Both Calgary Flames netminders Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf have yet to lose a game
Dan Vladar won in Vancouver and Edmonton. Sandwiched between those starts was Dustin Wolf's incredibly steady performance in the Calgary Flames season opener.
So what's next?
Flames head coach Ryan Huska wouldn't put a percentage on it, but said after Saturday's Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Saddledome that a hot hand will factor into decisions on who to start.
So, too, will things like workload for back-to-backs, three-in-fours, and historical performance against opponents.
On Sunday, two of those factors came into play, with Vladar's impressive play against the Edmonton Oilers the last couple of years, and the fact it was the Flames' second game in as many nights, led to Vladar's second start of the year for the Flames' first Battle of Alberta this season.
Only Oilers newcomer Jeff Skinner scored — officially — with the game's opening goal early in the first period. Goals by Corey Perry a little later in the first, and former Flames forward Derek Ryan early in the second were both called off. A long review determined that Perry's presence in the crease was enough to cause a disturbance. The coach's challenge on the Ryan goal showed the play was offside.
A little lucky? Maybe. But Vladar had a .962 save percentage in the 4-1 win, and made 25 stops against a provincial rival that made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
It was quite a followup to Wolf's season debut on Saturday, where he made 37 saves against the Flyers.
"I thought (Vladar) was very good tonight," Huska said after the Edmonton game, mentioning some saves he made on pucks he couldn't see and some timely stops along the way, too.
The Flames host the Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night before a long break ahead of Saturday's road game in Seattle. It makes the next decision interesting. Do you play Wolf again at home to give them both two starts before the lull? Does Vladar play a third in four games to give him his first home start?
You could argue both deserve it based on the hot glove approach.