Flames vs Panthers: Battle of Quality Shots

Calgary Flames Face Florida Panthers in High-Stakes Road Test

The Calgary Flames (8-14-3) continue their challenging four-game road trip with a matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (12-10-1) on November 28, 2025. This clash pits two teams with contrasting strengths but shared urgency, as the Flames look to reverse their fortunes while the Panthers aim to climb the Eastern Conference standings.

Panthers' Dominance Through Quality Goals

Despite sitting two spots out of the Eastern Conference basement, the Panthers boast an elite offensive strategy: 61.54% of their even-strength goals come from high-danger shots—the highest percentage in the NHL. This reliance on quality chances over volume (13th-fewest goals scored) highlights their ability to capitalize on premium opportunities. Florida compensates for fourth-lowest even-strength time-on-ice with the league's fourth-most power-play time (70:38 in November), though their 19.0% PP success rate ranks 15th.

Flames' Offensive Resurgence

Calgary's offense has shown promising signs of life. They've generated double-digit high-danger scoring chances (HDCF) in three of their last four games, including a season-high 19 against Tampa Bay. This surge—moving from 20th in HDCA pre-Oct. 19 to second since—suggests the Flames are finally creating quality opportunities. However, translating these chances into goals remains critical, especially against a Panthers defense allowing the 10th-fewest high-danger chances against (HDCA).

Special Teams Showdown

Special teams could decide this contest. The Flames' power play ranks second-worst in the league (10.3%) despite logging fifth-most PP time (67:22), while Florida's penalty kill sits 17th. Conversely, Calgary's PK shines (86.5% in November), and they've scored shorthanded goals in back-to-back games. The Panthers' PP units must capitalize on their extended ice time, while Calgary's blue line must avoid the penalties that plagued them recently.

Goaltending Decisions and Key Injuries

Goaltending looms large. For Calgary, Dustin Wolf struggled in his last start against Tampa Bay, prompting consideration of Devin Cooley (1.86 GAA this season). The Panthers counter with Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky, whose save percentage typically improves as the season progresses, or hot backup Daniil Tarasov (2-3-1, 0.913 SV%). Florida is decimated by injuries, missing stars like Aleksander Barkov (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), but returns Aaron Ekblad (blocked shot).

Projected Lineups

Flames: Huberdeau-Frost-Coronato | Sharangovich-Kadri-Farabee | Zary-Backlund-Coleman | Lomberg-Beecher-Klapka. Defense: Bahl-Andersson | Kuznetsov-Weegar | Hanley-Pachal. Goalies: Cooley/Wolf. Scratched: Bean, Hunt, Morton. Injured: Pospisil, Parekh, Honzek.

Panthers: Samoskevich-Lundell-Marchand | Boqvist-Rodrigues-Reinhart | Verhaeghe-Bennett-Greer | Gregor-Kunin-Devine. Defense: Forsling-Ekblad | Mikkola-Jones | Balinskis-Petry. Goalies: Tarasov/Bobrovsky. Scratched: Sebrango. Injured: Barkov, Tkachuk, Nosek, Gadjovich, Kulikov, Luostarinen, Schwindt.

What to Watch

Can Calgary's high-danger chances finally solve Florida's defense? Will the Panthers' power play exploit a Flames unit ranked 29th in penalty kill efficiency? And with both teams relying on backup goalies, expect early momentum swings. The Flames' ability to limit Florida's high-danger goals while capitalizing on their own chances will be the key to a pivotal road victory.

"This Flames team has found their mojo to put up quality shots... translating that into goals is the next hurdle." - Yahoo Sports Analysis