The Calgary Flames were able to take down one of the NHL’s best in the New York Rangers by a 3-2 final last night. It was an impressive effort from a group who at times has struggled to score, particularly early in games. That wasn’t the case in this one, and played a big part in why they walked away with two points.
Related: 5 Flames Players Not Named Kuzmenko Who Could Be Traded
With the win, the Flames have improved to 11-6-3 as they continue to shock the hockey world. Though many still believe this won’t last, the compete level they bring on a nightly basis suggests to this writer that they very well could be in the playoff hunt right until the end. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Dominating Start
The Flames figured to be in tough against a high-flying Rangers team last night, but it was the Rangers who appeared in trouble early on. The Flames not only left the first period up a goal, but threw a ridiculous 20 shots at Igor Shesterkin.
The Flames continued to pepper Shesterkin in the second, and were rewarded once again with a power play goal from Yegor Sharangovich. They did wind up letting their foot off the gas late resulting in two Rangers goals, but even still found themselves with 36 shots after two. Should they be able to keep that up going forward, they could find themselves with comfy leads more often than not.
Huberdeau Hits 500 Assists
Though Jonathan Huberdeau’s tenure with the Flames has been far from perfect, last night served as a great reminder of the outstanding career he’s had. The 31-year-old recorded the primary assist on Connor Zary’s game-winning goal in the third period, marking the 500th of his career.
The assists, and points overall, haven’t been piling up for Huberdeau like they did for so many years with the Florida Panthers, though he has been a lot better this season than the stat sheet shows. By no means is he coming close to living up to his contract, but he deserves a ton of credit for the way he’s continued to compete and improve his two-way game since coming to Calgary. It’s quite the testament to his character, and shows that he still has a desire to win hockey games and help contribute in any way he can.
Wolf Continues to Win Games
Things were rather quiet for Dustin Wolf until late in the second when the Rangers were able to score two goals just 16 seconds apart. The horn for the intermission couldn’t have sounded quicker for the Flames, though they were still struggling to fight off the Rangers early in the third.
Thankfully, they had Wolf kicking as he has so often this season, making a number of big saves early in the final frame to keep things tied. That was all the group needed, as they got back on track a short time later and were able to limit the Rangers scoring chances for the remainder of the game. With the win, Wolf now sits at 8-2-1 on the season.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
With last night’s win, the Flames are now riding a three-game winning streak, marking their best stretch since starting the season out 4-0-0. They will be looking to make it four on Saturday afternoon, though it won’t be an easy task against what has been a surprisingly good Minnesota Wild team.
Related: Flames Have Potential Center Ice Trade Target on the Predators
The game against the Wild will be the Flames’ last of what has been a four-game homestand. Next week will see them head on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins, all of which are winnable games, particularly given how good they’ve been playing as of late.
