Carolina Hurricanes vs Calgary Flames Final — October 18, 2026
Injuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel
About these numbers
Goalie status from the G&W goalie tracker (Confirmed, Expected, Likely or Not confirmed); teams confirm starters close to puck drop. Season lines come from the NHL Lab goalie tables. GSAx = goals saved above expected (Gridiron & Wine expected goals). HD Sv% = save rate on high-danger shots.
Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (32 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
2025-26 regular season, public NHL Lab tables; ranks out of 32 teams. Expected goals are Gridiron & Wine's own expected-goals numbers.
2025-26 regular season. Rates are per 60 minutes of power-play or penalty-kill time.
Regular-season results this season, oldest to newest (OTL = overtime or shootout loss). Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Over–under uses the consensus closing total.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
Key players only. Injury report as of October 18, 12:40 p.m. ET.
The pre-game matchup
The Hurricanes (7-1-1) visited the Flames (1-6-0) on Sunday, October 18 at 8:10 PM ET.
Last season (2025-26), the Hurricanes scored 3.61 goals per game (2nd of 32) and allowed 2.93 (4th). The Flames scored 2.59 goals per game (32nd of 32) and allowed 3.16 (21st). The Hurricanes earned 68.9% of available standings points (2nd) and the Flames 47.0% (29th).
Expected-goals share (5-on-5), the share of 5-on-5 expected goals created: Hurricanes 56.4% (2nd), Flames 47.2% (27th). Shot-attempt share (5-on-5), the share of all 5-on-5 shot attempts: Hurricanes 59.8% (1st), Flames 49.2% (17th). High-danger chance share, the share of 5-on-5 high-danger chances: Hurricanes 53.7% (8th), Flames 46.9% (23rd). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.
The total closed 6.5, unchanged from the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Hurricanes -205, Flames +170) prices the Hurricanes at 64% and the Flames at 36%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Calgary Flames 3
Calgary Flames won by 1.
- Against the closing spread (Calgary Flames +1.5): Calgary Flames covered.
- Combined score 5 vs the closing total of 6.5: Under.
- Calgary Flames closed at +170 on the moneyline (a 36% no-vig market-implied chance).
Actual result
Calgary Flames 3
Before the game: market and G&W
The market barely moved from open to close.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (Carolina Hurricanes 64%, Calgary Flames 36%) and moving with every goal, penalty and the clock until the final.
Biggest swings
- 2nd 19:39 — Calgary Flames goal (1-2)Calgary Flames 43% → 69% (+26 pts)
- 2nd 19:56 — Carolina Hurricanes goal (2-2)Carolina Hurricanes 33% → 59% (+26 pts)
- 3rd 15:32 — Calgary Flames goal (2-3)Calgary Flames 44% → 86% (+42 pts)
Calgary Flames won after falling as low as 19% (2nd 18:30).
Chance Quality Result
Based on the quality of chances each team created, Carolina Hurricanes won 64% of G&W replays (Calgary Flames 36%). The result went the other way from the chances each team created.
The Chance Quality Result describes the chances each team created. It is not the official result and never changes it or any record. Expected goals count regulation chances with both goalies in net; empty-net goals are not included. Season xG tables count every game state, empty nets included, so their totals differ.
Game DNA
The Chance Quality Result above favoured Carolina Hurricanes. Here is where that came from.
| Hurricanes | Goals | Flames |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8 | 5-on-5 chancesexpected goals | 1.8 |
| 0.6 | Power-play chancesexpected goals | 0.8 |
| 0.4 | Other situations4-on-4, 3-on-3, short-handed | 0.1 |
| 3.8 | Chance Quality Result chancesthe three rows above, as in the result | 2.7 |
| 0.2 | Overtime and pulled-goalie chancesnot part of the Chance Quality Result | 0.0 |
| 1.1 | Second chancesrebounds and flurries, part of the above | 0.5 |
| -2.0 | Finishinggoals vs expected on own shots | +0.3 |
| -0.3 | Goaltendingsaves vs expected · Brandon Bussi 31/34 · Devin Cooley 34/36 | +2.0 |
How the margin was built, from Calgary Flames's side:
The first three rows add up to the Chance Quality Result's expected goals. Overtime chances and chances with a goalie pulled are listed on their own, and empty-net goals are not in expected goals. A team's finishing and the other team's goaltending are the same goals seen from each end.
The official play, graded
The official play on this game, at the price it was sent, graded against the final score.
Every official play is logged and graded, wins and losses alike. Full track record.
Line review
Carolina Hurricanes closed as the market favourite at 64% and lost.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Hurricanes -1.5 (+118)
Hurricanes -1.5 (+117)
Flames +172 35%
Flames +170 36%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Head-to-head
The teams have met 14 times since 2018-19: the Hurricanes won 9 and the Flames 5.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 2026 | Hurricanes 4, Flames 5 Flames won | Hurricanes -215 underdog won | 5.5 over |
| Nov 30, 2025 | Flames 0, Hurricanes 1 OT Hurricanes won | Hurricanes -250 favorite won | 6 under |
| Mar 2, 2025 | Flames 1, Hurricanes 2 OT Hurricanes won | Hurricanes -320 favorite won | 6 under |
| Oct 24, 2024 | Hurricanes 4, Flames 2 Hurricanes won | Hurricanes -199 favorite won | 6 push |
| Mar 10, 2024 | Flames 2, Hurricanes 7 Hurricanes won | Hurricanes -227 favorite won | 6.5 over |
Regular-season meetings since 2018-19, most recent first. Line = consensus closing moneyline favorite and total where line history is available.
Teams
Carolina Hurricanes
- Carolina Hurricanes team stats
- Boston Bruins 1, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (Oct 27)
- Carolina Hurricanes 4, St Louis Blues 0 (Oct 24)
- Carolina Hurricanes 5, Edmonton Oilers 6 (Oct 22)
Calgary Flames
- Calgary Flames team stats
- Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers (Oct 28)
- Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Calgary Flames 5 (Oct 26)
- Detroit Red Wings 1, Calgary Flames 4 (Oct 24)
- Minnesota Wild 1, Calgary Flames 2 (Oct 22)
Gridiron & Wine graded a pick on this game: see the archived pick.
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