The first month of a new National Hockey League season can be like a mystery box: it’s never quite clear how things are going to shape up.

A year ago, the Flames went 5-4-1 in October and surprised the hockey world by nestling themselves snugly in the playoff pack – somewhere they stayed pretty much until the bitter end. The Flames’ 2025-26 edition posted a 2-8-2 record in the first month of the season, a start that’s put them decidedly behind the eight-ball in regards to their stated goal of making the Stanley Cup playoffs and leading to some existential questions regarding how the team should – or will – handle the remaining 70 games on the docket.

The Flames’ final outing of October, a 4-3 shootout setback to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, was arguably a pretty representative sample of the month.

The Flames created some offence, with a pair of first period power play goals off the sticks of Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato. They added a third period marker by Nazem Kadri off a gorgeous passing play with Jonathan Huberdeau, a sequence that gave the Flames a 3-2 lead with just 11:44 left in regulation. The three goals were complimented by a sparkling goaltending performance from backup Devin Cooley, who made 34 saves.

But the Flames are a team that, unfortunately, had shown a propensity to make tough mistakes at tough times. Two of the three Ottawa goals were produced immediately following Flames turnovers:

Flames head coach Ryan Huska commended the work his team did getting to the shootout, particularly a four-on-three penalty kill in overtime, but pointed to the goal that got the game to extra time as something that needs to be eliminated from his team’s game.

“I think we probably could have made a better play on the initial exit out of our zone, and then they put a puck to the net,” said Huska. “Unfortunately, MacKenzie got tied up, I think it was with Cousins, and got knocked over and ended up going off his back again, so it happens.”

Speaking to the media following the game, Weegar shared his perspective on the tough tying goal – and a tough month of October.

“Yeah, I have no idea,” shared Weegar. “Line change, I sprinted over to the left side, tried to close the gap a bit and then just retreated back to the net and fell. I don’t know if I toe-picked or hit a stick. I honestly haven’t looked at it. I didn’t even feel the puck hit me, honestly.”

“It was a fluky play. It’s a bad bounce. That’s just how it was going for me for this month. Like I said, a month sort of tested me mentally and come out the other side a better man and a better player.”

The Flames are a group that has played some pretty good hockey to close out October. You could make an argument that dating back to their Oct. 20 home game with Winnipeg, they’ve played six consecutive pretty decent hockey games. In each of those past six games, they’ve played well enough to win.

But in five of those six games, they made just enough bad mistakes at bad times – ill-timed penalties, turnovers or other miscues – to lose. And so from their most sustained stretch of positive play of the season, they’ve gone 1-4-1.

As October turns to November, the Flames are left looking up at 31 teams sitting above them in the standings, with a awful lot of work to do if they want to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs in the spring.

The Flames return to action on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Nashville Predators.

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