Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks Picks and Predictions for Tuesday October 13 2026
The Calgary Flames head to Honda Center on Tuesday night for another shot at the Anaheim Ducks, who handed them a 4-2 loss over the weekend. Calgary hasn't won a game yet, and at 0-5, things have gotten ugly in a hurry. Anaheim, meanwhile, has won four of five and is coming off back-to-back victories. The Ducks have also put up at least four goals in three straight games, which isn't exactly welcome news for a Calgary club that can't seem to keep the puck out of its own net. Tuesday's game in Anaheim, California, gets underway at 9:45 PM ET, with Prime Video and regional television coverage. The betting market has Anaheim around -218, Calgary at +180, and the total at 6.5 goals. Check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions.
Calgary Flames Have More Problems Than Their Winless Record Suggests
Calgary's first five games have been a mess, and there's really no way to dress it up. Seattle beat the Flames 6-1 in their opener, Vancouver followed with a 4-1 victory, and then Seattle hung another six on them. Colorado made matters worse Thursday, scoring seven times. Saturday's 4-2 loss to Anaheim was at least competitive, but it still left Calgary with the worst start in franchise history. The Flames haven't just been losing. For much of this opening stretch, they haven't given themselves much of a chance to win.
Calgary has scored eight goals while surrendering 27, giving the Flames an average of just 1.6 goals scored and 5.4 allowed per game. You can survive an occasional poor night in goal, but these aren't isolated defensive mistakes anymore. Opponents have been getting into dangerous areas far too easily, and Calgary hasn't produced nearly enough offense to compensate. The power play also went scoreless on three opportunities against Anaheim on Saturday. When a club is struggling this badly at even strength, it can't afford to keep letting those chances slip away.
There was at least some fight in Saturday's performance. Calgary twice erased one-goal deficits and entered the third period tied 2-2. That's progress compared with some of the early blowouts, but the Flames couldn't finish the job. Anaheim scored the winner while shorthanded, then added another goal late. Calgary now has to travel to Southern California and face the same opponent that just beat it on home ice. There's always a chance the Flames finally break through, especially if Anaheim's injuries become a factor, but they'll need a much cleaner defensive effort than anything they've shown so far.
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Anaheim Ducks Have Earned Their Strong Start
Anaheim hasn't simply benefited from an easy opening schedule. The Ducks have already beaten Vegas and Florida, went into Winnipeg and came away with a 5-1 victory, and then handled Calgary on the second night of a back-to-back. Their only defeat came against Edmonton, a game in which the Ducks led 2-0 before everything unraveled during a five-goal second period. That collapse was ugly, but Anaheim hasn't allowed it to become a recurring problem. Four wins in five games is a pretty good response from a team still trying to establish itself as a serious Pacific Division contender.
The offense has been productive, scoring 18 goals through five games. More encouraging is how Anaheim has been getting those goals. The Ducks have received contributions throughout the lineups, including from the lower forward lines which is rare in the higher level of the NHL. This has made it easier for the Ducks to avoid depending on one scoring combination every night. Against Winnipeg, they turned a 1-0 lead into a comfortable victory. Against Calgary, they kept pushing after losing the lead twice and found a way to win the third period. That's the sort of thing young teams haven't always handled particularly well, and it suggests Anaheim is beginning to develop some confidence in close situations.
The availability of Cutter Gauthier who left Saturdays game with an upper body injury and Ryan Poehling who helped find the back of the net to win the game suffered a lower body injury on the play and is questionable for Tuesdays game. Their availability for Tuesday remains uncertain, and the Ducks could be missing two important contributors. That matters, even against a winless opponent. Still, Anaheim has the advantage of playing at home, won't have the fatigue of a back-to-back this time, and knows exactly where Calgary has been vulnerable. The Ducks don't need to reinvent anything from Saturday. They need to be sharper defensively and make the Flames pay when those opportunities appear.
Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks Picks and Predictions
Pick: Anaheim Ducks -1.5 (+114)
I'm laying the puck line with Anaheim rather than paying a heavy moneyline price. Calgary has lost every game by at least two goals, and that's not a trend I'm comfortable ignoring just because the Flames managed to keep Saturday's meeting competitive into the third period. They've allowed 27 goals in five games. Anaheim has already shown it can score against this defense, and the Ducks should have a little more energy after getting two days between games. The injuries are worth monitoring because losing Gauthier and Poehling would reduce Anaheim's depth, but Calgary has much bigger problems throughout its lineup. At +114, asking the Ducks to win by two offers a better return than laying more than two dollars on the moneyline. I'll take Anaheim to pull away again.
Pick: Under 6.5 Goals (-130)
This is one of those totals where the obvious play isn't necessarily my favorite play. Calgary's defense has been awful, and the first instinct might be to automatically bet the Over. But the Flames have scored only eight goals in five games, including just two against Anaheim on Saturday. The Ducks have also shown they can win without turning every contest into a track meet. If Anaheim gets ahead, there's no reason to trade scoring chances with a club that's having this much trouble creating offense. The possibility of missing forwards gives me another reason to question whether Anaheim will need four or five goals to win comfortably. A 4-2 repeat of Saturday's result makes sense, and I'll take the Under 6.5.
Final Picks: Anaheim Ducks -1.5 (+114) and Under 6.5 Goals (-130)
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