The Calgary Flames couldn’t have asked for more from Dustin Wolf than what he’s provided early on this season.
The 23-year-old was facing a fair bit of pressure heading into the season with Jacob Markstrom out of the picture, and through his first nine starts, he’s shown he’s up for the challenge.
Last night was Wolf’s best effort yet, as, after just missing out on his first-career shutout in his last start versus the LA Kings, he was able to pick one in a fantastic outing against the Nashville Predators.
Wolf stopped all 29 shots he faced, a number of which were Grade A opportunities for the Predators. One in particular that comes to mind was a save on Gustav Nyquist in the first period, where he stretched out every inch of his 6-foot frame to ensure the puck stayed out of the net.
Dustin Wolf bails out MacKenzie Weegar who gives the puck away on the power play.
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/4hojHHz2Fg
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) November 16, 2024
“[Nyquist] was saying he didn’t think my legs were that long,” Wolf said when asked about the conversation he and Nyquist had following that save. “The puck just got stuck on my skate. I don’t know if he was just being a nice guy and not jamming my leg in, but I might need to get in a couple extra stretches in [tonight] after that.”
While Daniil Miromanov was able to score not only his first as a Flame but the game winner, the conversation after this one all about Wolf.
“We’re over the moon happy for him,” head coach Ryan Huska said. “He was so close in his last start, and for him to put in another great effort, it was nice to see him get rewarded with his first shutout.
“When he is on, he beats the play a lot. He’s in position and he makes hard saves look relatively easy, and then it’s the rebound control a lot of times. He seems to know where he’s putting [rebounds] when he’s on, but I think his biggest strength is how he reads the play. He arrives on his feet when most goaltenders would be sliding over to make a save.”
After a bit of a shaky showing with the Flames to close out the 2023-24 season, Wolf looks like the goalie so many in Calgary have been excited about the past few years. His play is impressing not only the fanbase but his teammates, who feel very comfortable with him between the pipes.
“He’s quick in the net, he sees the puck well, he moves the puck well. He has a lot of confidence in his game and he’s calm back there. You knew that he was going to be an NHL goaltender at some [point]. I thought they did a good job keeping him down in the minors, getting his confidence up, and obviously winning a ton down there does a lot for a goalie. He’s a hell of a goalie, great teammate, great player, and we’re lucky to have him.”
With the win, the Flames have upped their record to a solid 9-6-3 on the season. They’ll now have a much-deserved three days off before trying to improve upon that on Tuesday night versus the New York Islanders.
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