Calgary Flames Secure 2-1 Victory Over Minnesota Wild
Goaltender Devin Cooley makes 36 saves as the Calgary Flames claim their second straight home win.
The Calgary Flames secured a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at the Saddledome, lifting themselves out of the league basement with their second consecutive home win. Goaltender Devin Cooley put on a stellar performance, stopping 36 shots to preserve the lead through a tense final stretch.
Calgary set the tone early in the first period, capitalizing on special teams with two power-play goals. Aydar Suniev opened the scoring with his third goal of the season, marking his first career power-play tally, with 9:11 remaining in the frame. Just over three minutes later, Joel Farabee capitalized on a rebound to double the lead against Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, who finished with 20 saves.
The Wild pushed back in the third period, with Michael McCarron finding the back of the net. Minnesota applied heavy pressure in the final seconds, with Matt Boldy, Jared Spurgeon, Kirill Kaprizov, and Danila Yurov all firing shots at the Calgary net. Cooley ultimately weathered the barrage, lying on his back as time expired to secure the win.
Reflecting on his performance and the team's early-season struggles, Cooley shrugged off external criticism regarding the franchise's draft lottery prospects. "Everyone counted us out and we’ve gone head-to-head with two of the top teams in the league these past two games," the 29-year-old goaltender stated.
The Flames improved their record to 3-6-0 following a difficult start that saw them drop their opening five games. Forward Ryan Strome noted that the team has successfully identified a functional foundation after a rocky opening stretch. "We don’t have the offensive firepower that other teams do. We have to play the game a certain way. We didn’t really have that framework early, but we’ve got it going now," Strome explained.
Calgary played without captain Mikael Backlund, who missed the contest due to a day-to-day upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Ben Jones made his season debut for the Flames after previously playing for Minnesota. Head coach Ryan Huska praised his team's improved puck movement and clean zone entries during the power play, which has shown significant progress in recent games.
Looking ahead, the Minnesota Wild will travel to face Seattle on Saturday night. The Calgary Flames will continue their homestand by hosting the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.