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Flames Defeat Blackhawks for Fourth Straight Win to Start the Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Bay | Last updated 10/16/24

Matt Coronato scored twice and Andrei Kuzmenko scored to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the win, the Flames tied their franchise record for longest win streak to start a season, a mark established in 1993-94 and matched in 2009-10. Previously, the Flames won at least three straight to begin a season five other times: 4-0-0 in 2009-10, 4-0-0 in 1993-94, 3-0-0 in 2022-23, 3-0-0 in 1989-90 and 3-0-0 in 1990-91.

Matty was HYPED after his first of the season pic.twitter.com/qRRAZtmCUx
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 16, 2024

The Flames drafted Coronato 13th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, he was profiled as an offensive skill player with good puck-handling and solid shots. After being drafted, Coronato went to Harvard for two seasons. In each season, he scored 36 points in 24 games, and he displayed a quick catch-and-release shot that made it difficult for defenders to get in front of him.

Dustin Wolf had 31 saves for the Flames, improving to 2-0-0 in 2024-25 and 10-7-1 in his career. He became the fifth goaltender in Flames franchise history to register a double-digit win total in his career before celebrating his 24th birthday. The others: Pat Riggin (51), Trevor Kidd (50), Dan Bouchard (34) and Mike Vernon (34).

Blackhawk netminder Petr Mzarek had 23 stops on the night as his team fell to 1-2-1 on the season.