Flames' Offensive Struggles Hit New Low in Minnesota
The Calgary Flames' brief resurgence in late October has completely evaporated, as their season-long scoring struggles returned with a vengeance during a disastrous weekend road trip. After being humiliated in a shutout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, the Flames failed to find the back of the net once again on Sunday, November 9, 2025, falling 2-0 to the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
A Deepening Scoring Crisis
The team's inability to score has become a full-blown crisis. The Flames have now been held scoreless for six consecutive periods, a drought stretching 120 minutes and 49 seconds of game time since captain Mikael Backlund's empty-net goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Wednesday. This offensive futility is the primary reason the Flames now occupy the unenviable position of dead-last in the entire NHL with a record of 4-11-2.
"They scored goals, we didn't," a frustrated Backlund stated bluntly after the game. "We had some looks but didn't bury and yeah, it's hard to win when you don't score goals."
Dominating Play But Not the Scoreboard
The most frustrating aspect of Sunday's loss was that the Flames were not thoroughly outplayed. They significantly outshot the Wild 35-19 and controlled large stretches of the game in the offensive zone. They also received solid defensive play and strong goaltending. However, they consistently failed to solve Minnesota's goaltender, Jesper Wallstedt, who turned aside all 35 shots he faced.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska acknowledged the team's effort but lamented the missing ingredient. "I liked a lot of our game tonight," Huska said. "We're not finding a way to score, which you have to do in close games like this. You have to find a way to get one by, obviously, that goes without saying."
The Path Forward
The underlying numbers tell a grim story. No team in the league is scoring less than the 2.05 goals per game the Flames have managed this season. The solution, according to the team's identity, isn't about individual skill but a collective commitment to a grinding style. The Flames know they need to get pucks deep into the offensive zone and create traffic in front of the net, a formula they were unable to execute effectively against the Wild.
With the loss, the Flames' record drops to 4-11-2, while the Wild improved to 7-7-3. The team's search for answers continues as their offensive woes have reached a critical point just over a month into the season.
