Calgary has lost three out of three and conceded sixteen goals doing it. Colorado has won two out of two and scored fourteen.
Flames vs Avalanche is not a kind draw for a side looking for its first point. Calgary also lost all three meetings with Colorado last season by a combined 15-4.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Game | Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames |
| Date | Thursday 8 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 9:00pm ET · 8:00pm CT · 7:00pm MT · 6:00pm PT |
| Venue | Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary |
| 2025-26 head to head | Colorado won all three, 15-4 |
| 2025-26 finish | Colorado 1st (121 pts), Calgary 29th (77 pts) |
| Records | Colorado 2-0-0, Calgary 0-3-0 |
| Rest | Colorado on the second of a back-to-back, Calgary with 3 days off |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | Sportsnet West |
| United States | ALT, KTVD |
Sportsnet West has it in Canada. Regional coverage can differ from the national listing, and our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
Flames vs Avalanche odds
No Canadian price was up on 5 October. Our NHL odds page carries the boards as they post.
Colorado was the best team in hockey last season
A hundred and twenty-one points, 298 goals scored and only 197 conceded. The next-best club finished eight points back.
Nathan MacKinnon scored 53 goals and 127 points at plus 57. Martin Necas reached 100 points at plus 47 and Cale Makar added 79 from defence at plus 32. Brock Nelson scored 33.
The goaltending is the part that gets overlooked. Scott Wedgewood went 31-6-6 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage across 45 games. Mackenzie Blackwood was 23-10-2 at 2.50 and .904 behind him. Wedgewood’s .921 was the best save percentage in the league.
Colorado has opened with an 8-4 win over Los Angeles and a 6-1 win over St Louis.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Colorado Avalanche | Calgary Flames |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 55-16-11 | 34-39-9 |
| Points | 121 | 77 |
| Goals for per game | 3.63 | 2.54 |
| Goals against per game | 2.40 | 3.12 |
| Power play | 17.1% | 16.2% |
| Penalty kill | 84.6% | 80.4% |
Forty-four points and ninety goals of difference last season.
Nazem Kadri comes back to Calgary
Kadri signed with Calgary in 2022 and was traded back to Colorado during last season. He finished the year with 50 points split between the two clubs and is now on a Colorado side that scores at will.
He is not the only familiar face in reverse. Calgary has lost MacKenzie Weegar to Utah and Rasmus Andersson to Vegas since last spring, and brought in Ryan Strome, Jake Middleton, Zach Whitecloud and Simon Nemec.
Calgary has conceded sixteen goals in three games
Seattle won 6-1 at the Saddledome on opening night, Vancouver won 4-1 on Saturday and Seattle won 6-1 again on Sunday. Three defeats, three goals scored.
Dustin Wolf is still the best argument for Calgary. He went 23-29-3 last season at a .899 save percentage behind a team that conceded 256, which is a respectable number in difficult circumstances. He has been beaten six times in a game twice this week.
Jonathan Huberdeau has not played and has no supportable return date. Matt Coronato led the scoring last season on 45 points, Mikael Backlund added 43 at plus seven, and Morgan Frost matched him.
What happened last season
| Date | Result | Venue | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-30 | Colorado 9-2 Calgary | Colorado | 11 |
| 2026-04-09 | Colorado 3-1 Calgary | Colorado | 4 |
| 2026-04-14 | Colorado 3-1 Calgary | Calgary | 4 |
Three defeats, four goals scored across them, and a 9-2 loss in Denver in March. Calgary has not beaten Colorado since.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logan O’Connor | Colorado | Injured Reserve, Lower Body | No timetable |
| Zachary L’Heureux | Colorado | Injured Reserve, Lower Body | No timetable |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Calgary | Injured Reserve, Hip | No timetable |
Colorado’s absences are depth forwards. Calgary’s is the man who was supposed to lead the attack. Availability across the league is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Nathan MacKinnon. Fifty-three goals and 127 points last season at plus 57, the best figure in the league, and five points in two games already.
Dustin Wolf. Calgary will need something close to a perfect night.
Nazem Kadri. First visit to the Saddledome since he left, with two assists in Colorado’s opening win behind him.
Cale Makar. Seventy-nine points from the blue line at plus 32, against a Calgary defence that has conceded sixteen goals in three games.
Score prediction
Colorado Avalanche 5-2 Calgary Flames. Colorado has scored fourteen in two games against a Calgary side that has conceded sixteen in three. The last meeting in Denver finished 9-2.
Flames vs Avalanche prediction
There is no honest way to argue for Calgary here. Colorado finished 44 points higher, won all three meetings last season by a combined 15-4, has two goaltenders with save percentages above .900, and has scored fourteen goals in two games.
Calgary’s case rests on Wolf and on the Saddledome, which is in its final season and will be loud. That has not been enough so far: the Flames have lost at home to Seattle by five and in Vancouver by three.
Our lean: Colorado, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. Colorado has gone over six in both its games and Calgary has conceded six twice. Where both sit against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 9:00pm ET on Thursday 8 October 2026 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, which is 7:00pm local time in Calgary.
Yes. Kadri left Calgary during last season and finished the year with Colorado. He had 50 points across the two clubs.
Colorado won all three meetings and outscored Calgary 15-4, including 9-2 in Denver in March.
Colorado is 2-0-0 with wins of 8-4 over Los Angeles and 6-1 over St Louis. Calgary is 0-3-0 and has conceded sixteen goals.
No. Huberdeau is on injured reserve with a hip problem and the club has not given a return date.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.