Three overturned goals not enough as Blues lose to Flames 2-1 in shootout

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Mar 19, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Blues' most impactful employees didn't wear skates on Wednesday night in Calgary.

That title belonged to the coaching staff, which successfully overturned three Flames goals with challenges in an eventual 2-1 Blues loss in a shootout.

Joel Farabee scored the game-deciding goal in the second round of the shootout.

Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues, while Connor Zary got on the board for the Flames during regulation. Joel Hofer made 30 saves.

The Blues survived two late penalties to even get the game to a shootout. Robert Thomas was called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he was arguing a missed call from the Blues bench with 3:11 remaining in the third period. But Blake Coleman (the player that Thomas thought should have been called for a penalty) took an interference penalty just 26 seconds into the Flames power play.

Pavel Buchnevich was called for high-sticking with 2:37 left in overtime, but the Blues killed the 4 on 3 power play to push the game into a shootout.

Challenge this

The Blues tied an NHL record with three successful challenges that negated Flames goals on Wednesday night, as Jim Montgomery and his coaching staff overturned two Calgary goals due to offside and one due to a missed stoppage (high-stick).

At 12:43 of the first period, Martin Pospisil appeared to give the Flames a 2-0 lead after a turnover by Colton Parayko. Parayko's outlet pass from behind his own net was picked off by Kevin Bahl at the blue line, then he fed Pospisil on the backdoor to beat Hofer.

After the Blues challenge, it was determined that Bahl could not hold the blue line, and the puck completely left the zone before the goal.

It again looked like Calgary made it a 2-0 game when Yegor Sharangovich beat Hofer with 2:37 left in the first period. But the Blues challenged the call for a missed stoppage as it appeared Zary played the puck with a high stick, then touched it himself after that.

A bouncing puck through the neutral zone was elevated higher around the blue line, and Zary was determined to touch the puck above the normal height of his shoulders. Thus, the goal came off the board.

The third instance came in the second period after 9:40 had elapsed. This goal would have given the Flames a 2-1 lead courtesy of Joel Farabee, but Farabee was in the offensive zone before Mikael Backlund could carry the puck across the blue line.

It's believed the only other time a team had three successful challenges in a game was the Oilers on March 20, 2023.

Montgomery himself had two successful challenges twice in his career: Dec. 15, 2018 with Dallas (two goaltender interference challenges) and March 18, 2023 with Boston (two offside challenges).

Challenges are reviews by Blues video coaches Elliott Mondou and Ryan Stacey.

Seen that

For the second straight game, the Blues allowed a goal on the first shot of the game, as Zary beat Hofer 2:34 into the first period. On Sunday in Winnipeg, it was Haydn Fleury that scored on Jordan Binnington 2:31 into the first period.

Zary began the play himself by gathering the puck in his own zone, chipping it past Tyler Tucker and winning a race up the wall through the neutral zone. He dropped the puck for Ryan Strome, and got it back in front of the net, where he finished with a backhand in front of Hofer.

Holloway tied the game 3:47 into the second period on the rush, finishing a 2 on 1 rush with Jimmy Snuggerud by sneaking a shot through Flames goaltender Devin Cooley.

Thomas picked up a secondary assist on the play, continuing the top line's recent hot streak.

Lineup changes

The Blues made three lineup changes for Wednesday's game in Calgary. Jonathan Drouin, Otto Stenberg and Tyler Tucker were all in, while Jonatan Berggren, Oskar Sundqvist and Justin Holl were all out.

Tucker only had one shift in the third period as he was injured early when he suffered an awkward fall. He lingered momentarily in the Blues tunnel before heading towards the dressing room. Tucker did not play the final 16:23 of the third period.

The Blues are currently carrying eight defensemen, and Holl and Matthew Kessel were the extra blue liners scratched on Wednesday night.

On a positive injury note, Thomas was able to take faceoffs for the first time since March 10, when he suffered a hand injury against the Islanders. He did not take any faceoffs the rest of that game after he was hurt, then didn't take any against the Hurricanes, Oilers or Jets.

Thomas went 13 for 21 at the dot.

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