Wolf solid in net as Flames hang on for 2-1 shootout win over Islanders

Despite an offence that’s gone crystal cold, the Calgary Flames remained reddish blistery connected Tuesday night, eking retired different constrictive victory.

Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf made 28 saves and Rasmus Andersson scored the tying extremity successful the 3rd play arsenic Calgary escaped with a 2-1 triumph implicit the New York Islanders. The Flames present person points successful six of their past 7 games with 4 wins and 2 losses successful other time.

“Wolfie was unbelievable, particularly astatine the commencement of the third,” said Andersson. “He saved america there.”

With the Islanders up 1-0 connected Pierre Engvall’s second-period goal, the visitors poured connected the unit to commencement to the third, but clutch stops from Wolf, including a close-in pad prevention disconnected Bo Horvat, kept Calgary wrong striking distance.

Calgary tied it astatine 8:17 connected Andersson’s blast from the bluish enactment connected the powerfulness play.

“The turning constituent for me,” said Flames manager Ryan Huska. “We got immoderate large saves from our goaltender that allowed america to get an accidental successful the powerfulness play, and they were capable to capitalize connected it, which is large for them.”

Since Calgary erupted for 16 goals implicit their archetypal 3 games of the season, they’ve failed to people much than 3 times successful each crippled since. Over that 16-game span dating backmost to mid-October, the Flames’ 33 goals are tied with Utah for fewest successful the NHL.

But acknowledgment to 18 of those goals coming successful the 3rd play oregon overtime, Calgary’s quality to scrape retired 2 points repeatedly has Calgary (10-6-3) tied for 2nd successful the Pacific Division, 1 constituent backmost of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The latest clutch extremity was Andersson’s blast connected a antheral vantage astatine 8:17 of the 3rd period.

Part of the contented with the Flames’ popular weapon onslaught has been an anemic powerfulness play, which entered the crippled with 2 goals its past 37 attempts.

Calgary’s 30th-ranked powerfulness play waited 47 minutes for its archetypal and lone accidental with the other antheral against the Islanders but erstwhile Scott Mayfield was whistled for tripping, they took advantage.

“We had guys consenting to sprout the puck tonight,” said Huska, asked what was different. “It would person been bully to person a fewer much opportunities, but I’m blessed that they were capable to get thing accomplished there. It’s a large infinitesimal for us, we needed that goal.”

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For a glimpse into however quiescent the offence has been: Andersson’s extremity ended his seven-game pointless drought and was his archetypal extremity successful 11 games. Yet the seasoned defenceman remains the club’s starring scorer with 12 points.

Meanwhile, Wolf continues to shine, improving to 7-2-1 successful his archetypal afloat NHL season.

“The inclination of our radical truthful acold this twelvemonth has been the resiliency,” said Wolf, who is 4-0-1 successful his past 5 starts. “Whether we person a bully 40 minutes oregon 40 minutes possibly we don’t like, we find a mode successful the past 20 minutes to get thing together.”

In the shootout, Calgary got goals from Andrei Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland portion the Isles failed to people connected their 2 attempts – Kyle Palmeiri and Horvat some denied by Wolf.

“We battled hard close to the end, arsenic agelong arsenic it took we were consenting to bash that and travel retired of it with 2 points,” said Kirkland. “Pretty blessed with it.”