Flames Fall to Kraken In Home Opener

Three first-period goals helped the Kraken play spoiler in the final Scotiabank Saddledome Home Opener, as Seattle handed the Flames a 6-1 defeat Thursday in their 2026-27 lid-lifter.

Ryan Strome had the lone Calgary marker in the third period.

The Turning Point:

Calgary shot out of the gate, holding considerable zone time and momentum after a stirring introduction to the Scotiabank Saddledome's Farewell Season. But two goals in a 32-second span put a spanner in the works, as Jordan Eberle and Vince Dunn staked the visitors to a 2-0 advantage before the contest was 10 minutes old.

The Intro:

There are bound to be many memorable moments inside the Scotiabank Saddledome in this Farewell Season, and the first on that long list came before puck drop Thursday evening. String artists played to a standing crowd, leading into a video that kept said fans on their feet.

All in all, the four-minute journey through 43 years of Saddledome lore was emotive, creative, and those in attendance in the C of Red could be excused for wiping away the odd tear at a lifetime of memories.

Ice Chips:

Defenceman Zach Whitecloud played in his 400th career NHL game Thursday, his 32nd in Flames silks since joining the team via trade from the Golden Knights in January ... Jake Middleton, Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov all made their Calgary debuts; Middleton was acquired from Minnesota in July, while Nemec and Tsyplakov were part of a six-piece blockbuster with New Jersey just prior to the NHL Draft in June.

Stat Pack:

Shots: CGY 25, SEA 32

Powerplay: CGY 0-1, SEA 1-5

Faceoffs: CGY 51.7%, SEA 48.3%

Blocked Shots: CGY 9, SEA 20

Hits: CGY 24, SEA 20

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 25, SEA 26

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 11, SEA 13

Lines & Pairings:

FORWARDS

Matvei Gridin - Morgan Frost - Matt Coronato

Sam Honzek - Mikael Backlund - Joel Farabee

Connor Zary - Ryan Strome - Yegor Sharangovich

Maxim Tsyplakov - Martin Pospisil - Adam Klapka

DEFENCEMEN

Kevin Bahl - Simon Nemec

Jake Middleton - Zayne Parekh

Yan Kuznetsov - Zach Whitecloud

GOALTENDERS

Dustin Wolf

Devin Cooley

They Said It:

What's Next:

The Flames hit the road for a weekend back-to-back set on the West Coast, beginning Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Vancouver. Calgary and Seattle will meet again this coming Sunday, with puck drop in that contest slated for 6 p.m. MT.