Flames fall to 0-5 after 4-2 loss to Ducks, lone winless NHL team
Calgary tied the game 2-2 in the second period but could not convert three third-period power plays and surrendered a short-handed winner to Anaheim's Ryan Poehling.
The Calgary Flames lost 4-2 to the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, dropping to 0-5 to start the season and remaining the only team in the NHL without a point a dozen days into the schedule. It is the first time in franchise history Calgary has lost its first five games.
Calgary tied the game 2-2 in the second period, helped by 20-year-old Aydar Suniev's first NHL goal, and outshot Anaheim 21-20 through 40 minutes in front of 16,894 fans at the Saddledome. But the Flames went 0-for-3 on power plays in the third and gave up a short-handed game-winner to Ryan Poehling after an offensive-zone turnover. Their power play fell to 2-for-10 on the season.
Forward Matt Coronato, who assisted on both Calgary goals for his first multi-point game of the year, said the team played its best 40 minutes of the season but still needs results. Defenceman Kevin Bahl and head coach Ryan Huska both pointed to signs of progress, with Huska calling it the team's best game to date and saying points should follow if the process continues.
Calgary, which finished last season as the NHL's lowest-scoring team and started 1-8 a year ago before trading veterans to accelerate a youth rebuild, has been outscored 27-8 through five games. The Flames and Ducks play again Tuesday in Anaheim, as Calgary plays out its final season at the Saddledome before moving to Scotia Place.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.