Flames Find Progress as Suniev Scores First NHL Goal Against Ducks

Improved physical play and a milestone goal gave the Calgary Flames encouraging signs despite a 4-2 defeat to the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. Head coach Ryan Huska praised the team's performance, highlighting Kevin Bahl's physical presence and Aydar Suniev's first NHL goal, although Calgary's third-period struggles prevented a comeback.

The Flames received an early spark from Bahl, who delivered a heavy open-ice hit on Sam Colangelo during his first shift. The defenseman's challenge set a more aggressive tone as Calgary sought to change the pattern of its difficult season start.

Bahl explained that he wanted to energize his teammates from the opening moments.

"I think you talk about compete, I just want to get the boys going and get everybody going. Let's get in this, let's get a dub here. First shift, I was kind of looking for it," Bahl said.

Forward Matt Coronato welcomed the early physical play, which helped engage the Flames bench and establish a more competitive atmosphere.

"That was awesome. Huge hit, got everyone into the game right away," Coronato said.

Huska singled out Bahl's development and performance, describing the defenseman as a key contributor. Bahl arrived in Calgary as a 6-foot-7 defenseman and has continued to develop his game, according to the coach.

"Really, when you're talking about Kevin Bahl, tonight he was excellent. To me, he was our best player. He came over to us as a 6-foot-7 defenceman, he's a legit top-pairing guy now. I'm really proud of the way he's developed and brought his game along," Huska said.

Suniev provided another bright spot after being called up from the Wranglers on Wednesday. The forward scored in the second period, finishing from a tight angle after Coronato kept an odd-man rush alive with a heads-up play.

The goal marked a significant milestone for Suniev, who had impressed during the preseason and quickly made use of his NHL opportunity.

"It's so great, you dream about scoring your first goal and now here it is. I saw him with the puck and I was just trying to get open. He was coming behind the net and I saw that opening there," Suniev said.

Suniev and fellow call-up Jonathan Castagna both appeared to bring energy to the struggling lineup during their first two games, according to the source report. Their performances offered Calgary additional options, although young players can still make mistakes as they adjust to NHL competition.

Huska also considered Saturday's performance Calgary's strongest of the season to that point, despite the final score. He pointed to individual and team improvements while acknowledging that unfavorable bounces had contributed to the team's recent results.

"I thought that was our best game to date, there were a lot of good things from individuals and our team," Huska said.

The coach added that Calgary had not earned favorable outcomes in its first few games but believed the recent improvement could eventually translate into results.

"I think (the players) know they played well tonight. We're in a stretch where there's some bounces that I feel are going against us and some others that aren't going for us. We didn't earn those the first few games of the year, lately we've been playing better so eventually those are going to turn around for us and we're going to start seeing some results," Huska said.

Calgary's remaining problem was sustaining its performance through all three periods. The Flames were outscored 2-0 in the third, went 0-for-3 on the power play during the period and conceded a shorthanded goal, according to the source report.

Huska said the power play became less effective when players tried to create scoring opportunities individually rather than follow the approach used in earlier attempts.

"We needed a goal and not to give one up. When we had our first one, I think there were a lot of people trying to make it happen alone instead of just sticking with what they've done on prior power-plays and then it kind of snowballed," Huska said.