3 takeaways from the Flames’ 2-1 loss to the Jets – Hockey Writer – Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames put up a valiant effort on Monday night, but it didn’t do them any favors in the standings as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in the finals. The Flames took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission in this game, but dropped two games in the third and suffered a six-game losing streak.
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There’s no other way to sum up the Flames’ start to the season other than stating the obvious. It’s tough. They are currently 1-6-0 on the season and need to continue to work hard to convince fans that they are a playoff team. With that said, here are three major takeaways from yet another frustrating and deflating loss.
Goal scoring continues to plague Flames
The Flames’ biggest concern heading into the 2025-26 season is their scoring, or lack thereof. They’ll struggle to put the puck in the net in 2024-25, and unsurprisingly, they’ve struggled through their first seven games. After scoring just one goal against the New York Rangers, they have scored just 11 goals in seven games.
“I think you have to turn the frustration around a little bit,” head coach Ryan Huska said. “If you let yourself get caught up in that emotion, then it just keeps snowballing. You’ve got to focus on the things you do well and you’ve got to work harder at it. That’s the way I look at it. You’re going to be more competitive, you’re going to hit the net harder and you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to make sure you’re prepared and ready to play.”
The offense will certainly struggle, and the Flames will ultimately find more success on the stat sheet as the season continues. That said, this game, and the season so far, is a reminder of their lack of scoring forwards. It doesn’t help that Nazeem Kadri is still without a goal as he is a player they desperately need in the near future.
The wolf made an amazing effort
Dustin Wolf’s 2025-26 season isn’t off to a great start, but he looked more like himself on Monday. The 24-year-old, who has not won since the Flames’ first game of the season, gave his team every opportunity to score two points in this game, turning away 26 of the 28 shots he faced.
“It hurts. We couldn’t seem to find a way to get a couple of goals in the net,” Wolff told reporters after the game. “I thought our kills were good all night long. They made us work. We wanted to try to limit the penalties we took, and I thought it was too much for our team. Can’t give that much time to a team like this.”
Monday’s game was a frustrating reminder that it won’t matter how well Wolfe plays if the Flames can’t put the puck in the net. On the bright side, however, this should help the young starting goaltender regain some confidence after a series of rough starts.
Game of Thrones strives to accomplish anything
Unsurprisingly, considering the Flames’ overall lack of offense as the 2025-26 season begins, their early power play has been very poor. Despite having five chances, they were unable to get anywhere with the man advantage against the Jets.
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The Flames’ power play is currently just 14.8%, ranking 26th among all 32 teams. Hopefully having Jonathan Huberdeau back in the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday will help, although it soon became apparent that issues remain. If they hope to score some wins in the near future, they need to find a way to do that.
Looking to the future, looking for the flame
The Flames return to action on Wednesday when they take on the Montreal Canadiens at the Saddledome. Once the game is over, they’ll head to the road for a rematch with the Jets before taking on the Rangers in Calgary on Sunday.
