CALGARY, Alberta (Interstat) — The Calgary Flames defeated the Buffalo Sabres 7-4 in a penalty-filled NHL game Monday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Yegor Sharangovich scored twice, including an empty-net goal, and Nazem Kadri had a goal and two assists for the Flames. Calgary built a 2-0 lead in the first period and answered every Buffalo push, outscoring the Sabres 3-2 in a chaotic second period. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin scored for Buffalo in the middle frame, but the Sabres could not overcome Calgary’s persistent attack. Alex Tuch scored for Buffalo in the third period. The Flames improved to 12-19. The Sabres fell to 11-18 with their third straight loss.

CALGARY, Alberta (Interstat) — The Calgary Flames erupted for a season-high seven goals, powered by a dominant second period, to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 7-4 in a high-scoring NHL contest Monday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. The victory gave the Flames a measure of revenge after the Sabres had handed them a 6-2 loss in Buffalo just over two weeks prior. This time, Calgary’s offense proved unstoppable, overwhelming Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 46 shots. The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in a chaotic second period that saw five combined goals and ultimately decided the outcome. Buffalo, trailing 2-0 after the first, had clawed back to tie the game on tallies from defensemen Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin. Power’s wrist shot at 13:17 of the period, assisted by hometown product Peyton Krebs and Jacob Bryson, put the Sabres on the board. Just over six minutes later, Dahlin tipped in a Josh Doan shot, with Josh Norris also assisting, to knot the score at 2-2 and momentarily silence the home crowd. The tie was short-lived. The Flames responded with a relentless push, scoring three times in a span of 6:13 to seize control. Nazem Kadri restored Calgary’s lead just 27 seconds after Dahlin’s goal, deflecting a Joel Farabee pass past Luukkonen. The momentum fully shifted following a high-sticking penalty to Calgary’s Matt Coronato. Instead of capitalizing on the power play, the Sabres gave up a shorthanded goal to Flames defenseman Yan Kuznetsov, who poked in a loose puck at 14:27 to make it 4-2. Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, the team’s leading scorer, provided a brief answer 90 seconds later, firing a wrist shot past Dustin Wolf off a feed from Jason Zucker to cut the deficit to 4-3. But Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau slammed the door on the Sabres’ comeback hopes, tipping in a Coronato shot on a power play with just under six minutes left in the period to send the Flames into the second intermission with a 5-3 advantage. The first period had been all Calgary, as they outshot Buffalo 18-6 and built a two-goal lead. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson opened the scoring on a power play at 13:22, hammering a slap shot for his seventh of the season. Yegor Sharangovich doubled the lead late in the frame at 9:54, deflecting a MacKenzie Weegar point shot for his fifth. The third period saw the teams trade goals. Buffalo’s Alex Tuch brought the Sabres back within two at 8:31 of the final period, tipping a Dahlin shot for his 10th goal. Any lingering doubt was extinguished by the Flames’ veterans in the closing minutes. Captain Mikael Backlund beat replacement goaltender Alex Lyon with a wrist shot at 5:48 to make it 6-4, and Sharangovich sealed the victory with his second of the night into an empty net at 2:07. Wolf earned the win in net for Calgary with 27 saves, while Luukkonen took the loss after allowing five goals on 36 shots before being pulled. Lyon stopped five of six in relief. The game was a penalty-filled affair, with the teams combining for 16 infractions. Buffalo’s discipline issues were pronounced, taking nine minors, including two roughing calls on the feisty Krebs. Calgary converted on one of its six power-play opportunities, while Buffalo went 0-for-5 with the man advantage. The result improved Calgary’s record to 12 wins and 19 losses, while Buffalo fell to 11-18. The Sabres have now lost three straight games and continue a difficult Western Canada road trip in Edmonton on Tuesday. The Flames, who have won three of their last four, host the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The final score of 11 total goals sailed over the pregame over/under line of 5.5, defying a National Statistical projection that had favored a lower-scoring 3-2 Calgary victory. The Flames also covered the -1.5 spread as pregame favorites.

Preview: Struggling Sabres, Flames Meet in Calgary CALGARY, Alberta (Interstat) — Two teams near the bottom of the NHL standings will look to build on rare victories when the Buffalo Sabres visit the Calgary Flames on Monday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Sabres (11-17-0) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over Winnipeg on Dec. 1 but have since dropped two straight, including a 4-1 loss to those same Jets on Friday. Buffalo sits 15th in the Eastern Conference. Calgary (10-19-0), 14th in the West, is coming off a 4-1 home win over Minnesota on Thursday that ended a three-game skid (0-2-1). The Flames won the season’s first meeting 6-2 in Buffalo on Nov. 19, a game in which Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson had a goal and two assists. Andersson is a key player to watch for the Flames, riding a three-game point streak (1 goal, 2 assists) and coming off a goal, an assist and a season-high six shots against Minnesota. For Buffalo, forward Jason Zucker has been a bright spot amid the losses. He has goals in three of his last four games and points in five of his last seven, including a goal on five shots in Friday’s defeat. Both teams have struggled for consistency. The Sabres are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games, while the Flames are 4-5-1 in that span. Goaltending decisions will be pivotal. Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 19 saves in the recent loss to Winnipeg, while Calgary’s Dustin Wolf stopped 26 of 27 shots in the win over Minnesota. The game opens a three-game Western Canada road trip for Buffalo, which plays in Edmonton on Tuesday. Calgary begins a brief two-game homestand before hosting Detroit on Wednesday. Game Facts: - Date: Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. - Time: 7:30 p.m. MST. - Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta. - Records: Buffalo Sabres (11-17-0, 22 points); Calgary Flames (10-19-0, 20 points). - Previous Meeting: Calgary won 6-2 in Buffalo on Nov. 19, 2025. - Key Stat: The Sabres have lost four of their last five road games. The Flames have won two of their last three at home.