Yes, you read that correctly. There is an ever so slight possibility this season that the Calgary Flames will make the playoffs and the Edmonton Oilers will not. Frankly, this has been a very strange season for Flames fans, so that scenario playing out would cap it off perfectly.
When I say it’s been a strange season, I mean that the team was not expected to be contending for the playoffs, but they are. The Flames moved a lot of their long-time players since the start of last season and were expected to falter as a result. Instead, they are currently ninth in the NHL’s Western Conference.
The Flames are in the middle of the pack in goals against with 225. This is due to the superb play of rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf. Among goalies who have played at least 25 games, Wolf’s 0.911 save percentage is 11th in the league, and his 2.62 goals against average is 17th. On the flip side, though, the Flames are third-last in the league in goals scored, with 203. Only the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks have scored fewer goals.
So how is it that the Flames—the only team in the bottom five of the NHL for goals scored that has not yet been eliminated—are in a position to knock out a team that has two of the best hockey players in the world? Let’s find out!
Considering the Oilers have two games left against the Sharks, this scenario is very unlikely to play out. Humour me anyway, though. If the Oilers go 0–5–0 over the rest of the season, they’ll finish with 93 points. The Oilers hold the tie-breaker over th e Flames, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues, and all of these teams need to make the playoffs for the Oilers to fall out.
In this scenario, the Flames will need seven points in their remaining five games. That means they can do no worse than 3–1–1. They have a game against the Sharks and another against the Anaheim Ducks. These are games the Flames can’t afford to lose at this point in the season, so let’s assume they win both. That means they need to go 1–1–1 against the Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings. We just saw the Flames steal a point away from Vegas, so it’s certainly possible they can do it again.
The Blues need just one point in their remaining three games. They play the Oilers tonight, and since this is the scenario where the Oilers lose all their remaining games, the Blues will have done their job. That brings us to the Wild, who are sitting at 91 points and need three in their remaining four games. The y also have a matchup with the Sharks and Ducks, so they can afford to lose to the Flames, provided they win both of those.
So, in short, if the Oilers go 0–5–0 to end the year, the Flames need to finish no worse than 3–1–1, and the Wild need to finish no worse than 1–2–1. The Blues are a lock in this scenario after downing the Oilers tonight. This would see the Flames finish third in the Pacific with the Blues and Wild taking the two wild card positions and sending the Oilers packing.
This scenario is the absolute worst-case for the Flames. The Flames can only reach 97 points if they finish 5–0–0, and, as I mentioned earlier, the Oilers hold the tie-breaker. If the Oilers finish any better than 1–3–1, they will clinch a playoff berth.
So, if the Oilers finish 1–3–1 or 0–2–3, they’ll jump up to 96 points, meaning the Flames will have to win the rest of their games. That’s wins over the Ducks, Wi ld, Sharks, Golden Knights, and Kings. It’s a very tall ask and probably even less likely to occur than the first scenario.
The Blues would need four points in their remaining three games to pass the Oilers. They would need to go 2–1–0 or 1–0–2 at a minimum. Ideally, they still knock off the Oilers tonight. They also have games against the Seattle Kraken and Utah Hockey Club, so it’s very possible they still do their part.
Sitting at 91 points with four games left, the Wild would need six points. They’d have to finish at least 3–1–0 or 2–0–2. This is where it gets a little tricky. Either way, they have to lose to the Flames, whether in regulation or overtime. But they have games against the Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, and Ducks, so it’s possible for them to do their part, too.
If the Oilers finish with 96 points, the Flames, Blues, and Wild need to reach 97 points to knock them out. That’s 1 0 points in five games for the Flames, four points in three games for the Blues, and six points in four games for the Wild.
Now that I’ve covered the two extremes—where the Oilers fail to record a point in their last five games or the Flames win all of their remaining games—let’s take a quick look at the two in-between scenarios. These ones require that the Oilers get either one or two points to close out the year.
The Oilers finishing with 94 points means they’re getting just one point in five games. That’s a record of 0–4–1 to finish the season and requires the Flames, Blues, and Wild to all reach 95 points. For the Flames, that’s eight point s in five games. They can either go 4–1–0 or 3–0–2, but they absolutely cannot afford to lose more than once in regulation.
The Blues would need two points to pass the Oilers. Much like the first scenario, a win against them tonight takes care of that. The Wild would need four points in four games, which is very doable against the Sharks and Ducks.
This scenario sees the Oilers finish 1–4–0 or 0–3–2. No matter what, we’re hoping for a lot of losing on their part to end the season. Finishing with 95 points means the Flames, Blues, and Wild each need 96. That’s nine points in five games for the Flames. They would have very little room for error, needing to post a record no worse than 4–0–1.
The Blues would need three points, and it’s ideal—as with all of these scenarios—that tw o of them come against the Oilers tonight. After that, they’d just need two points against the Kraken and Utah Hockey Club.
The Wild will need five points in four games, and they have a couple of options for reaching that goal. A 2–1–1 or even 1–0–3 record does the trick. Again, with games against the Sharks and Ducks, they should be able to do their part.
Whichever side of this Flames team you’re on—team tank or team playoffs—I think we can all agree that seeing any of these scenarios play out would be a spectacular end to this rollercoaster of a season. And if we get to see Zayne Parekh don the Flaming C in the process, even better!
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Goaltending in Edmonton comes with pressures few players ever face — and Stuart Skinner, despite all of his faults — has handled them better than many expected. “He’s dealing with pressures that nobody else is dealing with,” former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk told The Big Show this week. “That’s part of playing in a Canadian market, and he’s done a really, really impressive job of handling it.” Despite a season of ups and downs, including some highs and lows in the last two playoff runs for the Oilers, Skinner has been better than many fans give him credit for. Most importantly, he’s picked up what feels like a decade’s worth of experience in just a couple of seasons. It’s the kind of experience most NHL goalies never get. Perhaps most impressive about his career is that, despite the downs, he’s often found ways to mentally shake off the poor performances and come back with stellar starts. He’s played in playoff rounds that included back-to-back shutouts and posted steady performances that carried his team to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. Dubnyk highlighted the young goalie’s experience: “He’s only 26 and already has more playoff experience than three-quarters of the league ever will. That’s remarkable. And he’s just hitting his prime.” Fans who are looking for the Oilers to trade Skinner quickly forget how much he’s learned in a relatively short career. And, as a wise person once told me, “You never lose, you either win or learn.” The assumption should be here that Skinner is learning. “I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said to NHL.coms Derek Van Diest. “So going through it a second time, but being able to say you went through this does help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.” He’s figuring out what to do and what not to do. Skinner is learning what works and what doesn’t. If the Oilers trade that away for anything less than an obvious upgrade, they’re throwing away all of those valuable life and hockey lessons. How Long Do the Oilers Give Skinner? If we take into account his age, that he’s in his prime, and that Skinner is picking up lessons along the way that should contribute to his becoming a better and more reliable goaltender, there’s an argument that can be made to keep him in Edmonton. Still, questions remain about how long to wait before learning if he’s ever going to put all the pieces together. With expectations sky-high around stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the stakes are enormous. The Oilers are no longer in the window where they can afford to keep letting Skinner “figure it out.”
The Chicago Bears roughed up their preseason opponents, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, at joint practices this month. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson said the coaching staff has been trying to walk the line of being aggressive but not going overboard. Sometimes the Bears are going too hard, overdoing it at times. “I mean, even (defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen, he’s telling defense we live every day in practice,” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson during an appearance on “Night Cap” Thursday night. “So just really that mentality, as far as going and playing physical is, like, really, just honestly overdoing it really is the thing… What we say, like, toe the line, toe the line line between going too far and really pushing the limits.” Jaylon Johnson notices a big difference in the 2025 Chicago Bears Johnson has missed much of training camp due to a leg injury. He missed the physical practice between the Dolphins and Bears that had Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald complaining about how Allen was coaching up his defense. Johnson said that the entire coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson wants a tough and physical culture like has been seen in recent years with the Detroit Lions. “We’re gonna execute,” Jaylon said. “And it’s like, nah, it’s just about whooping the guys in front of you, like, really, like dominating and instilling your will. And I think really just preaching that goes a long way. Because I feel like even in Detroit, for a long time, they didn’t have talented guys, but they had a lot of guys that had grit, as they like to say over there, and guys that work hard, that are tough, and things like that.” Johnson is embracing the change. The Bears should. Dan Campbell’s teams have been successful in recent years in Detroit. The culture is certainly better than the one that folded under Matt Eberflus last season.
Former punter Pat McAfee is receiving an honor that is rare for a special teams member. On Friday, West Virginia announced that McAfee was one of six players entering the program's Hall of Fame for the 2025 class. McAfee is thankful for the recognition from his former school. He used some strong language to react to WVU's reveal. "It was nice to have an opportunity to think back and reminisce about a great era of my life," McAfee posted on X. "I am so thankful for the recognition. This is normally something I would try and f------ hate.. I’d say that it’s b------- and they feel obligated to do this but; this call made my soul feel good. Thanks for the opportunity to be a Mountaineer @RealCoachRod.. it was an honor." McAfee was a highly productive specialist at West Virginia, earning First-team All-American honors in 2008. During his time with the Mountaineers, he set the school record for most games played (51), scoring (384) and extra points made (210). He held the Big East record for most extra points made, when he made 210 of 212 attempts. McAfee's success at West Virginia propelled the Indianapolis Colts to select him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2016. He has the highest career net average in punting years with 41.1. McAfee should be proud of his achievements during his days in college and the legacy he is building with the program. The ESPN pundit even used his influence to speak with WVU athletic director Wren Baker to help with the coaching search that ultimately brought back Rich Rodriguez to the school.
The Cleveland Browns seemed to say plenty regarding their feelings about rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders when they repeatedly listed Gabriel above Sanders on unofficial depth charts throughout August. Sanders played well in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 when Gabriel was recovering from a hamstring injury. Gabriel then received his opportunity to shine in the Aug. 16 preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles when Sanders was dealing with an oblique issue. For a piece published on Thursday, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic suggested that the stats from those contests show "the Browns trust Gabriel more than they do Sanders" heading into their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. "The Browns used pre-snap motion 45 percent of the time with Gabriel against the Philadelphia Eagles," Lloyd wrote. "They used it 31 percent of the time in Sanders’ game against the Carolina Panthers, according to TruMedia data. On third downs, that increased to 63 percent for Gabriel and plummeted to 18 percent for Sanders." The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of this year's draft before they made a trade to take a flier on Sanders at overall pick No. 144. Against the Panthers, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. To compare, Gabriel connected on 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards with a pick-six against the Eagles. He was also credited with a lost fumble. "Gabriel was three of four on [tight-window throws] against the Eagles, according to NextGen Stats, and two of those turned third downs into first downs," Lloyd added. "Sanders was zero for four on tight-window throws against the Panthers." It's worth noting that none of this matters as of publication. Veteran Joe Flacco will serve as Cleveland's Week 1 starter, and the Browns seem serious about having Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders and backup Kenny Pickett on the active roster through at least a portion of the upcoming season. The trade deadline will arrive on Nov. 4. Lloyd mentioned that "a fear that Sanders may develop elsewhere" is a reason the Browns are holding onto the former Colorado star when they prefer Gabriel. As of now, Sanders is on track to continue his development while working in the Browns film room as an unused quarterback throughout the fall.