CALGARY — The Flames have found traction after a brutal opening stretch, and Joel Farabee was at the center of it Saturday night. Farabee posted a goal and two assists as Calgary beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome, extending its winning streak to three games.
Calgary keeps building after slow start
The Flames improved to 4-6-0, having won four of their past five following an 0-5-0 start. Farabee’s three-point night stretched his personal point streak to four games, during which he has produced two goals and four assists.
Farabee said the group is playing with a confidence it did not have during the season’s opening weeks.
“We’re putting wins together and our play has been getting better,” Farabee said. “There’s some confidence and swagger now. We’re learning what it takes for us to win — keeping it simple and not trying to force too much.”
- Matvei Gridin recorded a goal and an assist.
- Matt Coronato contributed two assists.
- Devin Cooley stopped 28 shots for his third consecutive victory as Calgary’s starter.
- Detroit’s John Gibson made 21 saves.
Flames coach Ryan Huska called it one of Calgary’s most rounded efforts of the young season.
“I liked our game again,” Huska said. “We’re moving in the right direction. This was probably our most complete game, or very close to it.”
Farabee opens it, Calgary’s power play takes over
Farabee broke through late in the first period, taking Adam Klapka’s cross-ice feed and beating Gibson on the glove side at 17:50 for a 1-0 lead.
He credited Klapka for creating the opportunity and said the puck found him after he worked his way into the right area of the ice.
Detroit answered early in the second. Andrew Copp won a battle against Calgary defenseman Zayne Parekh at the edge of the crease and jammed a loose puck beyond Cooley at 2:22.
The tie did not last. Parekh restored Calgary’s lead on a power play at 8:38, sending a point shot that redirected off Gibson’s left pad and crossed the goal line for his first goal of the season.
“We’ve been moving the puck well, finding the open player, and guys are finishing,” Parekh said.
Ryan Strome gave Calgary breathing room at 17:04, fighting his way into the slot before knocking Morgan Frost’s pass past Gibson. Gridin picked up the other assist.
Huska singled out Gridin’s work and noted that Strome helped drive the rookie’s strongest outing of the season.
Gridin then finished Detroit off on another Flames power play. He moved from the half wall into open ice around the bumper area and hammered Farabee’s feed past Gibson at 18:30, making it 4-1.
“It feels great,” Gridin said. “I was meant to be on the half wall, but I got into the bumper and found space. They definitely want me shooting more.”
Special teams turn the game Calgary’s way
The Flames scored on both of their power-play chances and are now 6-for-12 with the extra skater over their past four games. Detroit went scoreless on two opportunities.
- Calgary power play: 2-for-2.
- Detroit power play: 0-for-2.
- Flames’ recent power-play run: six goals on 12 chances in four games.
Huska said a productive power play gives players belief that they can tilt games.
“When the power play is producing, the players feel good about being out there,” Huska said. “They know they can make a difference, and that’s where they are right now.”
The loss halted Detroit’s six-game point streak, which included three wins and three overtime or shootout losses. The Red Wings fell to 4-4-3 and saw an eight-game winning run against Calgary end; they had also won four straight at the Saddledome since Feb. 9, 2023.
Detroit coach Todd McLellan pointed to his club’s execution and special teams after the final horn.
“They were better in a number of areas, and the special teams show that,” McLellan said. “We made a major mistake on their first goal, then battled back to tie it. But our execution was one of the poorer parts of our night. Even when we created chances, passes were in skates or too far ahead. The details weren’t there.”
Red Wings forward Emmitt Finnie said Detroit knew Calgary had been gaining momentum before the clubs met.
“They’ve played well lately, and we knew they were feeling good coming in,” Finnie said. “It showed. They were the better team and earned the two points.”
