The 0-5-0 start to the 2026/27 season led to doom and gloom among even the most staunch 'Team Tank' supporters of the Calgary Flames, but since then, the team have been one of the best in the NHL.
Now, they are 4-6-0 after winning four of their past five games, including wins over the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild, with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming to town on Monday night.
With the Flames looking to move to 5-1-0 in their last six games against a team they haven't beaten since 2022, they've made some big announcements on the lineup as they aim to keep their red-hot run alive.
Devin Cooley Named Calgary Flames Starting Goaltender
In three of the four Flames win this season, it's been Devin Cooley in net, and after a poor start from both he and Dustin Wolf, he's turned it around in the last three. During the Flames current win streak, Cooley has stopped 100 of the Flames 104 shots faced, and this combined with his post-game interviews, he's become an absolute sensation on and off the ice.
It comes as no surprise then that Cooley has once again been named in the starters net, and while Dustin Wolf needs to get back into the net at some point, after how great Cooley has been as of late, this was the only decision for Ryan Huksa to make.
Devin Cooley starting tonight vs. Toronto.
— Pat Steinberg (@SteinbergYYC) October 26, 2026
Fourth consecutive start. #Flames
Whether this leads to the Flames trading Cooley for a haul at the deadline, him taking a major step back or pushing the Flames towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs race, only time will tell, but clearly Huska wants to ride the hot hand, and after shutting down Carolina, Minnesota and Detroit, Cooley faces another tough challenge in Toronto.
Mikael Backlund Likely to Return to the Calgary Flames Lineup
The other big piece of lineup news for the Flames is the return of captain Mikael Backlund, who has missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury suffered in the victory over the Hurricanes. In his place the last two has been Ben Jones, and while there's been flashes, the 27-year-old just didn't quite make the impact he had hoped, and now, he's been replaced by the captain who returns after a short stint on the sidelines.
Mikael Backlund is on the ice for morning skate with a regular jersey.
— Pat Steinberg (@SteinbergYYC) October 26, 2026
He's missed the last two games with an upper body injury. #Flames
Calgary haven't made that official as of yet, as Jones is still on the NHL roster and the team haven't made an announcement on social media, but as Pat Steinberg reports, he was on the ice in a regular jersey on Monday.
With the success the team have had in the last three games, bringing back a PK specialist and a leader like Backlund can only be a good thing, and if the team are to make it four-straight, he'll play a big role in that alongside Joel Farabee and Matt Coronato.
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