Early look · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at Calgary Flames: game preview

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2ndat

CalgaryFlames2026-27: 0-3-0 · 0 pts · 2025-26: 34-39-9 · 77 pts · 29th

Puck drop18 Oct · 8:00 PM ET

VenueScotiabank Saddledome

All-time meetings40 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Thirty-six points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 points. Calgary finished 29th on 77.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 41

Across 40 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 20-15-5.

All-time record20-15-5Carolina's record in the series

Meetings played40This is number 41

2025-26 series—

Last 54-1Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

7 Mar 2026CAR 4 – CGY 5——CGY

30 Nov 2025CGY 0 – CAR 1 OT——CAR

2 Mar 2025CGY 1 – CAR 2 OT——CAR

24 Oct 2024CAR 4 – CGY 2——CAR

10 Mar 2024CGY 2 – CAR 7——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaCalgary

30 Nov 202516-7-2 · 34 pts4th9-14-4 · 22 pts31st

7 Mar 202632-15-5 · 69 pts3rd21-25-6 · 48 pts29th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 30 Nov 2025, Carolina were 4th in the league and Calgary 31st. By 7 Mar 2026 it was 3rd and 29th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Calgary 126 to 84

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Carolina Hurricanes

126 att · 46 on goal · 5 G · 10.9%

Crease4 att · 1 G

Slot49 att · 3 G

Wing58 att · 0 G

Point12 att · 1 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Calgary Flames

84 att · 41 on goal · 5 G · 12.2%

Crease7 att · 1 G

Slot38 att · 4 G

Wing28 att · 0 G

Point8 att · 0 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

CarolinaCalgary

3.74xG for per game2.54

2.21xG against per game3.38

62.9%xG share42.9%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.6

−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.9

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 3 for Calgary. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Calgary

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2740.0%

Power play · 2025-2616.2% · 31st

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.4% · 12th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.3% · 90/179

Drawn · 2026-275 (1.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

86Joel Farabee30220.67

22Ryan Strome31010.33

16Morgan Frost31010.33

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

19Zayne Parekh30110.33

44Joel Hanley10000.00

55Jake Middleton30000.00

Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Calgary

Expected starter after their game on 15 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Oct

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Calgary in the last meetings.

Calgary crease

CGY · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Oct

Dustin Wolf.7972 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −5.5

Devin Cooley.8801 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.1

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

7 Mar 20269 · CAR 4–5 CGY

30 Nov 20251 · CGY 0–1 CAR

2 Mar 20253 · CGY 1–2 CAR

24 Oct 20246 · CAR 4–2 CGY

10 Mar 20249 · CGY 2–7 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

Calgary1.005.332.593.16

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

3 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Calgary · injuries

Jonathan HuberdeauHipIRReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

5 Oct · CGY

Placed D Brayden Pachal and C Connor Zary on waivers.

26 Sep · CGY

Waived F Alex Nylander.

25 Sep · CGY

Assigned Fs Andrew Basha, Will Dineen and Tyson Gross, Ds Hunter Brzustewicz and Axel Hurtig and G Arsenii Sergeev to Calgary (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Calgary Fs Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton and William Stromgren and Ds Michael Benning, Andreas Englund and Jake Livingstone.

Injury report

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Calgary · 2026 draft

See all: Calgary · 2026 draft →

#6Carson CarelsRound 1 · Prince GeorgeD

#30Jack HextallRound 1 · YoungstownC

#36Chase HarringtonRound 2 · SpokaneLW

#42Tobias TrejbalRound 2 · YoungstownG

Full draft

Sunday 18 October · the full slate

See all: Sunday 18 October · the full slate →

Updated after every final