The Calgary Flames ruined the end of Florida Panthers‘ fans’ Black Friday with a comeback 5-3 victory, outscoring the Panthers 5-1 after allowing two goals in the first three minutes of the game.
Related: Flames Fight Back From Early Deficit to Beat the Panthers
It was the Flames’ fourth win in their last five games, and they now have 11 of a possible 16 points over their previous eight games. With the team continuing to play better, much more consistently, let’s discuss what we can take away from another big win.
Two Firsts on the Blue Line
After falling behind 2-0 within the first three minutes of the game, Yan Kuznetzov created a controlled zone entry, and right after crossing the blue line, he confidently stepped into a shot and beat Daniil Tarasov clean to get the Flames back within one, and gain some momentum in a game that could have gotten out of hand early.
This was the first goal of Kuznetzov’s young career with the Flames after 13 games since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Following the game, in his post-game interview, he said it “felt pretty good getting the first one out of the way,” and mentioned that his confidence is growing now that he has spent an extended period with the Flames in the NHL.
The other first on the blue line was not quite as significant. However, MacKenzie Weegar finally found the back of the net for the first time this season. Following the game, he said, “It feels good, and I hope that sparks something for me offensively and can start contributing more on the offensive side.” But, before that, Weegar cited Kuznetsov’s goal as the turning point in that game.
Nazem Kadri Snaps Goalless Streak
Before this game against the Panthers, Nazem Kadri had gone ten straight games without a goal. It was not for lack of effort, either, as he had 28 shots on net and 19 high-danger chances over that stretch.
Despite having three multi-point games and seven assists over this goalless stretch, you could tell he was motivated to contribute more. He put up another dominant offensive performance with a goal and two assists, 11 shot attempts, seven scoring chances, and three high-danger chances.
Kadri’s goal came when he deflected home a Rasmus Andersson point shot, after a long, hardworking shift in the offensive zone where the Flames won battles on the boards to set up the chance.
It’s fitting that this was the way Kadri broke through after a long stretch of creating a ton of chances but failing to find the back of the net. It showed his work ethic, and after the game, he said that goal “pretty much summed up how we wanted to play.”
Another Huge Performance From Devin Cooley
Many people, including me, were critical of Devin Cooley as the backup entering this season. However, over the past two months, he has made a case that he could be this team’s starting goaltender if it weren’t for Dustin Wolf signing a massive contract extension in the offseason.
In this game against the Panthers, he stopped 37 of 40 shots, made eight high-danger saves, and saved 3.03 goals above expected. Even with five goals on the board, without Cooley’s masterful performance, the Flames probably would have lost this game.
Now through nine games (six starts), Cooley has a .930 save percentage, which is the third-best save percentage of any goalie to make five starts, and has saved 7.37 goals above expected, which is the ninth-most in the NHL.
Earlier, I was ready to give Wolf a pass, saying the Flames were having defensive issues in front of him. However, with Cooley getting more time and dominating in the net recently, it’s getting harder and harder to believe that excuse.
While a lot of the focus was on the offensive side tonight, Cooley definitely deserves a ton of credit for this victory, and it boggles my mind that he wasn’t named one of the three stars in this game.
What’s Next for the Flames?
This was the fifth game of a stretch where the Flames are playing seven of eight on the road. So far, they are 4-2-0 through this challenging part of the schedule. They will close this trip with matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
After this win, the Flames are only six points out of a playoff spot. If they can find a win in one of these two to close the trip, and then stay hot over their upcoming four-game homestand, this team could find itself right back in the playoff mix, despite the hockey world calling for them to sell everything valuable on their roster.
