The Calgary Flames put forth their worst effort of the season in a 6-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. This one went about as poorly as it could have for the Flames, who were by far and away the second-best team on the ice from start to finish.
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With the loss, the Flames have now dropped to 1-5-0 on the season, and are seemingly regressing each game. It’s a frustrating start, made even worse by the fact that they have a difficult schedule lying ahead. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from what was a very disastrous showing.
Wolf Struggles Again
The 2025-26 season hasn’t been the start Dustin Wolf had hoped for. The 24-year-old can’t be blamed for the Flames’ poor start, but he certainly hasn’t helped in any way. Saturday night’s outing versus the Golden Knights saw him allow five goals on 19 shots before being relieved in favour of Devin Cooley for the third period.
This marked Wolf’s fourth-straight start in which he was unable to post a save percentage (SV%) of .900 or higher. He now owns a 4.30 goals-against average (GAA) and an .854 SV% early into the season. It’s too early to call this a sophomore slump, but if this continues for much longer, it may be just that. There shouldn’t be concerns over the long-term future of Wolf, but this could be a rougher season than most anticipated.
Flames Offence Continuing to Struggle
The Flames’ scoring, or perhaps lack thereof, was a big talking point entering the 2025-26 season. They struggled to score goals in 2024-25 and failed to add any sort of talent to help with that in the offseason. To no surprise, they’ve continued to struggle scoring goals early this season.
“After the first, it wasn’t nearly good enough and we all know it,” Mikael Backlund said to reporters postgame. “It was not the performance that we expect out of ourselves, and the standard that we hold each other to. It was a brutal game.”
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The Flames’ current five-game losing streak has seen them find the back of the net just seven times. They’ve scored just 10 goals through their first six games of the season. Nazem Kadri has yet to find the back of the net, while others, including Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary, Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost, have all struggled to pull their weight. There are many within the locker room who need to take a deep look in the mirror in order to figure things out.
Huberdeau Able to Get on the Board
One player who was expected to help the Flames’ offence this season was Jonathan Huberdeau. Not having him for the first five games of the season due to injury certainly hurt, though the 32-year-old was able to suit up for his first game versus the Golden Knights on Saturday. He was also able to make an immediate impact.
Huberdeau was able to score his first of the season less than five minutes into the game on a power-play tally. It was a solid start for the veteran winger, who is coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw him score 28 goals and 62 points in 81 outings. The Flames would be thrilled with a similar level of production this season.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
As mentioned, the Flames have a tricky schedule moving forward. They will be in action next on Monday night against a very good Winnipeg Jets team, before taking on the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. They’ll then head back out on the road to face the Jets at the Canada Life Centre on Friday. The following week will see them face the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators.
