Four down, four to go.
The Calgary Flames hit the halfway mark of their tuneup schedule Wednesday, albeit in losing fashion, falling 3-1 to the Vancouver Canucks in pre-season action in Abbotsford, B.C.
On a night that most of Calgary’s big names remained at home, backup goalie candidate Ivan Prosvetov was the best-of-the-bunch for the road team.
Connor Zary found the back of the net on the man-advantage, fellow forwards Martin Pospisil and Joel Farabee earned the assists and it was a relief to see blue-liner Jake Bean return after he initially appeared to be injured on a heavy hit.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s contest, with a round of cuts likely looming before the Flames hit the ice next …
Strong grade for the goalie
Calgary’s top performer against the Canucks? It was, without question, the puck-stopper.
With 28 saves in Abbotsford, Prosvetov bolstered his case to be Dustin Wolf’s backup.
Your move, Devin Cooley.
“I thought he was solid all game,” praised Flames coach Ryan Huska. “There was a few point-blank saves that he made.”
Some of the best? We’re glad you asked.
The 26-year-old Prosvetov, signed this summer as a free agent after spending last season back home in the KHL, denied Filip Chytil on a breakaway.
He stoned Max Sasson as he tried to finish off a tic-tac-toe passing play, then showed great anticipation so he was squared up to face one-timers from Arshdeep Bains and MacKenzie MacEachern.
In the final seconds of the middle frame, the Flames’ masked man made a sprawling save on Nils Aman. We loved the call from Sportsnet 960 The Fan’s Derek Wills, who described it as ‘a snow angel.’ Well put.
Prosvetov has now turned aside 53-of-58 shots in two pre-season starts. While he posted underwhelming numbers in previous NHL stints with the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche, you can see why he was high on the Flames’ list of potential replacements for Dan Vladar.
“I never look too far ahead,” said Prosvetov, who was 20-16-2 last season for CSKA Moscow, at the outset of training camp. “I just try my best, show my game. I know that I’m already kind of building my game. I don’t want to change, you know? I’ve been the starting goalie for one of the best teams in Russia, played many games there, and I was ‘The Guy.’
“Here, the role is going to change, for sure. I know that. But I think I’m a good goalie and I have a lot to show.”
An almost-birthday bury
It was a bit of a surprise to see Zary’s name on Wednesday’s road roster.
He is one of just four Flames to suit up for a hat-trick of exhibition appearances already this fall. The others on that list — Sam Honzek, Rory Kerins and Sam Morton — are all aiming to steal a spot.
Zary did, however, make it worth his trip.
Just a few hours before his 24th birthday, he converted a power-play goal from the edge of the blue paint.
If you were keeping a checklist of the forwards that must provide more offence for the Flames during the coming campaign, it’s certainly encouraging that they’ve all managed to light the lamp during exhibition action.
Morgan Frost? Check. In fact, he’s potted a pair.
Yegor Sharangovich? Check.
Farabee? Check.
And now Zary … Check.
The reason we’re seeing so much of No. 47 might be that the Flames are trying to determine where he is best slotted in the lineup. On Wednesday, Zary was reunited with Pospisil, with Kerins working as their middle-man.
And how about the reason that we’re seeing so much of Morton?
It’s because the 26-year-old centre — a candidate for a fourth-line job — has really impressed the coaches and management. Huska mentioned him twice in Wednesday’s post-game scrum. He also shouted-out Dryden Hunt.
“It’s the time of the year where every practice, there’s 40 people watching them. Every game, there’s 40 people watching them play,” Huska told reporters in Abbotsford after Wednesday’s loss. “So it’s an opportunity every time you come to the rink. And when you get that chance, you want to take advantage of it. I think that’s the biggest thing, and someone like Sam Morton has been a good example of a guy who really has. He’s made people take notice of him in this camp.”
Rough night for rearguard
When Jeremie Poirier was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2022-23, he was widely viewed as the Flames’ best blue-line prospect.
If he’s going to eventually earn an NHL call-up, he’s now going to need to do some serious leapfrogging on the organizational depth chart.
The 23-year-old Poirier was tapped Wednesday for his first exhibition audition of the fall — it’s never a good sign when you’re scratched on split-squad night — and this wasn’t an ideal showcase.
The lefty rearguard nearly notched an early assist, putting a shot in a prime spot for a dangerous deflection by Zary. But then he was sitting in the penalty-box for Vancouver’s first goal, was unable to thwart a pass on the second and was screening his own netminder as a penalty-killer on the third.
Poirier, who was partnered Wednesday with Bean, led the Wranglers with 37 assists last season, but the challenge has always been to prove he can play a more reliable and well-rounded game. Since Zayne Parekh will be quarterbacking PP1 for years to come, Poirier’s offensive instincts will only take him so far in this city.
“I think what we saw from Jeremie in this camp was what we need to see from him,” Huska said prior to Wednesday’s contest, offering a positive review of Poirier’s work in practices. “A lot always gets made about being in a so-called third group, especially when you’ve been around for a little bit. But he was very edgy and competitive in that group, and that’s something that we want to see him take into the game.
“That’s what we need to see, because he’s a very skilled player. He has tons of talent with the puck. It’s just a matter of finding another level to that.”