logo
Three Takeaways from the Calgary-San Jose Game (April 13) + FLAMES PLAYOFF PATHS

Three Takeaways from the Calgary-San Jose Game (April 13) + FLAMES PLAYOFF PATHS

Yahoo14-04-2025

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (4) and San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli (73) battle for the puck in front of Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) during the third period at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Photo: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)
The Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2, winning another do-or-die game and live to fight another day.
Here are my three takeaways from the game:
1) Sharks' energy just fizzled out
Advertisement
You remember the last Sharks-Flames post-game takeaway where we talked about how San Jose came alive in the third period after a low-oomph opening two periods?
Well, the opposite happened on Sunday: the Sharks came bursting out of the gate with an Expected Goal value of 1.5, which was even more than Calgary's 0.7. That doesn't matter though because the Flames led 2-1 at first intermission.
However, going back to San Jose, the Sharks never reached that level of passion of energy in the game again. They had an Expected Goal value of 1.32 combined for both second and third periods.
2) Offense has been good in some ways, not in others
Advertisement
The Flames scored five goals on an Expected Goal value of 3.78. That is 1.22 goals above expected.
Third-line wing Yegor Sharangovich's two goals at an Expected Goal value of 0.88 made him deserving of the First-Star award.
The power play situation has been the same, unfortunately. The Flames went 0-for-2, and could've used the second power play opportunity to get the go-ahead goal in the second period.
3) Dustin Wolf
Wolf had a great game this time. With an Expected Goal Against value of 2.81, he gave up only two. A save percentage of 93.3 looks good on the stat sheet as well.
Advertisement
With the Flames getting two valuable points in regulation, all eyes will be on Minnesota's (95 pts) and St. Louis' (94 pts) final regular season games against Anaheim and Utah respectively on Tuesday.
St. Louis CANNOT get a regulation win. If they do, Calgary is out.
If the Blues lose, get an overtime loss (95 pts), or overtime victory (96 pts), then Calgary has to beat or equal St. Louis in whatever points they've put up. If they are equal in points, Calgary has to make sure they have more than 31 regulation wins (most regulation wins is the tie-breaker)
For Minnesota, it's simple: win and you're in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Advertisement
If the Wild don't win, Calgary can try and catch up to overtake them in points.
Calgary's next win-or-go-home contest will be against the Vegas Golden Knights, also on Tuesday at 7 MT/9 ET from Calgary.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional
Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional

USA Today

time18 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional

Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional The Duke Blue Devils and Murray State Racers are playing in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Durham Super Regional on Monday. The winner of the game will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, and the loser's season will be over. Duke won the first game of the series, but Murray State evened it up on Sunday, blowing out the Blue Devils 19-9 at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina. Duke battled back and made it a 10-8 game in the sixth inning, but the Racers scored nine runs in the seventh inning to take control of the game. The Blue Devils are looking for their first-ever series win in the Super Regional round, losing their previous three in the decisive third game. Murray State is playing in the first Super Regional in program history and has never been to the CWS. Here is a look at the updated odds from FanDuel for Game 3 of Duke-Murray State and a prediction for the game. The Odds Murray State Racers: +190 Duke Blue Devils: -250 Despite losing by 10 runs in Game Two of the series, Duke is heavily favored in the game. The Blue Devils have been great at home all season, going 30-10. Murray State's Statistical Leaders Batting Average: Dustin Mercer (.360) Slugging: Jonathan Hogart (.695) Home Runs: Jonathan Hogart (20) RBI: Dan Tauken (75) Stolen Bases: Carson Garner (14) Duke's Statistical Leaders Batting Average: Ben Miller (.321) Ben Miller (.321) Slugging: Ben Miller (.638) Ben Miller (.638) Home Runs: Ben Miller (21) Ben Miller (21) RBI: Ben Miller (63) Ben Miller (63) Stolen Bases: Tyler Albright (15) Advice and Prediction Best Bet: Duke -250 The Blue Devils are the heavy favorites for the game, and they should be. Yes, they got blown out in Game Two on Sunday, but they have been excellent at home all season and should be playing in front of another excellent crowd. They haven't lost back-to-back home games this season, and it won't happen on Monday as Duke does enough to win the game and punch their ticket to the College World Series for the first time since 1961. How to watch, listen to Monday's game Date: Monday, June 9 Time: 7 p.m. ET TV: ESPN Streaming: ESPN+ The game between Duke and Murray State will start at 7 p.m. ET on Monday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina. The entire series will be streamed on ESPN+ with Clay Matvik and Gregg Olson on the call. Follow us @DukeWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Duke news, notes, and opinions.

Darius Garland injury update led to fans searching 'what is a great toe?'
Darius Garland injury update led to fans searching 'what is a great toe?'

USA Today

time29 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Darius Garland injury update led to fans searching 'what is a great toe?'

Darius Garland injury update led to fans searching 'what is a great toe?' The biggest reason the Cleveland Cavaliers' 64-win season went down the drain was injuries. Arguably, the most consequential injury pertained to All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who missed four games in the middle of Cleveland's playoff run with something similar to turf toe. When Garland later returned as the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers, he was clearly not himself. You might (understandably) think that an explosive athlete like Garland simply couldn't play through a tricky injury to the most important of his (ahem) phalanges. But maybe, just maybe, it's because he doesn't actually have a "big toe" like all other eight billion people on planet Earth and, quite literally, everyone else in human history. No, no, dearest readers. Garland apparently has a "great toe." That's at least according to ESPN's Shams Charania, who reported that Garland underwent surgery on his injured ... great toe. I'm not entirely sure what Charania is talking about. Neither did any NBA fans who looked up what a great toe is on X. But we can make educated guesses, can't we? That's right. It's INVESTIGATION time. A cursory Google search tells me that a "great toe" is just another name for a big toe. That makes sense, and it's what I thought initially anyway. I didn't actually believe that Garland was superhuman and had different anatomy than everyone else ever to walk this floating rock in space. That would be silly and rooted in absolutely zero logic. I know better. You know better. We all know better. The caveat here is that I've had a pulse for over three decades. Never in my life have I ever heard anyone refer to a big toe as a "great toe." Not in school. Not informally amongst family or friends. Not in a medical environment with so many check-ups over the years. Not on television. Not in movies. Not in music. Not in video games. Not on social media. Not once. Also, remember that I write professionally for a living. You would think, at a certain point, that I would be exposed to someone at least writing "great toe" in an email, in a group chat, or in Slack, what have you. Maybe I would've seen it in some other news publication. And nope! It's never happened. Not a single instance. So, there's a rather simple explanation here. Consider the source of Garland's injury/surgery update, Shams Charania. Please note that Charania, like the others in his "scoop artist" line of work, is able to report these kinds of things specifically because agents fill them in after they've established a healthy rapport. And, pray tell, how do you establish a rapport with the agent of a professional athlete? You launder your update about the players they represent through the language they specifically want. In exchange, they let you share that news. In this case, it's not a stretch to assume that Garland's agent wanted Charania to describe his client's big toe as a great toe. Why? Because he's not like the rest of us. He's a one-of-one NBA star, folks. His toes are special. No, wait, they're great. Never mind that no one with functional brain cells would've thought less of Garland for a post saying he had surgery on his big toe. This was Charania taking agent-speak to its natural conclusion: a needless butchering of the English language in the name of (trying) to make someone look better.

'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef
'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef

Yahoo

time37 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef

'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef originally appeared on Basketball Network. Many old rivalries don't die with time, and one of the most enduring has been the long-standing tension between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. Both are legends, both Hall of Famers and both unshakable pillars in the history of the NBA. Their friction has been brewing for over three decades. Advertisement At this point, their feud feels like part of NBA tradition, a chapter that keeps reopening with each new generation of fans and each documentary revisit. And now, one of the few men who knows both sides personally is calling for peace. Jordan vs. Isiah Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is a friend of the two legends. And like many others, he wants this decades-old rift to end. "I hope that both of them can bury this hatchet and move on, because we are too old for this right now," Johnson said. "If they both sat down and just aired this thing out, both guys will be able to move on with their lives and they would say, 'Hey, let us be friends, because life is too short.'" The beef began, and then it was built slowly, over years of playoff collisions and cultural dominance. Advertisement In the late '80s and early '90s, no team was more symbolic of bruising, physical, win-at-all-costs basketball than Thomas' Detroit Pistons. The Bad Boys redefined defense, and when it came to Jordan, they created a strategy just for him. The Jordan Rules were designed to batter him every time he touched the ball. They worked — at least for a while. From 1988 to 1990, the Pistons ousted the Bulls from the playoffs for three straight years. Detroit's defense, especially its relentless targeting of Jordan in the lane, became legendary. But 1991 marked a shift in power. The Bulls finally broke through, sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. As the final seconds ticked away, Thomas and several teammates walked off the court without shaking hands, a move that seared a permanent scar into NBA memory and, by many accounts, into Jordan's. It symbolized a bitter respect, or perhaps a lack thereof, between two players who had battled on the court for years. Related: "I know Dennis will not throw a punch. No way" - Phil Jackson was confident Dennis Rodman will never start a fight Call for peace The cold war between Jordan and Thomas intensified in 1992 when the Dream Team was assembled for the Barcelona Olympics. Advertisement It was the greatest basketball roster ever created, but it lacked one glaring name: Thomas. Though the point guard was at the tail end of his prime, his accolades were undeniable — two NBA championships, 12 NBA All-Star appearances and an All-NBA First Team selection in 1986. Rumors swirled that Jordan, who wielded immense influence at that point, had quietly made it clear he wouldn't play if Thomas was selected. That sentiment lingers to this day. Whether it was the walk-off in '91 or the Dream Team snub, Jordan and Thomas never publicly reconciled. Even their interviews decades later still sound like transcripts from a conflict frozen in time. "I hope those two guys get together because they are Hall of Famers and they're good people," Johnson said. Johnson stands uniquely between the two. He was close with both men during their careers, won championships and shared the same competitive blood. Both Jordan and Thomas are over 60. Their careers have long ended, but their stories still orbit the present day. In the spirit of reunions and bridges being rebuilt, Johnson's call is a hopeful wish and a reminder that even the greatest need room to heal. Advertisement Statistically, both men sit on the upper crust of basketball history. Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game over his career — tied for the highest in league history — and won six NBA championships. Thomas, while never as statistically dominant, orchestrated the Pistons with surgical precision and brought the city two titles in 1989 and 1990. They were leaders of contrasting styles, Jordan through sheer individual brilliance, Thomas through heart and grit. Perhaps that contrast added to the tension. But as the Los Angeles Lakers legend suggests, the scoreboard has long since stopped counting. The real victory now lies in the resolution. Related: "The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store