The Calgary Flames are sticking Tuesday with their backup goalie. As they wrap their longest road-trip of the season in Nashville, Devin Cooley will once again be between the pipes.
That means that usual workhorse Dustin Wolf, barring a relief appearance against the Predators, will be idle for upwards of a week. Wolf was hooked last Wednesday in Tampa after surrendering three goals on only four shots, and Cooley has been tapped for three straight starts since then.
While the Flames’ second-stringer has been on a roll and ranks among the NHL’s save percentage leaders with a sparkling .931, it’s still a surprise to see such a lengthy lay-off for Wolf, who was a Calder Trophy finalist last season, signed a lucrative long-term extension during the summer and is widely considered to be their franchise cornerstone.
It’s not uncommon to ride the hot hand, but how long do the Flames want Wolf to be stewing over the stinker in Tampa, which leaves him with a 3.17 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in his 20 games this fall? He’s already been on yanked three occasions, including on a Nov. 1 visit to Nashville.
“I think (Cooley) has done an excellent job over the last little while, I really do, and I think he deserves an opportunity to go again,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska explained to reporters after morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. “Now, we know the type of goaltender that Dustin is and he’s going to get himself back in the net and most likely he’ll play against Minnesota when we get back home.
“But I do feel it’s important, not just for our goaltenders but for all of our players that when they go and play the right way and they help our team have success, I think they deserve opportunities. And he’s deserving, in my opinion.”
Huska added that he discussed the decision with both of his masked men, characterizing those as “good conversations.”
“You just want to make sure they understand where I’m coming from, at the end of the day,” he said. “And both are really good about it.”
The 28-year-old Cooley helped the Flames secure a point Sunday in Carolina, although his bid for his first career shutout was spoiled in three-on-three as the Hurricanes celebrated a 1-0 overtime victory.
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