Backlund scores pair, Wolf shines again in goal as Flames continue to keep sights on wildcard contention
The Calgary Flames may not be great the rest of this season, but they could be fun.
Those watching their 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at the Saddledome on Saturday would probably agree.
Dustin Wolf won his second straight game. Prospect Daniil Miromanov scored his second goal as a member of the Flames after escaping the blueline logjam in Vegas. And captain Mikael Backlund was on the brink of a natural hat-trick after helping his team stake a two-goal lead in a span of less than four minutes spanning late first period and the first shift of the second.
After some ugly losses following a slightly soul-sucking NHL trade deadline, the Flames have rebounded with a couple of efforts that show some of the potential of this team in transition.
Beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in Noah Hanifin’s return was a nice response in snapping a three-game losing skid that was as demeaning as anything they’ve experienced this season.
On Saturday, they bounced back with a killer third period after watching a 3-0 lead evaporate over the second half of the middle frame.
Here are a few quick takeaways from the contest, which left the longshot Flames six points behind in a wildcard race that may live up to its name in the Western Conference.
Miromanov was a great find by Flames GM
He’s 26 years old and getting his first real opportunity to play extended hockey and important minutes in the NHL. But that’s more a product of where he was playing prior to the trade that brought him to the Calgary Flames. He’s not much younger than Hanifin, the player he’ll always be linked to after the deadline trade with the Golden Knights, but Miromanov has quickly shown he’s an offensive threat now that he’s out of the defensively stacked Golden Knights organization.
He is just the fifth defenceman in Flames history to score two goals in his first five games with the team. Phil Housley last did it back in 1995.
The leash will be long for Miromanov as the team pushes him to see what they’ve got in what looks like a solid late-blooming prospect in a better position to succeed with his new franchise.
Wolf was a howling success in goal … again
For much of the first couple of periods, despite the fact the Flames scored thrice, it was the Montreal Canadiens that seemed to be more of an offensive threat. But the Flames’ rookie goaltender was up to the challenge and looked comfortable and confident in his second straight start, his third straight appearance after coming on in relief of Dan Vladar in the loss to the Colorado Avalanche this week.
Wolf made 36 stops — including a cross-crease beauty in the third period — to backstop the Flames against the Habs.
The confluence of events of lowered expectations following the trade deadline, Jacob Markstrom’s injury and the need to find out what Wolf can do at the NHL level has led to a perfect opportunity for the prospect.
Backlund’s back-to-back goals got the team going
From the time he scored his second goal of the game just 11 seconds into the second period, people in the stands and on the internet were rooting for their veteran captain to get the hat-trick. You can bet his teammates felt the same way.
Backlund continues to be the unheralded emotional backbone of the team.
And it wasn’t just Backlund making an impact among the veterans, who are key to keeping things positive and helping the team maintain a hungry environment.
Nazem Kadri scored an insurance marker early in the third before Miromanov’s nail in the coffin. Kadri also had an assist on Martin Pospisil’s second-period tally. Jonathan Huberdeau had a pair of assists, and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar continued to build on his impressive season with three more assists.
They’re all keys to the Flames brass believing they can make their rebuild relatively quick and painless.
