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"Means the world": Flames goalie Wolf came up big with grandma watching

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Apr 10 2024, 2:39 pm
"Means the world": Flames goalie Wolf came up big with grandma watching
Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf is still very early in his NHL career, but few moments will top what he was able to do last night.

Last night’s game against the San Jose Sharks served as the first NHL start for Wolf in his hometown. Though his parents couldn’t attend, he had plenty in attendance at the SAP Center to cheer him on. He certainly impressed, stopping 20 of 22 shots in what ended up a 3-2 overtime win for the Flames.

“Coming home on the trip is super enjoyable,” Wolf said postgame. “The goal on the trip is to get wins, and to get a win in front of my family is pretty special.”

While it was certainly special for the 22-year-old to have so many in the building, what seemed to mean the most was that his grandma was able to come and watch. It was her first time watching her grandson play in the NHL, which he was very proud of.

“This is the first time she’s gotten to see me play live in the NHL,” Wolf said. “I think she was pretty excited for this to happen. Obviously, my grandfather is looking down on us today, and I’m sure he’s cheering me on.”

Things weren’t going well for the Flames and Wolf early on, as William Eklund was able to put the Sharks up 1-0 less than midway through the first period, before Josh MacDonald extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second.

The Flames were able to battle back, however, thanks to goals from Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri later in the second frame to get things tied back up. Wolf turned into a brick wall from there on out, making several key saves for the remainder of the night.

This game wound up going to overtime, where the red-hot Andrei Kuzmenko was able to end it with his 10th goal in a Flames sweater.

“They care for each other, that’s the thing. They know when there’s an important night for someone, and this was one for Wolfie,” head coach Ryan Huska said afterward. “I thought he was good tonight. He didn’t get a lot of work in the second and third period, which I was happy with, but I thought when he had to make some saves he did a good job. He looked calm and composed tonight.”

With the win, the Flames record has improved to 35-37-5 on the season. Despite plenty of fans hoping to see losses to help their draft lottery odds, the team themselves will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow night in a game against the Los Angeles Kings.

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