- 1 Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks: 23 goals conceded in four games and still no win for the Flames
- 2 Calgary Flames: outscored 23-6 and a goal per game through the first three
- 3 Anaheim Ducks: a 38.5% power play led by Sennecke, but a back-to-back to manage
- 4 Free NHL Prediction: Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks: 23 goals conceded in four games and still no win for the Flames 
Six goals scored, 23 conceded, zero wins. That’s Calgary after four games, and it’s the starting point for Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. There’s no sugarcoating it: the Flames have had a brutal opening week.
Anaheim are the visitors, with puck drop at 10 PM ET, which is 04:00 Paris time on Sunday. The Ducks opened with wins over Vegas and Florida, then lost 5-2 at home to Edmonton on Wednesday. They also played in Winnipeg on Friday night, so this is the second leg of a back-to-back for them.
That fatigue factor is the one real argument for Calgary. The other is the market. Prediction-market prices have this close to even money, with the total at 6.5, and one statistical model even makes the Flames a slight favourite at home.
We see it differently. The data paints a specific picture here. Calgary are averaging 1.5 goals per game and conceding 5.75. Anaheim’s power play converts 38.5% of its chances and their young forwards have already beaten two good teams.
The last result tells you plenty. Colorado arrived in Calgary on Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back, exactly the spot Anaheim are in now, and won 7-3. Tired legs didn’t save the Flames then.
Does a home crowd change the equation? Not enough, in our view.
Calgary Flames: outscored 23-6 and a goal per game through the first three 
Calgary scored three goals across their first three games. One per night. They were outscored 16-3 over that stretch, then lost 7-3 to Colorado on Thursday to drop to 0-4.
The Colorado defeat at least brought some goals, from Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl. But the Avalanche found the net seven times through Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Jaden Schwartz and others, while Nathan MacKinnon caused problems all night. Devin Cooley finished with 23 saves and still conceded seven.
That’s the issue in a sentence. The Flames are allowing 28.3 shots per game, which isn’t an extreme volume, yet they’re conceding almost six goals a night. The quality of chances they give up is the problem, not the quantity.
The power play has converted 40% of its opportunities, a bright spot, but the sample is tiny because Calgary simply haven’t spent enough time in the offensive zone to draw penalties. You can’t build a game plan around a special-teams unit that barely gets on the ice.
Backlund remains the steadying presence. Beyond him, the scoring support hasn’t arrived. Four losses from four. The numbers are damning.
Home ice hasn’t been a refuge either. The 7-3 loss to Colorado came in front of their own fans, against a team that had played the night before. If Calgary couldn’t take advantage of tired legs then, it’s hard to see why it would be different now.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Anaheim Ducks: a 38.5% power play led by Sennecke, but a back-to-back to manage 
Beckett Sennecke scored twice on the power play in the first period against Edmonton on Wednesday. Anaheim led 2-0 at the first intermission and looked in total control. Then the Oilers scored five unanswered in the second, and Lukas Dostal was beaten five times on 17 shots.
That collapse is fair criticism. It’s also only one game. The Ducks opened the season by beating Vegas and Florida, two of the more established teams in the league, and their young core of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Sennecke gives them pace and a willingness to attack the net.
The special teams are the clearest edge. A 38.5% power play and an 81.8% penalty kill is a strong combination, and Calgary’s defensive problems suggest Anaheim will get chances with the extra man.
There are concerns. Troy Terry remains out with a hip injury, and Drew Helleson and Ian Moore have featured on injury reports on the blue line. Anaheim also allow 3.33 goals per game on 26.7 shots, so they’re not a lockdown side.
And the schedule is real. After Friday in Winnipeg, the Ducks travel to Calgary for a late start. The goaltending choice for Saturday will matter, and it hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing.
Still, the talent gap is visible.
The Ducks don’t need to be perfect here. They need to avoid the kind of second-period collapse that cost them against Edmonton, and keep feeding a power play that’s been their most reliable source of goals.
Probable lineup Calgary Flames: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Anaheim Ducks: Not announced at time of publication
Free NHL Prediction: Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks
Our prediction: Anaheim Ducks to win (priced near even money)
Calgary have scored six goals in four games and conceded 23. That isn’t a slow start; it’s a team that hasn’t yet shown it can compete for sixty minutes. Colorado, playing the second night of a back-to-back, still put seven past the Flames on Thursday, which takes much of the sting out of the fatigue argument for Anaheim.
The Ducks bring the sharper attack and the better special teams. Sennecke, Carlsson and Gauthier have already produced wins against Vegas and Florida, and a 38.5% power play is a weapon that Calgary’s leaky defence hasn’t shown it can handle.
The risks are Anaheim’s back-to-back and their own defensive lapses, as the Edmonton game proved. But at a price close to even money, the gap in quality is too wide to ignore. We’re backing the Ducks to win in Calgary.
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