The Calgary Flames played their second game of the regular season against the Vancouver Canucks last night. They finished with a final score of 5-1, bringing their record to 1-1-0, with their only goal coming from Morgan Frost. Here are three takeaways from last night’s game, and how they can affect the Flames going forward.
Dustin Wolf Has a Lot Of Work Ahead
Last night was not one of Dustin Wolf’s better showings, allowing five goals against on 26 shots (.808 save percentage). While you could write one of those goals off – this will be discussed later, in the second takeaway – this isn’t a great demonstration by someone who is trying to prove himself as one of the NHL’s next best goalies. A lot of his weaknesses in this game could and should be attributed to his workload. This was the second game of a back-to-back with travel, both of which he has started. The last game, a win against the Edmonton Oilers, finished in a lengthy shootout – even more work for a goalie than a normal effort.
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There are also rumours that Wolf is likely to start the Flames’ third game of the season, their home opener on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. Three games in four days is a lot of work even for a veteran starter in midseason form, let alone a sophomore goalie in the first four days of the season. While Wolf has already set the standard high, it might not be reasonable to expect the same level of performance for a few games if the workload is going to increase this much. A bad night is never what the fans or the players want, but if he plays 65 games, it’s going to happen more often. Devin Cooley, the Flames’ backup goaltender for now, has not exactly proven that he can outplay Wolf, even on his best nights – or Wolf’s worst ones.
Kevin Bahl Missed 17 Minutes
Wolf’s second goal against was a fluke that every goalie would fall victim to. Defender Kevin Bahl was by the net, boxing out Canucks from the crease on one side. The puck took an unfortunate bounce as it left the stick of a Canuck and hit Bahl in the face, knocking him to the ice. All the Flames, including Wolf, reacted to Bahl’s injury as if there was a stoppage, even though the whistle hadn’t blown – and in that moment, Filip Chytil scored to pull Vancouver ahead. Bahl was escorted off the ice and did not return.
Kevin Bahl, Calgary Flames (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
While there’s hope that Bahl’s injury was not severe, it’s not promising that he failed to return to the Flames’ bench or ice in the time after his injury. Calgary’s defence, especially its left-handed group, is already thin, and if Bahl were to miss significant time, it would render it even thinner. It’s likely that someone like MacKenzie Weegar would have to play his weak side, a temporary fix at best.
Morgan Frost Looks More Settled In Calgary Already
One of the only bright spots on a rough night for the Flames was Morgan Frost. Frost, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers last season, had a difficult time adjusting to the change and put up terrible numbers in his Calgary tenure. This season, however, it’s already looking different, as he scored the Flames’ only goal during the third period. He also had some excellent puck touches throughout the game, including driving the Flames’ best line (Frost-Joel Farabee-Yegor Sharangovich) and not being on for a goal against.
What’s Next For The Flames?
The Flames let this one get away from them. After this game, their record is now 1-1-0. Their next game is on Saturday, Oct. 11, their home opener against the St. Louis Blues.
