Dustin Wolf Relief Effort Falls Short After Devin Cooley Injury
Dustin Wolf stopped 20 of 23 shots in 40 minutes of relief duty as the Calgary Flames had their four-game win streak snapped in a 2-0 loss. The defeat dropped Calgary to 5-7-0 on the season after the team had previously won five of their last six outings.
The goaltending shift occurred late in the opening frame. Devin Cooley stopped eight of nine shots before sustaining a lower-body injury following a crease collision with Edmonton Oilers forward Colton Dach with 12 seconds remaining in the first period.
Colton Dach Collision Forces Goalie Change
Cooley had started all four games of Calgary’s recent winning run prior to the collision. Dach received a goalkeeper interference penalty on the play, which paved the way for Wolf to take over the net at the start of the second period.
You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, let alone a guy that’s been playing some of his best hockey,
Wolf said after the game. It’s unfortunate, we have to try and build around it and not rely on one guy, we’re a whole group in here, that’s how we have to play. We’ll just come back in here tomorrow, it’s a new day and focus on Friday.
I mean, I hate going out for the second period and seeing him not lead their team out,
Dach said. I’m just trying to take it to the net and create a chance.
But really unfortunate that he got hurt.
That’s part of my game, getting to front of the net.
Obviously, I don’t want to take a goalie out.
That’s not my intent.
But being hard below the net, in the crease and just trying to get a goal that way.
Mathieu Joseph and Mattias Ekholm Seal Edmonton Win
Edmonton capitalized early when Mathieu Joseph scored on the team’s first shot of the night at 7:46 of the first period. Connor McDavid delivered a pass from the right dot across the slot for Joseph to tuck underneath Cooley’s right arm.
Mattias Ekholm doubled the lead at 4:52 of the second period, scoring with a wrist shot from the point that beat Wolf over his left shoulder and went in off the crossbar. Ekholm was returning to the Oilers lineup after missing two games with a concussion.
Flames coach Ryan Huska evaluated the matchup as a tight, physical contest. For two periods it was a really hard game, there was not a lot of room on the ice, it was more of a grind-type game,
Huska said. Certain players, I felt, for us could have been much harder than they were tonight in those types of situations and that might have been a result of the sporadic going-to-the-net-harder type of thing.
I thought we were a little too much in the perimeter, on the outside today compared to other games,
Backlund said. We didn’t get enough traffic and bodies around.
We got enough shots, but I think that’s something we’ve done well lately and it’s something that we can do better than we did today.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Flames and Oilers Matchup
What was Dustin Wolf’s final save total in relief?
Dustin Wolf stopped 20 of 23 shots faced across 40 minutes of relief duty after replacing the injured Devin Cooley.
How many games had Calgary won prior to this loss?
The Flames had won four consecutive games and five of their previous six contests before falling to the Oilers.
Who scored the opening goal for Edmonton?
Mathieu Joseph scored the game’s first goal at 7:46 of the first period off an assist from Connor McDavid.
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