The Calgary Flames are starting to find their footing - and they're doing it the hard way. Last season showed us something important about this group: they don’t need to light up the scoreboard to stay competitive.
Despite finishing with the fourth-fewest goals in the league, they missed the playoffs by the narrowest of margins - a tie-breaker. That tells you all you need to know about how they grind out results.
A big part of that equation is goaltending, and once again, the crease is a storyline worth watching in Calgary. Last year, Dustin Wolf burst onto the scene and looked every bit like the next big thing between the pipes. But it wasn’t just Wolf - Dan Vladar’s steady hand as the backup helped keep the Flames in the mix down the stretch.
Fast forward to this November, and the Flames are back to relying on a similar formula. Wolf hasn’t quite hit the same heights this season, but he was steady when it counted last month.
His 4-5-1 record, .894 save percentage, and 2.85 goals-against average don’t scream “elite,” but they also don’t suggest he’s the reason for any struggles. He kept the team in games, and sometimes, that’s all you can ask of your starter.
But the real surprise in net? Devin Cooley.
Cooley didn’t just fill in - he shined. In seven appearances, including five starts, he posted a 3-1-1 record with a sparkling .934 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against average.
That’s not just good; that’s “where has this guy been hiding?” good.
Wolf is still the starter, but Cooley’s emergence gives the Flames something they haven’t had in a while: true depth in net. It also gives them the flexibility to rest Wolf when needed, without worrying about a drop-off in performance.
And it’s not just the goaltenders stepping up.
Rasmus Andersson is quietly putting together one of the best stretches of his career. After a rough season last year - he finished with a minus-38 rating - he’s bounced back in a big way.
Through 27 games, he’s sitting even in plus/minus, and his offensive numbers in November were eye-catching. With three goals and 11 assists, Andersson led the team in points for the month and ranked ninth among all NHL defensemen.
Only three blueliners in the league had more points than him in November - and those names include stars like Adam Fox and Miro Heiskanen.
That’s great news for the Flames, especially with Andersson’s contract situation looming. He’s set to hit free agency next summer, and a trade before the deadline seems inevitable.
The better he plays, the better the return Calgary can expect. And right now, he’s playing like a top-pairing defenseman.
Up front, the Flames are seeing signs of life from two players who badly needed a spark.
Matt Coronato and Joel Farabee didn’t have the starts they wanted. Coronato had just three goals and one assist in October, while Farabee managed one goal and four assists. For two guys who pride themselves on being offensive contributors, that kind of production just wasn’t going to cut it.
But November told a different story.
Farabee found his scoring touch, leading the team with six goals and adding two assists. Coronato, meanwhile, caught fire midway through the month and finished with five goals and five assists.
He even took a nasty hit from behind courtesy of the Stars’ Mikko Rantanen - one that left him with a serious shiner - but it didn’t slow him down. If anything, it seemed to fire him up.
The Flames are still leaning on their veterans - Nazem Kadri led all forwards in points last month - but the emergence of younger players like Coronato and Farabee is exactly what this team needed. Heading into the season, one of the biggest questions was whether the next generation would step up and help shoulder the load. In November, they answered that call.
So no, the Flames aren’t blowing teams out of the water. But they’re finding ways to stay in the fight - with timely goaltending, a resurgent blue line, and young forwards starting to click.
It’s not flashy, but it’s effective. And if November is any indication, this team might just be figuring out who they are.