Breaking down the Calgary Flames’ 2025–26 schedule

The 2025–26 NHL schedule is officially here! The Calgary Flames’ season will begin on October 8 in a back-to-back against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. The Flames will host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, October 11, for a matinee game. 

Season opener

Starting the season with a back-to-back on the road is a great way to get thrown into things. Last October, the Flames kicked off their first meeting with the Oilers with a 4–1 victory. The Oilers are coming off another Stanley Cup Final appearance, and the Flames will be well-rested after their season ended in April. 

The Flames will head west to face the Vancouver Canucks in their home opener. The Flames and Canucks met in last season’s opener as well. This was an electric game where the Flames completed a five-goal comeback. It was a testament to the resilience they’d demonstrate all season. 

Home opener 

The Flames will host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, October 11. It was the back-to-back losses to St. Louis that ultimately cost the Flames a playoff spot. You have to wonder if the Flames will learn from that and play with some extra oomph to send a message. 

It’s a bit of a bummer that the home opener is at 2:00 PM. Last season, the Flames hosted a red-carpet event before the 8:00 PM start against the Philadelphia Flyers. I would imagine there will be some sort of fanfare, but I’m not entirely sure what they will work up prior to the 2:00 PM puck drop.

Start of the season

Calgary unexpectedly started last season 5–0–0. This season, their first 10 games may challenge any repeat of that. You’re starting your season with three games in five days. After the home opener, they will host the Vegas Golden Knights before hitting the road for a trip to visit the Utah Mammoth and Vegas. They will return home to play the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens. Then, they’ll jet off to Manitoba to face the Winnipeg Jets before wrapping up the first 10 games against the New York Rangers at home.

A majority of those teams took steps to improve their roster this offseason. The Flames have yet to make any move that moves the needle. How you start isn’t how you finish, but it certainly can send a message about where you stand with the rest of the pack.

Longest homestand 

The Flames’ longest homestand comes in the final weeks of the season, from March 18 to 28. They will host the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning—welcome back Jakob Pelletier—Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and the Vancouver Canucks. This could be a very important stretch of games, as five out of six games are against Western Conference teams, and three of those are intradivision games. This could be the stretch of games that determines the fate of the Flames’ postseason plans.