NHL Off the Post: October 12th

With the 2026-27 NHL season just getting underway, here's a look at some news and notes from around the league to help with your daily hockey handicapping.

Burning up

While not much was expected of them this season, the Flames couldn't have asked for a much worse start as they've now dropped five straight games following Saturday's 4-2 loss to Anaheim. In fact, Calgary's opening stretch has been the worst in franchise history, and things aren't likely to get any easier if the team can't find a way to tighten things up defensively. The Flames have already shown some ability to generate offense, but that's of little consolation when they're struggling to keep pucks out of their own net. Dustin Wolf has his work cut out for him, and until this team starts showing some consistency at both ends of the ice, it's difficult to justify backing Calgary at anything other than a generous price and even that might be a stretch.

Gale force winds

The defending Stanley Cup champions are wasting little time reminding everyone why they're the team to beat as Carolina picked up its fifth straight victory with Sunday's 4-1 win over Philadelphia. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov continue to lead the way offensively, while Mark Jankowski has chipped in with goals in four consecutive games. The Hurricanes have been getting contributions throughout the lineup, which is always a good sign for a team looking to repeat as champions. The goaltending situation remains something to monitor, but Carolina is doing a good job of making life easier for whoever is between the pipes. They'll return home to host Washington on Tuesday before heading out on a long five-game road trip that includes four stops in western Canada.

The Rangers have enjoyed a terrific start on home ice, improving to 4-0-0 at Madison Square Garden after Sunday's convincing 6-2 victory over Vancouver. Unfortunately, the good news comes with a significant caveat as star goaltender Igor Shesterkin has suffered a season-ending injury. That's a massive blow for a team that relies heavily on its goaltending, and it remains to be seen whether Dylan Garand can handle the increased workload or if they'll need to reach into their deep pockets for help. Garand made 19 saves in his first start in Shesterkin's absence, while New York's offense did its part with six goals. A team I was higher than most on entering the season, the Rangers have enough talent to remain competitive, but we'll need to pay close attention to the team's defensive play and goaltending numbers in the coming weeks. A strong start can vanish into a distant memory when a club loses its most important player.

While plenty of attention has been focused on the league's traditional contenders, Anaheim has quietly put together an encouraging start to the campaign. The Ducks improved to four wins in their first five games with Sunday's victory over Calgary, showing an ability to get the job done in a game that was still very much in doubt entering the third period. Ryan Poehling played a key role before leaving with a knee injury, while the Ducks received goals from Frank Vatrano, Jackson LaCombe and Nikita Nesterenko. Goaltender Ville Husso also made 27 saves in his season debut. It's obviously much too early to suggest Anaheim is ready to make a serious run up the Western Conference standings, but this is a team that deserves some respect if it continues to get contributions from throughout the lineup. The injury situation is worth monitoring, particularly with Poehling and Cutter Gauthier both dealing with issues, but the Ducks have certainly done enough early on to warrant a closer look.

It's been a miserable opening stretch for the Flyers, who remain without a win after seven games and are coming off another frustrating loss to Carolina. The latest defeat was particularly concerning because Philadelphia managed just one goal against a Hurricanes club that was in a back-to-back situation. The Flyers have now lost 11 straight games when including the end of last season, and confidence can't be particularly high in the dressing room at the moment. Of course, there is plenty of time to turn things around, but the longer this losing streak continues, the more pressure will mount on the coaching staff and the players to produce results. From a handicapping standpoint, the key will be determining whether Philadelphia is genuinely struggling to compete or simply running into a difficult stretch of opponents (it seems to be a bit of both). Until the Flyers start showing more consistent offensive production and find a way to close out games, there's little reason to rush to back them simply because the price looks appealing.