Ilya Samsonov, the goalie for the Vegas Golden Knights, watches for the puck as Adam Klapka of the Calgary Flames hits the post during the second period of an NHL game in Calgary on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
In an exciting finish, the Calgary Flames defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in a shootout, even though they were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day. Morgan Frost, who had gone 25 games without a goal, broke his drought and then scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout.
Despite their elimination, the Flames fought hard to the end. Nazem Kadri scored his career-high 33rd goal, while Mikael Backlund and Adam Klapka also found the net. Calgary extended its points streak to seven games with a record of 5-0-2. However, their playoff dreams ended when both the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues won earlier in the day, sealing the Flames’ fate.
On the other side, Brandon Saad led the Golden Knights with a goal and two assists. Pavel Dorofeyev, Nicolas Roy, and Tomas Hertl also scored for Vegas, who have been in excellent form lately. The Golden Knights are heading to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons, where they will face the Minnesota Wild in the first round.
Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf was impressive, making 38 saves and improving his record to 29-16-8. Ilya Samsonov, in his first start since March 23, made 24 saves but fell to 16-9-4 for the season.
The Golden Knights rested several key players, including Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, with the division title already clinched. Despite missing those veterans, Saad stepped up with his first multi-point game since March 20.
For the Flames, Frost's game-winning goal was just his third in 31 games since being traded from the Philadelphia Flyers, a move that also brought Joel Farabee to Calgary. Farabee has yet to score in his last 17 games.
In the third period, with playoff hopes already dashed, the Flames made a thrilling comeback. Kadri scored 32 seconds into the period to cut Vegas’s lead to 3-2, and Backlund tied it just 32 seconds later.
The Flames continue to prove their resilience, improving to a perfect 16-0-0 when scoring four or more goals—an impressive feat that no other NHL team has matched.
