The Calgary Flames don’t get much room to breathe here. Not with Thursday night’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche kicking off a stretch that looks about as unforgiving as it gets.
Over the next two weeks, Calgary will run into three of the four teams that reached last season’s conference finals, plus a few more tests that don’t exactly offer much relief. The run starts with Nathan MacKinnon and the Avs, then continues with the ascending Anaheim Ducks on Saturday and Tuesday. After that comes a road trip to Vegas to face the Golden Knights on Oct. 15, a home date with the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on the 18th, and then the Minnesota Wild to close out the stretch at the Saddledome.
Morgan Frost said the group already understands what’s in front of it.
“I feel like we’re feeling pretty urgent already,” said Flames centre Morgan Frost. “Definitely got to get in the win column and yeah, some good teams, it’ll be a good test and we’ll see how we respond. Obviously, not the start we want to have.”
Calgary had a couple of days to reset and practice after Sunday’s loss to the Kraken, and the break came at a useful time. It also gives the Flames a chance to introduce a pair of young players into the lineup against Colorado: Jonathan Castagna and Aydar Suniev, both of whom impressed during training camp.
Head coach Ryan Huska, though, isn’t interested in turning the schedule into an excuse.
“There is no poor team in the NHL and, you know, every game’s an important game for us and that’s the way we want our players to approach it,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “It’s always about what’s right in front of you; you don’t want to look too far down the road.
“I often laugh when people say ‘strength of schedule’ in the NHL. ‘It’s an easier stretch’ or ‘it’s a tougher stretch.’
There’s no easy game in the NHL. Every team’s good.
Every team’s got players that have been there, done that, won the Stanley Cup. So you focus on the game that’s right in front of you and that’s what we’re going to do tonight.”
Still, there’s no denying the pressure of the month ahead. Calgary came into the season wanting a fast start, and the first week hasn’t gone the way the club wanted. The rest of October is loaded, which means the Flames need to sharpen things up quickly no matter who’s standing across from them.
Kevin Bahl put it plainly.
“You know, you’re playing an NHL team every night,” said Flames blueliner Kevin Bahl. “That urgency’s gotta be there regardless of, you know, playing the Colorado Avalanche or whoever that is, right? You’ve gotta bring it every night and then if you do get quote-unquote easier competition, you’ve got to take advantage of that.”
In Other News...
Flames Rookie Jonathan Costagna Just Made Saturday A Real Debate
Jonathan Costagnas first NHL game gave the Flames something to track beyond the scoreline, even in a 7-3 loss to Colorado. The rookie stepped into the lineup for his debut and came away talking about the speed, the pressure and the challenge of matching up with veteran players, a reminder of how quickly the league asks young skaters to adjust.
The positive showing has left Calgary with a simple question heading into Saturdays game: whether Costagna has done enough to stay in the mix for another look. For a team still sorting through its options, his debut offered a glimpse of a player who didnt look overwhelmed, and the next decision could say a lot about how the Flames want to handle that opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Shake Up Lineup As Pressure Builds Before Avalanche Test
The Flames are making another round of lineup tweaks as they get ready for a difficult matchup with Colorado, a sign the coaching staff is still searching for the right mix up front and on the back end. Calgarys middle-six forwards and defensive pairings have both been adjusted, and the club also called up Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna from the AHL, giving the roster a slightly different look heading into a key test.
In goal, the team has turned to Devin Cooley for the start against the Avalanche, adding another layer of intrigue to a game that already feels important for a group under pressure. Suniev and Castagna are set to skate on the fourth line with Adam Klapka, a spot that will be worth watching closely as the Flames try to balance energy, structure and enough offense to stay in the game. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Ugly Start Could Force Craig Conroy Into His Next Move
The early-season hole has been hard to ignore in Calgary, where the Flames have struggled to generate enough offense and the scoreboard has already started to separate them from the pack. As the group tries to dig out of that slow start, the front office is weighing whether the answer has to come from outside the room rather than waiting for the current lineup to find a rhythm.
Craig Conroy has been tied to several veteran forwards in free agency, with Patrik Laine among the names on the board as Calgary looks for help up front. The idea is simple enough: if the internal options do not wake the offense up soon, the Flames may have to make a short-term addition and hope a fresh face can at least steady the attack while the bigger issues get sorted out. [Read more 🡒]