These are the losses you look back on.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were rolling as of last Saturday night, having ripped off four straight victories and six wins in their last seven games.
After only winning twice in the second of a back-to-back last year, they were gunning for their third straight win in that situation already this season when they entered Sunday's game against the New York Islanders.
Then they got off on the wrong foot, found their game and took the lead, only to lose in the most heartbreaking of ways, allowing two goals 29 seconds apart in the final 1:07.
Columbus nearly stole two points. Instead, the Islanders stole them right back, without the Blue Jackets so much as coming away with one. Three out of four points on a weekend back-to-back would have been acceptable. They settled for two out of four.
The Islanders are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, and though they have the same amount of points as Columbus, are seated right ahead of them.
The Islanders outshot Columbus 18-3 in the first period and only led 1-0 entering the second period. The Blue Jackets tied it in the second and took a 2-1 lead in the third period, but the Islanders kept the shot barrage on Elvis Merzlikins, and the dam finally broke.
Maybe that was the schedule loss that you hear about: a road game on a back-to-back. After the way Columbus relinquished the lead late, got severely outshot 39-22 and outchanced 36-25, coming away with no points after nearly stealing two is brutal. You'd expect a better effort against the league's worst team three days later. New York doubled up on expected goals in all situations, 4.62-2.77.
Next up on the road trip gauntlet: the annual Western Canadian swing.
With 10 points, the Calgary Flames are staring up at the rest of the league from the bottom of the NHL standings. After winning their first game of the year, the Flames lost eight straight, won, and then lost three straight. Calgary beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Nov. 2.
Before Wednesday's puck drop in Calgary, there was a pregame ceremony honoring Nazem Kadri for playing his 1,000th game. Then the Flames were up 2-0 by 1:32 of the first period.
Kirill Marchenko stayed hot with his sixth goal — first career shorthanded goal — to get Columbus back within a goal.
Columbus was pushing the pace in the early parts of the second period before the Flames scored twice more in 37 seconds to take a 4-1 lead and win 5-1.
Bad games happen. But for a team that missed the playoffs by two points last season, these are the games you look to where you can wonder what if?
"The second period got away from us because we allowed it to get away from us," head coach Dean Evason said after Wednesday's loss.
"We had seven scoring chances in that second period before they scored that first goal in the second. One thing we've praised our group about all year is that we haven't shot ourselves and got out of hockey games.
"When you get down three goals, you're not giving yourself an opportunity — and we did not do that. They're a desperate hockey club. They were doing everything to keep it out of the net."
There are also games the Blue Jackets are going to win, whether in comeback fashion or get outplayed according to the analytics, but find a way to win on the scoreboard.
Last year at this time, the Blue Jackets lost six straight from Nov. 1-12, including five straight road games with four on a west coast road trip.
In the short era under Evason, we've seen his teams work hard and overcome adversity. It's time for the team to turn the page and salvage the road trip before bad-break losses turn into something more.
The next opportunity for two points is on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
