Nothing like two straight shutout losses to blow up a predictions piece, right?
That was the case on Sunday night as the Calgary Flames continued their scoreless slog in Minnesota with the end-of-night result being a 1-0 loss.
Up next? Off to St. Louis to play the Blues, who are 8-0-0 against the Flames in the Ryan Huska era.
Yikes.
Don’t Blame the Goalies
There aren’t many positives when the team gets shutout twice straight, but the winless Devin Cooley is a rare one. Saving 17 of 18 in the effort, the six-foot-five netminder tied his second-best single game performance with a .944 save percentage.
Among goaltenders that have appeared in five or more games, Cooley ranks first in save percentage at .935% and second in goals against average at 1.75.
The Flames owe Devin a couple of wins. His record stands at 0-2-1 with two additional relief appearances.
Other Positives
There really isn’t much that stands out for Flames players for individual stats. Ryan Lomberg trails only Ryan Reaves in hits per 60 among players to play five or more games.
Hits Per 60 – Min 5 Games Played
1. Ryan Reaves: 30.12 (SJ)
2. Ryan Lomberg: 24.96 (CGY)
3. Garnet Hathaway: 23.53 (PHI)
20. Adam Klapka: 20.29 (CGY)
Lomberg ranks fifth in total hits at 62.
Speaking of Adam Klapka, the giant Czech ranks 10th in penalty minutes across the NHL with 29. MacKenzie Weegar is right below him at #11 with 27.
Both players are a -5 in penalties taken vs penalties drawn–which leads us to a bit of a problem.
Discipline Issues
Down by just one goal and time running out, Calgary received a gut punch as MacKenzie Weegar made a hesitant pinch and opted to take a tripping penalty instead of allowing a breakaway.
It’s hard to put too much blame on MacKenzie Weegar when a third of the team seems to be struggling with taking more penalties than they draw. He’s played almost 100 minutes more (417:05) than any player not named Rasmus Andersson. Nazem Kadri comes in third in ice time with 343:27, but MacKenzie taken his fair share of bad penalties this season.
Unfortunately for head coach Ryan Huska and the Flames, he isn’t the only one.
Weegar, Klapka, Pachal; beyond those three, no other member of the Flames averages more than a penalty minute per game, so we’re seeing a few members of the Flames facing tough differentials.
One of the poorest-behaved groups in the NHL so far in 2025-26, some players have been less disciplined than others, but overall, they rank second in both total penalty minutes at 198 and penalty minutes per game at 11:38.
Top Offenders – PIM
Philadelphia Flyers: 202
Calgary Flames: 198
Chicago Blackhawks: 183
But, hey, at least they’re near the top of the league at something. Hell, they’re first in the league in major penalties after 17 games with eight. Put it on a plaque in Craig Conroy’s office.
Wait a second, second-most penalty minutes per game—why doesn’t it feel like the team is spending most of the game down a player?
Tug of War
First of all, the team has four wins in 17 games. It’s OK to not feel anything at all about this year’s Flames.
I assume by still being here that you’re at least a little bit masochistic. Glad to have you sticking around.
Back to the question. Why doesn’t it feel like the Flames are getting unfair officiating if they’re second in the league in penalty minutes?
Half of the team is getting a lot of calls. The other half is doing their part to play clean and draw calls. Here are some of the contributors in both directions:
Notable Differentials – Drawn vs Taken
The Good
Jonathan Huberdeau: 6-2, +4
Zayne Parekh: 4-0, +4
Sam Honzek: 3-0, +3
Nazem Kadri: 6-4, +2
Ryan Lomberg: 5-3, +2
Yegor Sharangovich: 2-0, +2
Connor Zary: 6-4, +2
The Bad
MacKenzie Weegar: 3-8, -5
Adam Klapka: 5-10, -5
Kevin Bahl: 3-7, -4
Morgan Frost: 2-6, -4
Joel Hanley: 1-4, -3
Jake Bean: 0-2, -2
What we’re seeing is a notable divide. There is certainly a need for push-back at points in the game, and some penalties are good penalties to take. For example, last year, Brayden Pachal finished a -12 in penalties drawn vs. taken, but who else was making the opposition answer for crossing the line among the defencemen?
Most officials call a certain amount of infractions per game, and if the rest of the blue line is getting pushed around, Pachal is going to be more noticeable when he pushes back.
Adam Klapka, who stands six-foot-eight, and Brayden Pachal, (an even 4-4 in penalties drawn vs. taken) who is once again Calgary’s only mean defenceman, might be catching the lightning rod effect, but not the rest of the negative players.
This is a veteran-heavy group that should know how to avoid taking penalties when they need to.
Whether it’s fatigue errors or frustration, if the Flames ever want out of the basement, they’re going to have to put the lotion on it’s skin and take more care to stay out of the penalty box.
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Cap Wages, and the National Hockey League. Standings and schedule courtesy of ESPN and the National Hockey League.
KEEP READING:
Calgary Flames Early Season Struggles: Kadri Trade Talk & Young Core Under Fire
Benched: Making Sense of the Matthew Coronato Situation
Between the Lines: Insiders Greenlight a Flames Rebuild
Analyzing the Calgary Flames Early Season Stumble
Five Former Flames Head Coaches: Where are they now?
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