Flames Takeaways From Solid Win Over Kings

It seems criminal to take away what looked like an incredible save by Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf in the dying minutes of their 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the Saddledome on Monday.

Wolf played well enough for the shutout, but settled for his fifth win of the season while splitting starts with teammate Dan Vladar. The only save of the 29 he attempted that didn’t stick was as impressive as any he’s made that counted this season. Wolf went post-to-post, then back again to get his glove on a puck labelled for the top shelf.

Video review showed that it most likely crossed the line, although the NHL really should do something about conclusively illustrating the puck crossing the line given all the technology available these days.

Adding to the turmoil was that the penalties handed out after the stoppage stood — leaving the Flames having to kill a penalty almost to the buzzer.

It didn’t matter, especially after Kevin Rooney’s first of the year went into the empty net to secure the victory, but Wolf continues to prove he’s a legitimate NHL goaltender in spite of his small stature. And he might become a star someday.

“I thought he was awesome tonight. I was hoping that, one, he could have maybe found a way to keep (that goal) out, because he deserved not to let anything get by him, the way he was playing tonight,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska told media members after the game. “Really good effort from him, I thought he was a guy that gave our team a lot of confidence in front of him tonight.”

Mikael Backlund scored the game’s first goal in the second period and Wolf assisted on Jonathan Huberdeau’s sixth of the season later in the frame before Trevor Moore’s shot at an open net hit Wolf’s glove just inside the net, according to the NHL’s situation room.

Wolf moved to 5-2-1 on the season. Vladar will likely start on Tuesday in the second of back-to-back game nights, but Wolf has definitely earned another start on Friday when the Flames host the Nashville Predators.

Related: Flames’ Anthony Mantha Out for the Season with ACL Injury, Trade Potential Impacted

Centres in the spotlight

People are starting to wonder when Connor Zary will get his chance to try out at centre, but it might be time to consider that he might just be better off as a winger.

The dynamic 23-year-old was dangerous again on Nazem Kadri’s flank on Monday night, showing off his ability to dangle the puck like it’s on a string a couple of times. But he’s also strong in puck battles on the boards and growing in confidence, and it might be better to grow that part of his game before throwing different responsibilities at him down the middle — especially if Flames management is still unsure whether they view him as a full-time pivot for the future.

“Connor was very fast early on, that’s maybe the quickest I’ve seen him look at the NHL level,” Huska said, adding that he thought Zary and Andrei Kuzmenko had an impact in the win.

Meanwhile, Martin Pospisil was back in the middle between Jonathan Huberdeau and Kuzmenko after a break from the centre experiment the last couple of weeks. Pospisil may not be the best fit for a second or third-line pivot, but for now he may be the better option for development there.

Yegor Sharangovich wasn’t an ideal fit down the middle last season and seems to be destined for a longer stretch on the wing now that he’s returned from his pre-season injury. Like Zary, it might benefit Sharangovich to stay on the wing until he starts producing regularly again.

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