The Calgary Flames couldn’t have started much worse. But they couldn’t have finished much better. After giving up goals on the first two shots he faced, goaltender Devin Cooley steadied himself and the Flames responded with five unanswered tallies—four before Florida found the net again—as Calgary stormed back to beat the Panthers 5-3 on Friday night. The victory marked the Flames’ fourth win in their last five games and showcased a resilient performance fueled by balanced scoring, timely special-teams play, and a strong bounce-back effort in net.
Nazem Kadri and Joel Farabee each recorded a goal and an assist, while MacKenzie Weegar scored against his former team. Yan Kuznetsov scored his first NHL goal, and Morgan Frost buried the go-ahead marker on a 5-on-3 power play early in the second period. Farabee later sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 1:03 remaining.
For the second straight home game, Florida built an early 2-0 lead only to watch it evaporate.
Evan Rodrigues opened the scoring just seconds into the contest, and Sam Bennett made it 2-0 at the 2:58 mark. At that moment, the Panthers looked poised to rebound from Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Philadelphia—another game in which they surrendered a two-goal advantage.
Before that slump began, Florida was a perfect 9-0-0 this season when leading by two or more goals and 9-1-0 when scoring first. But those numbers faded quickly as the Flames stormed back.
Cooley’s night began brutally, but everything changed after those first two shots. The Flames netminder stopped the next 30 he faced, including 17 in the opening period alone, keeping Calgary afloat as momentum shifted.
With Cooley shutting the door, Calgary clawed back into the game. Kuznetsov and Weegar—both second-pair defensemen—scored before the first intermission to tie the game 2-2.
Carrying a 5-on-3 advantage into the second period, Calgary pressed immediately. Frost swept home a rebound early in the frame to put the Flames ahead for the first time at 3-2.
Kadri extended the lead with a slick finish later in the period, capping off a surge in which Calgary controlled pace, zone time, and scoring chances.
Florida briefly threatened a comeback when Brad Marchand scored midway through the third—his 15th of the season—to cut the deficit to 4-3. But the Panthers never found the equalizer, and Farabee’s empty-netter in the final minute closed the door.
Florida has now lost three of its last four overall and four of its last six at home, a concerning trend for a team that previously thrived when playing from ahead. For the second consecutive game, early success dissolved into frustration, defensive lapses, and missed opportunities.
Flames: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Panthers: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Calgary leaves Florida with another comeback win—and plenty of confidence—while the Panthers exit with a troubling pattern they’ll need to correct fast.