Flames collapse in third period as ugly start reaches 0-2.

For two periods Saturday night, the Calgary Flames appeared to have produced the response they needed after an ugly season opener. Instead, the third period turned another promising opportunity into another defeat. Calgary carried a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes at Rogers Arena before Vancouver scored four unanswered goals to win 4-1, dropping the Flames to 0-2. Matt Coronato supplied Calgary’s only offence with a first-period power-play goal, while Devin Cooley stopped 22 shots in his first start of the season.

The collapse came quickly. Liam Öhgren tied the game just 1:28 into the third after video review confirmed his rebound had crossed the goal line, and defenceman Elias Pettersson soon put Vancouver ahead. Drew O’Connor converted a two-on-one with 3:27 remaining before Aatu Räty added an empty-netter 43 seconds later. The finish erased what had been a much more structured Calgary performance through 40 minutes: the Flames outshot Vancouver 11-5 in the opening period and kept the Canucks scoreless through two before being outshot 12-5 in the third.

Two games do not define a season, but the numbers already give Calgary reason for concern. The Flames have been outscored 10-2 after opening with a 6-1 loss to Seattle and have yet to score at even strength. More troubling Saturday was that Calgary played well enough to carry a lead into the third and still walked away without a point. The Flames get an immediate opportunity to respond Sunday night in Seattle, where the focus will be less on style points than on proving this young roster can turn stretches of good hockey into a complete 60-minute performance — and finally put its first points of the season on the board.