Some huge saves at crucial times may not be what Dustin Wolf remembers when thinking back about the Calgary Flames’ 3-1 win over the LA Kings last night.
Wolf was spectacular in the Flames’ eighth win of the season, kicking aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced in the divisional matchup. He nearly had a shutout, though Trevor Moore was able to beat him with just minutes remaining.
Trevor Moore’s shot barely sneaks over the goal line, getting LA on the board late!#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/x2NEosXPxJ
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 12, 2024
Nonetheless, it was yet another solid performance from the 23-year-old.
“That was a full 60 minutes from our group. That’s what we should expect from ourselves,” Wolf said. “When we play like that, we [give] ourselves an opportunity to win each and every night.”
The Flames goaltender made several great saves to help preserve the win, perhaps none bigger than a breakaway save on Kevin Fiala in the first period of what was then a scoreless game.
Dustin Wolf stops Kevin Fiala on a breakaway! 🐺
🎥: Amazon Prime | NHL pic.twitter.com/dU7ng5FriS
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) November 12, 2024
Based on his reaction, however, all those saves may not have meant quite as much as picking up his first career assist on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal in the second period.
“That’s one,” Wolf said when asking if he was chasing Tom Barrasso, whose 48 career assists lead all NHL goaltenders. “We’ll see what happens.
“I didn’t even know [I assisted on the game-winner] until Huby said, ‘I think you let that in so you could be a part of the game-winner.’ That’s pretty cool. Glad we could get that win.”
Huberdeau’s goal, his sixth of the season, gave the Flames a two-goal lead early into the second period. It was a great effort from the 31-year-old to protect the puck from Kings defenceman Andreas Englund, though the real highlight was the pass from Andrei Kuzmenko.
What a goal by Jonathan Huberdeau! It’s 2-0 Flames! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EvC35xCM28
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) November 12, 2024
Kuzmenko was able to get his head up at his own blue line and send in Huberdeau on a partial breakaway. Still, it wasn’t enough to save him from getting ribbed afterward.
“It was fluttering a little bit,” a grinning Huberdeau said of Kuzmenko’s pass. “It was a good pass though. He’s a great player, he’s making a lot of plays. It was a great pass, and [I] was fortunate to get a breakaway.”
The Flames have a quick turnaround, as they are set to face the Vancouver Canucks tonight at Rogers Arena. It’s always a big matchup when going against a divisional opponent, and this one is even bigger given that the Flames are trying to continue what is a current four-game point streak.
- You might also like:
- Flames drop devastating injury update for Anthony Mantha