quickly toward the Rocket. Calgary went the opening minutes without getting a shot on goal, and at 7:03 Laval’s second shorthanded goal arrived in strange fashion. The Rocket were called for hooking, then when a loose puck came back into the zone, Zarubin came out to play it and the puck deflected off Xavier Simoneau and into the net on Zarubin’s clearing attempt.
From there, Calgary never really got traction. The Wranglers stayed stuck on nine shots for much of the period, and with 17:40 left, Zarubin was pulled for an extra attacker on an offensive-zone faceoff.
Calgary called timeout shortly after, but the home side’s late push barely materialized. Before the final horn, only Hunter Brzustewicz and Nylander managed shots on goal.
Jake Livingstone was the only Wrangler to land among the three stars, earning third-star honors. Nylander finished with the goal, while Benning and Philp each had an assist.
Calgary now has just under a week before heading to Loveland, CO, for a back-to-back set against the Colorado Eagles on Nov. 6 and 7. Friday’s game is set for 8:05 p.m., with Saturday’s start at 7:05 p.m. ABT.
In Other News...
Flames Momentum Vanished Fast Against A Colorado Team They Couldnt Contain
The early momentum Calgary had been carrying into the night disappeared quickly against Colorado, which controlled the game from the start and skated away with a 5-2 win. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson all helped the Avalanche build a four-goal cushion, while Cale Makar kept feeding the attack with four assists and the Flames spent much of the game trying to chase the pace rather than set it.
Calgary did get goals from Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil, and Farabee has been one of the brighter signs in a lineup that needed more push offensively. The bigger concern was how little room the Flames found against a Colorado team that simply did not let them settle in, leaving Calgary with another reminder of how quickly a promising stretch can turn when the opposition dictates the terms. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Have A Morgan Frost Decision They Didn't Expect
Morgan Frost has given the Flames something they did not necessarily expect to be weighing this early, and it comes at a time when Calgary is trying to sort out its bigger picture. After arriving with questions about how he would fit, Frost has started to look more like a player worth keeping around, which naturally changes the conversation for a front office that is always balancing immediate needs against longer-term value.
The recent uptick has also pushed the discussion beyond simple short-term production and into what the organization wants to do next with him. Calgary had reasons to listen before, but Frosts play has made the decision less straightforward, and the fact that contract talks are already part of the picture only adds to the intrigue as the Flames try to decide whether this is a move they still want to make. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Defensive Breakdowns Let Avalanche Take Over Early
The Flames were chasing from the start in Denver, and the early hole only got deeper as Colorado dictated the pace in a 5-2 loss. Calgary did manage to push back at times, but the Avalanche kept finding ways to answer, turning what might have been a manageable road test into a night where the visitors were forced to play catch-up almost immediately.
Arsenii Sergeev had plenty to deal with in goal as the Avalanche kept pressing and stretching the ice on Calgary. Even with the Flames trying to steady things and make a game of it, Colorado stayed in control long enough to put the result away and leave Calgary looking for a cleaner response after another defensive lapse. [Read more 🡒]