The Calgary Flames have struggled mightily early in the 2025-26 season. The Flames are hearing calls for a full on rebuild already due to their poor performances. However, teams like this are bound to come alive at some point. On Sunday against the New York Rangers, Calgary did just that.
Blake Coleman scored twice for Calgary, while Nazem Kadri scored two points. Goalie Dustin Wolf made 30 saves on 31 shots against. The Flames came away with a big 5-1 victory, which was their first regulation win of the young season.
Their first regulation win also snapped a brutal eight-game losing streak. Calgary has certainly gone through a ringer already. No team goes through these sorts of stretches without any sort of emotion attached to it. And the emotion of this win was evident when Connor Zary spoke with reporters following the game.
“I would just say it’s a weight off our shoulders,” said Connor Zary, via Eric Francis of Sportsnet. “I think it’s been a tough stretch for us. We’ve had games where we’ve done the right thing and we haven’t come out with the result. And I think tonight we kind of put it together.”
Flames Savoring Win Despite Unfortunate Start
Brett Holmes/Getty ImagesConnor Zary and the Calgary Flames finally picked up a win in regulation.
Many will certainly point to the team’s record at this time. Calgary, despite the win on Sunday night, is only 2-7-1 on the year. This win is more of a temporary band-aid on a rather tumultuous start to the season.
At the same time, Calgary is refusing to wallow. They understand they have a ton of work to do. For now, keeping a positive mindset is important. And that allows them to savor this win over the Rangers at home.
“I think you come in here, you take a deep breath, you hear the music playing, and everyone’s talking, everyone’s laughing, and that’s what you want, right?” Zary said, via Francis.
“You play hockey because you love it, and you have fun. No one wants to go through those stretches. But when you play a game like that, that’s a lot for us to look forward to and build off of.”
Connor Zary, Calgary Must Build Off Rangers Win
Losses can certainly snowball, especially early on. Calgary knows that better than most. However, the same can be said about wins. If Calgary can string a few together, this team can turn the narrative around. That is the goal moving forward for this team.
“We know we need to be better, and to a man, we knew that. You can say all you want… but we need to have games like that where we come out and have the energy and do those things,” Zary said Sunday, via Francis.
There are still around 70 games left to be played this year. Fans may be tired of hearing how early in the season it is. But it’s important to keep that perspective. Calgary has more than enough time to salvage this season. They just need to put in the work to string together wins instead of losses.
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