Flames winger Farabee finds his breakaway touch

CALGARY – Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska said at the beginning of the NHL season he expected a lot from Joel Farabee.

The left-winger has delivered with a team-leading seven goals and 10 assists in Calgary’s first 18 games.

Farabee solved a deficiency in his game Sunday. After going 0-for-7 on breakaways this season, Farabee’s short-handed goal in the third period was the equalizer in Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Martin Pospisil smartly chipped the puck to the middle of the ice during a Flames penalty kill for Farabee to take off with it and beat Flyers goalie Dan Vladar going inside-outside, forehand-backhand.

“You go oh-for-seven on breakaways, you sit down and start to think like, ‘what am I doing wrong here?’” said Farabee, who added that he consulted teammate Jake Middleton.

“Mids and I sat down and we talked about it and he said I’m a deker. Literally when I got the puck, that’s what was in my head.

“It definitely feels good. Just the time of the game, obviously being down and to get it on the penalty kill, definitely felt like the crowd got into it.”

Matt Coronato scored the OT winner for the Flames (8-9-1), who extended their streak of consecutive wins when scoring four goals or more to 62.

That streak dating back to 2023 ranked second to the New York Rangers, who won 65 in that fashion between 2011 and 2014.

The Flames acquired the 26-year-old Farabee in a trade with the Flyers in January, 2025.

“Joel hasn’t had a lot of success on breakaways this year so it was a perfect time for him to score his first tonight,” Huska said.

“With Joel, when he’s getting chances he’s playing well. If he goes quiet and the chances aren’t there then you’ve got to look at his game a bit, but I don’t think he ever really gets down on himself as long he’s around the puck a lot like he has been this year.”

BAHL OUT

The Flames continued to adjust on the fly to the loss of their shutdown defenceman Kevin Bahl for the rest of the season.

The team announced Sunday the 26-year-old from New Westminster, B.C., required surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Bahl, who was the team’s leading minute man averaging just under 22 per game, sustained the injury during dryland warm-up before Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Calgary’s defencemen compensated by producing half the team’s goals Sunday, when Zach Whitecloud, with his first as a Flame, and Zane Parekh scored.

“Every guy has to step up. I feel like I’m pushing myself to step up,” Parekh said. “Bahler was our best player all year and our best defenceman, so losing him, it’s tough. You just keep putting your best foot forward for him.”

COOLEY’S BACK

Devin Cooley stopped 32 shots for the win in his first game back after missing five with a lower-body injury.

He improved to 5-3 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.

The goaltender has gained celebrity status around the league and on social media for his unique post-game interviews that have delved into how his unconscious and conscious mind do battle while he’s in Calgary’s net, what he needs to get to flow state and how he likes to go home and read with his rabbit Tito.

Penguins rookie goalie Sergei Murashov appreciated Cooley’s candour about the mental struggle that position poses.

“I want to pass a media message to Devin Cooley. I think most goalies go through something like he’s talking about, but not a lot who actually speak aloud,” the 22-year-old Murashov said Saturday in an interview. “Thank you to him. What he’s saying, it helps.”

“I’ve gotten messages from other guys in the league too who have reached out,” Cooley said Sunday. “I’m like, man, that’s really cool. I’m glad I can do something instead of just play a sport, because that doesn’t really make a huge impact on humanity.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2026.

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