Flames Fall To Oilers

Suniev scores for Calgary in Next Gen Showcase loss

By Ty Pilson

CalgaryFlames.com

September 15, 2026

After a quick two days of on-ice sessions for the Flames prospects, they hosted the Oilers Monday night in the NextGen Showcase tilt at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Aydar Suniev – who played on a line with Tyson Gross and Matvei Gridin that were dangerous all night - scored the lone marker for the homeside in a 6-1 loss.

The Oilers scored a pair in the opening frame, the first before the midway point when Quinn Hutson wired one from a tight angle that beat Flames starter Arsenii Sergeev shortside over the shoulder on a powerplay, the second with 1:11 left in the frame off a Zach Bookman long-distance bouncer that slipped past the Calgary ‘tender.

Suniev had the best look for the homeside, the winger taking a no-look cross-ice feed from Gross and tipping it on net in tight all alone but Nathaniel Day made a pad stop.

The crowd did have a reason to cheer in the opening frame, though, when big Maceo Phillips and Weston Cameron dropped the mitts in a Battle of Alberta fight, squaring up before the Flames defencemen landed a volley of punches to win the bout before having a raucous celebration.

The Flames had the majority of good chances in the second, Gridin and Suniev both being denied on a pair of great looks, as was Jonathan Castagna, who was denied on a point-blank, spin and fire early in the frame.

Chase Harrington was also stopped by Eemil Vinni, who played the second for the Oilers, when he held on a 2-on-1 and wired a shot on the Oilers netminder.

Sergeev left the game just before the midway point of the second, finishing with 14 saves on 16 shots, making way for Kirill Zarubin to get his first look in Flames silks.

Zarubin finished with 11 stops on 15 shots.