Flames beat Kraken 6-2 behind career-best 4 points from Matt Coronato

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matt Coronato had a career-high four points with a goal and three assists to lead the Calgary Flames over the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Friday night.

Joel Farabee added a goal and two assists as the Flames won their fifth straight home game. Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each provided a goal and an assist. Aydar Suniev and Ryan Strome also scored for Calgary.

Freddy Gaudreau got his team-leading seventh goal and Mackie Samoskevich also scored for the Kraken, who twice beat Calgary 6-1 during the opening week of the season.

Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, making his first start since Oct. 15, stopped 20 shots to improve to 2-4-0.

Philipp Grubauer started for the Kraken but was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Joey Daccord made 11 saves in relief.

Mikael Backlund’s assist on Farabee’s goal gave him 610 points (234 goals, 376 assists). That moved Backlund ahead of Johnny Gaudreau into sole possession of fifth place on Calgary’s career scoring list. He is six points behind Joe Nieuwendyk for fourth.

The Flames, who never trailed, finished 2 for 2 on the power play to improve to a sizzling 9 for 20 over their last seven games.

Seattle has allowed 10 power-play goals in 17 attempts over the last six games.

Calgary was coming off a 4-0 loss Wednesday at Edmonton that ended the Flames’ four-game winning streak.

Kraken: Host the Flames next Wednesday.

Flames: Open a road trip Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Seattle Kraken's Ryan Winterton, left, checks Calgary Flames' Kevin Bahl, upper right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, left, deflects a shot from Calgary Flames' Adam Klapka during second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Seattle Kraken's Bobby McMann, right, tries to get the puck past Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Seattle Kraken's Curtis Douglas, left, fights with Calgary Flames' Adam Klapka during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Calgary Flames' Matt Coronato, left, celebrates after his goal with teammate Matvei Gridin, right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is set to hold a private audience on Saturday with basketball teams from his alma mater, Villanova, and fellow Catholic university Notre Dame, plus thousands of traveling American fans in town for the season opener.

A total of about 7,000 people are expected Saturday in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican. The audience precedes the U.S. college basketball season opener in Rome on Sunday.

The Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams will play a doubleheader at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport — which is located about a half-hour drive from the Vatican.

The event has been dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and was created to honor the first American pope.

Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova, the Augustinian school near Philadelphia. He was born in Chicago — not all that far from Notre Dame, which is located in South Bend, Indiana.

Like popes before him, Leo has praised the value of sport for both physical and spiritual development, calling sport a “school of fraternity” that nurtures friendship, respect and teamwork.

“May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples and sows respect, solidarity, and personal growth,” Leo said for his June prayer intention, which was dedicated to sport.

Leo, who himself is an avid tennis player and sports fan, has also warned about how the win-at-all-cost mentality of sport has contributed to episodes of doping, match-fixing and other forms of corruption.

Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez celebrated a private Mass for traveling fans in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday morning, and asked the thousands of people in the pews to give a round of applause to the players. The English-language Mass was unusual in that it had all the trappings of a papal Mass celebrated at the main altar and televised live by Vatican Media.

Asked about the upcoming games on the papal plane during a recent trip to France, Leo said, “They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side.”

Leo is an avid Chicago White Sox fan, and has been known to follow basketball, too.

“He will know who they (the players) are. He’s a true, blue Villanovan,” said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Villanova’s longtime team chaplain. He said Leo used to attend Villanova games at the Palestra, the Philadelphia arena known as “The Cathedral of College Basketball.”

Sunday's games coincide with All Saints' Day, a major Catholic holiday.

St. Thomas of Villanova Church is seen through autumn leaves at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Villanova basketball team's Luigi Suigo talks to journalists prior to the start of the men's basketball team training session in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Students walk past an image of Pope Leo XIV at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Villanova men's basketball team takes part in a training session in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Villanova University is seen in Villanova, Pa., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)