The Calgary Flames opened their preseason with a couple of split-squad games against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night. With one game taking place in Edmonton at Rogers Place and the other in Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome, we got to see Flames hockey again.

In Calgary, the Flames faltered, losing 3–0 with Devin Cooley making 26 saves. Over in Edmonton, the Flames came away with the win, 3–2 in overtime, thanks to Morgan Frost. Ivan Prosvetov made 28 saves in Alberta’s capital. There were a few key takeaways from the two games, as we saw some of the regulars play for the first time since April 17.

Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost’s potential bounce-back

Ever since the trade on January 30, both Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have struggled to rediscover their offensive play. They became obsolete with the Philadelphia Flyers and were subsequently traded to Calgary. In exchange, the Flyers received Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, and several draft picks. Coming into this season, expectations were for the two of them to get their mojo back, and they did last night.

Calgary was shut out in one game and scored three in the other. Those three were scored by Farabee and Frost, with Frost scoring two of them. Frost’s first was not long after Darnell Nurse opened the scoring to tie the game. His wrist shot from the slot went high past Matt Tomkins in the Oilers’ net. The shot is reminiscent of his earlier years in Philadelphia, when he showed lots of promise.

Just under four minutes later, Farabee scored one of his own, finishing off a tap-in set up amazingly by Rory Kerins. Kerins saw the open passing lane and also saw Farabee driving towards the back post open for the play.

Both teams had to settle for overtime, with the goalies not making any mistakes after Edmonton evened it up late in the second period. In overtime, Morgan Frost was the hero who ended it, letting go of another wrist shot. Dryden Hunt and Kevin Bahl, who is coming off a fresh contract extension, got the assists on the game-winner.

Devin Cooley continues to falter

Next up, we go over to Cowtown, where the Flames were shut out at home and Devin Cooley seemed to struggle a bit. Less than three minutes in, Cooley let a rough one get by him, a routine shot that just squeezed by the netminder. His second one was from Connor Clattenberg, receiving an errant Matvei Gridin pass up the middle of the defensive zone.

Cooley spoke about his frustration with the second goal, saying that he didn’t play in his system. “I tried to do a stupid windmill and look good in front of the crowd, and he totally burned me. I thought technically I was really sound, really controlled, and the one time I tried to be an athlete, I just got burned.”

Whereas two hours north, Ivan Prosvetov looked solid between the pipes. Prosvetov made 28 saves in his win, and Cooley had 26. The free agent acquisition will look to unseat the current favourite, Cooley, for the backup job behind Dustin Wolf.

Zayne Parekh’s early impact

Zayne Parekh made his NHL debut on April 17 against the Los Angeles Kings, a game in which he scored his first NHL goal. He was also impressive with his skating ability at the next level, looking smooth and comfortable, not panicked like many would be. That play carried over to last night when Parekh was far and away the best Flame in either game.

The word I would use to describe Zayne Parekh’s game is smooth.

He makes everything look so easy out there. Skating, passing, stickhandling, shooting. it’s all so smooth.

At some point this season he is going to become a massive part of PP1.

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) September 22, 2025

At such a young age, the 2024 ninth-overall pick will almost certainly be an integral piece of this organization moving forward. He is mature beyond his years, carrying himself in a way that you don’t see many 19-year-olds do. He exudes swagger and confidence while also knowing he hasn’t reached where he wants to be yet and that the road will be difficult and challenging, but that he is ready for whatever comes at him.

It’s still early

With all of that being said, it is still only the first games of the preseason. So much can happen and change. We have been desperate for hockey after such a long offseason that it can be incredibly easy to look too much into these early preseason games when none of the regulars are really taking the ice. So for now, we must be patient and keep enjoying having Flames hockey once again.

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