1. Youth Gone Wild
One, three, and even 5 (or extra) years down the highway, the informal Flames historian may flip to a 3rd-interval second from Tuesday as the beginning of one thing particular.
On paper, it was a powerplay aim that tied Game 71 of the 2025-26 season at 2-2. But in actuality, the aim was a lot extra.
Zayne Parekh’s first aim on Scotiabank Saddledome ice, assisted by Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato. Three key items of the Flames’ future and – fairly clearly – integral cogs within the group’s current-day success, too.
Gridin joked publish-sport that he is hopeful he and Parekh can hyperlink up on performs for the following 15 years, however that aim – that second – may simply be the spark that resonates within the two rookies’ minds.
They belong right here.
For Parekh, it has been a season of studying. Playing towards males for the primary time after a dominant OHL profession, the 19-12 months-previous is actually beginning to discover his stride within the NHL sport.
And that is not simply based mostly on a watch check, his Head Coach figures Parekh is studying on the fly fairly properly, too.
Even if till Tuesday, he hadn’t lit the lamp but this season.
“He just needs to remember that he’s doing a lot of great things away from the puck. He’s learning how to play the game at the NHL level,” Ryan Huska stated of Parekh’s development. “He’s a smaller defenceman, that’s a talented man and it’s laborious to interrupt in as a 19-12 months-previous.
“I think he’s doing an excellent job, and a lot of that pressure, I feel like, gets put on him from outside sources at times. What he is doing, though, is learning to be more of a complete player and I think he’s done an excellent job at that. The points are going to come for him, that is a matter of time. It’s starting to feel comfortable, and figuring out how to play in the NHL.”
Gridin, who can be taking part in at a few 40-level tempo had he spent your entire season on the NHL stage, is quick turning into one of many Flames’ premier offensive threats.
And for Huska, the younger Russian has the self-confidence (truly, boatloads of it) to let his sport do a number of the speaking.
(*5*) Huska stated of Gridin’s latest type. “He’s at all times bought an incredible little bit of swagger that, as coaches, we fairly take pleasure in.
“Not a lot of young guys have what he’s got, and I just feel like him understanding the game a little bit better now is putting him in positions to actually finish, and generate some offence.”
Those positions – as evidenced by Tuesday’s win over the Kings – now embrace powerplay time at key moments.
And why not? With 11 video games left within the common season, there isn’t any time like the current for the longer term to strut its stuff.
Real-time outcomes, like Parekh’s first profession powerplay aim, make for particular moments.
For Huska, these moments are constructing blocks, confidence-boosters.
And for his new, younger core, they’re normal-setters, too.
“At that moment in the game, when we’re thinking about winning games and trying to maintain, establish, push a standard that we want to have, you have to find a way to score that goal,” he stated. “Happy for Zayne.
“I know he’s probably been waiting a long time for that, but really happy for the powerplay in that moment.”
