Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato has electrified the hockey world with an extraordinary shooting performance that places him among the franchise's all-time greats. Over a remarkable three-game span, the young sniper fired 22 shots on net, a rate of offensive production rarely seen in Flames history.
Historic Shooting Volume
Coronato's recent shooting spree began with an impressive 11-shot performance against the Chicago Blackhawks, matching the NHL's single-game high shared by stars Jack Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov this season. He followed this with five shots in Minnesota and another six in St. Louis, where he finally broke his scoring slump with a top-shelf rocket during Tuesday's 3-2 loss.
The significance of Coronato's 22-shot outburst becomes clear when compared to his teammates. Yegor Sharangovich, who recently signed a substantial contract extension, has managed only 22 shots total through the entire season so far. Fellow forwards Sam Honzek, Connor Zary, and Adam Klapka haven't reached that number either.
Joining Elite Company
According to NHL statistics, Coronato's shooting volume represents something truly special in Flames franchise history. The last player to achieve this feat was Mikael Backlund in January 2022, who also peppered 22 shots on target during a three-game stretch. Before Backlund, you'd need to go back to Jarome Iginla in 2003 to find similar production.
In fact, only five players in Flames history have managed 22 or more shots across three consecutive games: Coronato, Backlund, Iginla, Theoren Fleury, and Al MacInnis. The latter three legends accomplished this multiple times during their storied careers, placing Coronato in truly elite company.
Coaching Perspective and Player Mindset
Flames head coach Ryan Huska emphasized the importance of Coronato's offensive threat after Tuesday's game. "I don't necessarily think it's anything about the way he scored," Huska noted. "It's just scoring. He's had a lot of shots. I know he was up there again tonight. He's been a threat now again, which is important for our team."
Coronato himself shared his shooting philosophy during a pre-game interview with Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan. "For me, I want to get pucks to the net when I can," Coronato explained. "But I want to make sure that when I'm shooting, they're high-quality chances. Sometimes, obviously, the right play is to move it. But I think for me, I can get to the net more, get to the hard areas."
The young forward acknowledged room for improvement, noting that "a lot of my shots have been from the outside, so I'm going to be focused on getting to the net, getting around the paint. I guess the closer you are to the net, the better chance you have to score, right?"
Coronato's shooting surge comes at a critical time for the Flames, who had endured nearly eight full periods without scoring before his breakthrough goal in St. Louis. His performance serves as a powerful reminder that the simplest solution to scoring slumps often lies in the most fundamental aspect of hockey: shooting the puck repeatedly and with purpose.
