The Calgary Flames (7–13–3) saw a two-goal lead disappear in the third period, but ultimately secured the extra point with a 3–2 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars (13–5–4) on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Matt Coronato jump-started the offence with a power-play marker—his eighth goal of the year—while Joel Farabee added his fifth to give Calgary early control. Nazem Kadri chipped in with a pair of assists and later delivered the decisive shootout tally to lock down the win. In goal, Devin Cooley turned in another strong outing, stopping 28 shots to earn his second consecutive victory. Cooley entered the night riding the momentum of his first win of the season against Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/game-day/three-takeaways-flames-burn-buffalo-with-season-high-six-goal-hammering]on Wednesday and carrying a 1.80 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage through six outings. He was tested immediately, as Dallas pushed hard right out of the gate. The Flames’ netminder stood tall through an early Stars power play, turning away several in-tight chances and stopping all 13 shots he faced in a sharp opening frame. The Flames fizzled on their first powerplay attempt, but broke through on their second man advantage of the period. Coronato took a feed from Nazem Kadri, spun out from the side of the net, and slipped the puck past Casey DeSmith to give the Flames a 1–0 lead. © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9ac29ea4-cd76-40e7-9697-58f5186e622e.jpeg] © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images The middle frame opened much like the first—with Cooley stealing the spotlight. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/he-s-earned-it---devin-cooley-turning-doubt-into-dependability] The Flames netminder turned away another wave of Dallas pressure, including a spectacular glove stop on Alexander Petrovic that sent the building into one of its loudest, most genuine eruptions of the season. The surge of energy rippled through the crowd and seemed to lift the Flames bench. Calgary kept the momentum rolling by running all four lines and pushing play consistently into the Stars’ end. They fired 17 shots on goal in the period but couldn’t extend their lead. Tensions spiked in the final minute when Mikko Rantanen drove Coronato into the boards from behind, earning a five-minute major and game misconduct for Boarding. This was the second consecutive game where Rantanen was ejected for boarding. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/latest-news/rantanen-will-not-receive-supplemental-discipline] Jonathan Huberdeau - who picked up an assist in the contest - immediately stepped in to defend his teammate, dropping the gloves and picking up both an instigator, five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute misconduct. Coronato, cut from the hit, headed straight to the locker room. The tone inside the Saddledome shifted sharply as the horn sounded. Despite the chaos, Calgary carried a 1–0 lead into the third. © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/0b10a289-18f2-494e-b139-0a40a89d324b.jpeg] © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images Calgary extended its lead early in the third, just 1:50 in, when Rasmus Andersson’s point shot was redirected by Joel Farabee for his third goal in two games, putting the Flames up 2–0. Dallas pushed back. At 6:44, Jason Robertson cut the deficit when he stepped into the slot and let a shot go that glanced off a skate and slipped past Cooley, making it 2–1. The Stars completed the comeback at 16:53, when Roope Hintz converted a backhand feed from Robertson and fired it over Cooley to even the score at 2–2. The Flames found themselves down two men late in regulation but held firm, killing off a critical 5-on-3 to reach overtime. With no solution in the extra frame, the game moved to a shootout—where Kadri ended it with a slick backhand move to secure the win. © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2a9ba976-4990-45e6-b4b3-36344a06cdb9.jpeg] © Brett Holmes-Imagn Images THREE TAKEAWAYS: 1. Cooley’s confidence is growing fast Devin Cooley followed up his first win of the season with another composed performance. His positioning was sharp, his reads were on point, and he battled to limit second-chance looks. With each start, he’s looking more assured, and you can see the ripple effect—his teammates appear increasingly settled playing in front of him. 2. Kuznetsov logging big minutes Yan Kuznetsov quietly shouldered a heavy workload, leading all Flames defencemen with 8:20 in the opening period and finishing with a substantial 22:55 total ice time alongside partner MacKenzie Weegar. This marked his ninth NHL appearance of the season, and he’s now all but certain to hit the 10-game threshold that officially burns the first year of his entry-level contract. 3. Kadri sets the tone again Nazem Kadri was everywhere. He drew two penalties, picked up a pair of assists, and buried the shootout winner. From the opening faceoff, he dictated the pace and drove play—another reminder of how essential he is to Calgary’s identity and competitiveness. THE FINAL WORD: Cooley on the team performance: “When everyone’s going together, we’re a really solid team. We just went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league and I thought we were incredible.” Huberdeau on the overall group effort: “I thought we were a fast team tonight, I think that was one of our best games, I felt, all year.” Coronato on the bounces: “I think as a group I think we’re playing with more confidence, we’re playing better... It’s just sticking with the same plan, trying to play our game, getting to the net…We knew if we kept sticking with it, the bounces and the chances would start to turn.”
