On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The Calgary Flames continued their swing through California on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Kings. And unfortunately for the Flames, they faced a really focused, motivated Kings team that controlled a big portion of the hockey game.
The Flames skated to a 4-1 loss to the Kings to close out their season series.
The rundown
The opening period was fairly even, with the Kings preventing the Flames from generating a heck of a lot offensively with their suffocating structure.
The Kings opened the scoring partway through the first period on the power play. Danill Miromanov’s stick broke in the neutral zone and he was called for closing his hand on the puck when he attempted to sweep it to a teammate. On the ensuing Kings man advantage, Kevin Fiala fired a shot past Jacob Markstrom – and a Viktor Arvidsson screen – to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
1-0 Kings#Flames | #GoKingsGo
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/OCVzAjUg7I— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 12, 2024
First period shots were 10-8 Flames (10-7 Flames at five-on-five) and, via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 10-4 Kings (high-dangers were 4-1 Flames).
The Kings padded their lead early in the second period. After gaining the zone and cycling quickly, Arvidsson cut towards the net in a way that turned a defending Miromanov into a screen, and Arvidsson’s shot eluded Markstrom to make it 2-0 Flames.
2-0 Kings #Flames | #GoKingsGo
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/cikG8pPWaK— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 12, 2024
Midway through the second, the Kings made it 3-0. The Kings managed to intercept a pass attempt from Oliver Kylington from below the Flames’ goal line. Matt Roy teed it up for Akil Thomas at the right point, and his shot – with a bunch of bodies between him and the net – beat Markstrom to give the Kings a three-goal lead.
3-0 Kings #Flames | #GoKingsGo
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/gRNZuQ6EPo— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 12, 2024
Second period shots were 13-7 Kings (9-7 Kings at five-on-five) and five-on-five scoring chances were 9-4 Kings (4-1 Kings at five-on-five).
The Flames had a bit of push-back in the third period, and they managed to break into the Kings zone occasionally and get their cycle going. And that led to a goal, as Connor Zary fed the puck to Miromanov at the point, and his shot was deflected by Jonathan Huberdeau in the slot past Cam Talbot. That cut the Kings’ lead to 3-1.
Jonathan Huberdeau scores his 12th goal of the season.
3-1 LA #Flames | #GoKingsGo
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/isQ5OD3LRg— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 12, 2024
The Flames pulled Markstrom for the extra attacker, but Arvidsson added an empty-netter to make it a 4-1 victory for the Kings.
Third period shots were 9-7 Kings (7-4 Flames at five-on-five) and five-on-five scoring chances were 8-5 Flames (high-dangers were 3-1 Flames).
Why the Flames lost
The Kings are a good hockey club when they use their structure and use it to suffocate their opponent. After a first period that was a bit of a scramble both ways, the Kings really clamped down over the final 40 minutes and dictated where and how the game was played. The Flames managed to get on the board, but they just weren’t able to withstand the Kings’ talent and structure.
Red Warrior
Let’s give it to Huberdeau, who had the lone Flames goal.
But also some stick-taps to the three young-uns: Ilya Solovyov was even in 18:56, Connor Zary was +1 and set up the Flames’ lone goal, and Matt Coronato didn’t look out of place on Mikael Backlund’s line.
Turning point
The Flames aren’t exactly the most potent offensive group these days, so allowing a second goal to the Kings early in the second period created quite the whole to dig themselves out of.
This and that
The Flames made a couple lineup changes from Tuesday’s game: Walker Duehr and Oliver Kylington rotated in, while Blake Coleman (day-to-day with an upper body injury) and Nikita Okhotiuk (healthy) rotated out.
With their victory, the Kings officially clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Up next
The Flames (35-38-5) are back at it on Friday evening when they visit the Anaheim Ducks.
More must-reads:
- TE Premium Draft Strategy explained: Top fantasy football targets for 2025
- NFL Draft intel: Top QBs set to clash in ranked showdown in Death Valley
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Red Wings Season Preview: Goalies
There is a sense of disappointment looming over the Detroit Red Wings this offseason due because the organization was not able to make a big splash in free agency or a blockbuster trade. However, even the most pessimistic fans will tell you that the Red Wings made a significant move to improve their goaltending via a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Our Red Wings season preview continues today with a look at the Red Wings’ goaltending situation heading into the 2025-26 season. Barring a seismic move in the next couple of weeks, Detroit appears to pinning their season’s hopes on improvement from the organization’s young talent as well as their new addition in goal: John Gibson, a veteran of over 500 games in the NHL, all with the Ducks. Gibson Talbot Should Be a Reliable Tandem in Detroit After a couple of seasons where it was known that Gibson wanted a fresh start, the organization that drafted him finally obliged, dealing him to the Red Wings in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrázek, a 2026 fourth-round draft pick and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft. At 32 years of age, Gibson arrives in Detroit with the hopes of reestablishing himself as a true number one goaltender in the NHL after a bit of a fall from grace in Anaheim. From 2015 to 2018, Gibson was considered one of the top young goaltenders in the game. He led the Ducks to 22 playoff games during that stretch, including a visit to the Western Conference Final in 2017. As the bottom began to fall out from under the Ducks in the late 2010s and early 2020s, his play suffered in the process. Prior to last season, he hadn’t posted a save-percentage (SV%) above .905 since 2019. Last season was a bit of a comeback tour for Gibson. While 25-year-old Lukáš Dostál earned a majority of the starts for the Ducks last season, Gibson technically performed better, albeit in a backup role. Gibson finished the season with 11 wins in 29 games, a .911 SV% and a 2.77 goals-against average (GAA) while playing for the team with the eighth-worst record in the league. He also posted the highest quality-start percentage of his career (.679), meaning he was average or better in over two-thirds of his starts. Gibson has kind of been a “boom or bust” goaltender his entire career. In his 204 wins, he has a .945 SV% and a 1.73 GAA. In his 217 losses, however, he has a 4.05 GAA and a .876 SV%. To some extent it shouldn’t be surprising that he is better in wins than he is in losses, but this is pretty night-and-day; when he’s on his game, he is nearly unbeatable, but things get ugly pretty quickly when he’s off his game. If that trend follows him to Detroit – and it almost certainly will – the Red Wings will need his partner to be a reliable alternate option. Luckily Gibson’s partner this season appears to be Cam Talbot, the Red Wings’ “1A” from last season. The 38-year-old is also a veteran of over 500 NHL games and, like Gibson, his play is a bit up and down. In his 21 wins last season, Talbot had a 1.97 GAA and a .934 SV%; in his 19 losses, his SV% dipped down to .863 while his GAA rose to 3.85. Looking a little deeper, Talbot had 14 of his 21 wins through the end of January. His .906 SV% during that timeframe was noticeably better than the .892 SV% he had from February until the end of the season. All things considered, he proved that he can still give his team a chance to win more often than not, but he’s probably not the type of goalie you want to rely on when you’re chasing the playoffs late in the season, at least not at this stage of his career. With Gibson and Talbot, the Red Wings probably have their most capable goalie tandem in a decade. Both goalies have a wealth of experience under their belts, and both are capable of shouldering the load for an extended period of time if needed. If Gibson can rediscover his form from six or seven years ago, the boost it will give the Red Wings is significant. Even if he can just repeat his efforts from last season, that’ll be an improvement over Detroit’s goaltending last season, and that should help them bridge the gap to the playoffs. One thing head coach Todd McLellan and the Red Wings will have to mindful of with both Gibson and Talbot is that they are both familiar with missing games due to injury. Talbot was week-to-week at times last season, and Gibson was limited to just 29 games last season due in large part to the several injuries he endured. If injuries continue to be a concern for Gibson and/or Talbot, the Red Wings will need to be able to rely on their depth down in the American Hockey League (AHL). That brings us to perhaps the most intriguing part of the Red Wings’ goaltending picture this season…. Cossa Sits Third on the Depth Chart Defenseman Simon Edvinsson will always be known as the Red Wings’ top pick in the 2021 draft, but the selection most often discussed is their second pick in the first round, goalie Sebastian Cossa, who they traded up from the 23rd pick to the 15th to select. The 22-year-old goaltender (who turns 23 in November) is set to embark on his third season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. This is the first season, however, where Cossa is positioned to receive NHL playing time in the event of an injury in Detroit. Prior to this season, the Red Wings would opt to recall his veteran partner (Michael Hutchinson in 2023-24, Ville Husso in 2024-25) while leaving him to take every start in Grand Rapids. This season, Cossa is the veteran as his assumed partner, Michal Postava, will be making his North American debut this season. Cossa got his first taste of NHL action last season, entering a game against the Buffalo Sabres in the second period in relief of Husso. He stopped 12 of 14 shots during the final two periods plus overtime, and then stopped two of three shots in the shootout to secure his first NHL victory. From the moment the Red Wings called his name back in 2021, Cossa was anointed as the goalie of the future in Detroit. Through 84 regular season games with the Griffins, he has 44 wins, a 2.52 GAA and a .909 SV%. He helped bring the Griffins within a win of the conference finals in 2024, but he was chased from the crease in the first game of the 2025 playoffs and then ceded the second start of the series to veteran Jack Campbell. Cossa was back in the crease for the third game of the series, but he wasn’t able to stop the Griffins from being swept out of the first round. Given the investment the Red Wings put into Cossa, this season stands out as a particularly significant. He has undoubtedly had his ups and downs in the AHL, but he has at least established himself as a capable starter at that level. The potential and tools that the Red Wings saw back in 2021 are all still there, but this is the season where he needs to force the Red Wings to include him in their plans for the 2026-27 season. Oh, and depending on when the Michigan State Spartans conclude their season, the Red Wings’ OTHER top goalie prospect could become a factor. His name is Trey Augustine, and there may not be anyone in the Red Wings’ organization that can push Cossa more than him. Red Wings 2025-26 Goaltending: New Improved! While there is plenty of intrigue surrounding Cossa and the role he may or may not play in Detroit this season, the Red Wings’ goaltending this season ultimately comes down to how much of an improvement Gibson can provide as well as whether Talbot can maintain or improve from his level last season. Gibson’s trade request stemmed from his desire to play for a more competitive team. He has not played in the playoffs since 2018, and his status among the top goaltenders in the league has waivered since then. The Red Wings have the second-longest playoff drought in the league right now, but are looking to break through in what will be their centennial season. Talbot will be important this season, but it feels like Gibson is the key to Detroit’s postseason hopes this season. If neither of them can get the job done, Cossa will have the best opportunity of his career to show why the Red Wings aggressively moved up the draft board so that they could add him to their pipeline. All that matters at the end of the day is that the Red Wings make the playoffs, but fans should hope to see him steal a job in Detroit by season’s end, whether it’s as the backup or the starter. All things considered, the Red Wings have one of the more intriguing goaltending situations in the league. There’s a savvy veteran, a prospect looking to establish himself as an NHL goaltender and a veteran looking to reestablish himself as an upper-tier starter in the NHL. We have just a little over a month until we find out if all that intrigue will translate to results for an organization that desperately needs them.
Minnesota Vikings make shocking release of popular defender as final roster cut deadline approaches
Browns abandon four-QB approach by trading Kenny Pickett
The Cleveland Browns will not be keeping four quarterbacks on their roster heading into the 2025 regular season, after all. The Browns agreed to a deal on Monday to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in return. Pickett spent just five months in Cleveland, as the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March. They gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in that deal. There had been reports throughout the summer that Pickett was not exactly lighting it up in Browns camp. Joe Flacco has been named Cleveland's Week 1 starter, so rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will now back the 40-year-old up. The Raiders needed a veteran quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the team's preseason finale over the weekend. O'Connell is expected to be sidelined for around two months. Pickett began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2022. The former University of Pittsburgh QB started 12 games as a rookie and did not play well, finishing with 2,404 yards, seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Pickett started another 12 games for the Steelers in 2023 before being benched and later traded to Philadelphia. In total, Pickett has completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Texans releasing former Pro Bowl OL
Amid a full-scale offensive line makeover, the Texans are set to move on from a player they took a flier on this offseason. They are releasing Trent Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 10-year veteran spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list, having suffered a torn patellar tendon during what amounted to a brief cameo in Cincinnati. The Texans needed to either activate Brown or send him to the reserve/PUP list. Option C, however, will be used. This will be the first time a team has released Brown. This release comes as Brown was moving toward a recovery from knee surgery, according to Wilson. But he will head back to free agency instead. The 380-plus-pound blocker having suffered a major knee injury during an age-31 season invited questions about his future, but a reunion with Nick Caserio — a Patriots exec when the team traded for Brown in 2018 — provided a lifeline. The Texans gave Brown a one-year, $2.35M deal with $550K guaranteed. Houston will eat only the $550K in dead money. Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter. Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint. Brown has been injury-prone throughout his career, and although the former 49ers seventh-round pick operated as the Pats’ full-time LT during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, he has played more than 11 games just once since. The Texans also added two more tackles — Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery — this offseason. Robinson has emerged as a trade candidate. With Brown out of the picture, Ersery is moving toward the starting LT job (opposite the versatile Tytus Howard) with 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher then set to be a swing tackle.
Dolphins Roster Moves Tracker: WR Corps Taking Shape
Keeping tabs on all the roster moves the Miami Dolphins are making on this Tuesday, August 26 as they get down to the NFL-mandate limit of 53 players by 4 p.m. ET. WR Room Almost Finalized Two of the three latest moves involved two wide receivers being waived, according to multiple reports, those two being 2022 fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma and rookie free agent Theo Wease Jr. The moves leave seven wide receivers on the active roster, with the expectation the team will keep five or six. The four locks or near-locks would appear to be Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, with the other three candidates being Dee Eskridge, Tahj Washington and rookie free agent Andrew Armstrong. We'd put Eskridge at the top of the pecking order among the final three, though he did have some drops late in camp and the preseason. Ezukanma came on strong late in camp, but it wasn't enough to secure him a roster spot. It's the second consecutive year he has failed to make the initial 53-man roster, though he was elevated from the practice squad to take part in two games last year. Since being drafted, he has appeared in five regular season games, clearly a disappointment for the Dolphins considering they only had four picks in that 2022 draft. Wease is a talented receiver with great size and pass-catching ability, but his lack of speed made him a long shot all along. Also reported to be released is safety Patrick McMorris, a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft whose rookie season was delayed by a camp injury. McLendon Comes Up Short Among the young edge defenders who impressed during training camp, you could have put Derrick McLendon at or near the top of the list. But it wasn't enough to earn him a roster spot. McLendon will be waived, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. As was the case with Quinton Bell, McLendon was hurt by the arrival of veteran Matthew Judon and his lack of special teams experience probably didn't help his cause, either. But McLendon clearly has pass-rushing ability, which is why it would make sense to see the Dolphins re-sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers, which will be revealed by Wednesday at noon. McLendon, the former Florida State and University of Colorado player who spent last season on the Dolphins practice squad, tied with Grayson Murphy for the team lead in sacks this preseason with two. Along with the McLendon news, the Dolphins also will be released interior defensive lineman Matt Dickerson, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Dickerson, like McLendon, has a solid training camp but his spot on the roster became tenuous once the Dolphins spent three draft picks on interior defensive linemen this year — Kenneth Grant, Jordan Philllips and Zeek Biggers. Saying Bye to Bell The first reported cut of the day can be classified as a bit of a surprise because it involved linebacker Quinton Bell being waived, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This comes after Bell played all 17 games in 2024 and made three starts on defense while playing 84 percent of the snaps on special teams. While he's never been a dynamic player, Bell is a solid two-way defender, and that combined with his special teams work figured to make him a good bet to make the initial 53-man roster. Of course, Bell wasn't helped by the signing last week of veteran edge defender Matthew Judon, who brings double-digit-sack potential to what has the makings of an elite group if Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips can stay healthy and Chop Robinson builds on his strong rookie season of 2024. Along with the aforementioned quartet, others in the mix at edge defender/outside linebacker for the Dolphins include fellow special teams standout Cameron Goode, along with promising young pass rushers Derrick McLendon and Grayson Murphy. Bell originally joined the Dolphins in October 2023 when they signed him to the practice squad. He was a star at training camp in the early going last summer, though never was able to deliver that kind of impact in the regular season. Dolphins Add Douglas After what’s been a drawn-out process, the Miami Dolphins are finally adding a veteran cornerback to whom they’ve been linked for a few months. The team is signing former Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas to a one-year, $3 million deal. Miami has had an interest in Douglas since it dealt Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers. Douglas made 15 starts for the Bills last season, recording 43 total tackles, five passes defended, and one forced fumble. He’s definitely one of the better options available, and he won’t turn 30 until Aug. 29. Douglas will come in and immediately be a starting-caliber option on the outside. That’s obviously valuable at a position like cornerback. He’s also a primary zone cornerback, which is what the Dolphins like to run under defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. The Dolphins’ cornerback room wasn’t great coming into camp, and it’s been hit by injuries this summer. Kader Kohou and Artie Burns are out for the year with ACL injuries, while Ethan Bonner and Kendall Sheffield are also injured as Week 1 approaches. More Miami Dolphins Coverage:
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
