The Calgary Flames were in need of a win after losing three-straight outings on home ice, and looked like they were well on their way early. The Flames held a 2-0 lead after the first period, one in which they outshot the Anaheim Ducks 17-2. Despite outshooting the Ducks by a 35-21 margin over the entirety of the game, however, they wound up falling in overtime by a 4-3 final.
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The Flames have really struggled to put together full 60-minute efforts as of late, and Sunday’s outing against the Ducks was another example. They were the better team for the majority of the night, but had some costly mistakes which led to them dropping their fourth-straight game. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Brzustewicz Scores First NHL Goal
It may not have been the prettiest, but Hunter Brzustewicz won’t have any complaints. The offensive defenceman, who has been with the Flames since early December, was able to beat Lukas Dostal midway through the first period with what was his first goal in the NHL. The 21-year-old had four goals and 12 points with the Calgary Wranglers before being called up.
“It feels really good, it really does,” Brzustewicz said afterward. “Sucks that we couldn’t come out with the win with it, but it felt good in the moment.”
It took 18 games for Brzustewicz to get his first, as he was also able to suit up for one game with the Flames last season. The organization is hoping that’s the first of many, as the right-shot blueliner was no stranger to putting up massive offensive numbers during his two seasons spent in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers.
Huberdeau Snaps Lenghty Drought
As great as it was to see Brzustewicz get the first of his career, there was nobody on this Flames roster who needed one more than Jonathan Huberdeau. It’s been a trying season for the veteran winger, who entered Sunday’s contest on a 10-game goal drought. That all changed early versus the Ducks.
After an outstanding drive to the net by Mikael Backlund, it was Huberdeau who headed right to the crease and was able to bang one past Dostal. The Flames are certainly hoping this will get him going, as he had seemingly turned the corner in 2024-25, scoring 28 goals in 81 games. With this latest tally, he now sits at nine through 46 in 2025-26.
Wolf’s Forgettable Month Continues
After a ridiculously good rookie season in 2024-25, Dustin Wolf’s sophomore campaign hasn’t been as smooth sailing. The 24-year-old entered Sunday’s contest with a 3.00 goals against average (GAA) along with a .897 save percentage (SV%). Things didn’t get any better for him in this one, as he kicked aside just 17 of the 21 shots he faced.
Wolf was by no means terrible in last night’s game, but he’s struggled with consistency over the entirety of the season compared to what we saw in 2024-25. This month has been particularly frustrating, as last night’s loss sees his record fall to 1-6-1 in January, during which time he’s posted a dreadful .878 SV%.
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There’s no real reason for Flames fans to panic, as Wolf still has had plenty of impressive moments this season. It’s not unusual to see players go through a sophomore slump, and that’s simply what this appears to be. He certainly won’t be in the Vezina conversation this season, but is still undoubtedly the face of this franchise moving forward.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames will get a nice rest following Sunday’s game, as they aren’t back in action until Thursday versus the Minnesota Wild. They will then return to the Saddledome for a game against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, wrapping up what will be a rather quiet week for them.
