Cats Scratched Fever

Wolf gets shutout as Flames blank Panthers 3-0

By Ty Pilson

@typilson CalgaryFlames.com

December 15, 2024

Staring down former Flame Sam Bennett on a breakaway in the third period with his team up 2-0, Dustin Wolf made his biggest save of the night robbing his five-hole attempt and stopping a bouncing rebound.

Not long after, captain Mikael Backlund would score to extend the lead, as the Flames beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 3-0 Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Wolf was simply stellar as he recorded his second-career shutout in the tilt, finishing with 32 saves. He is 8-1-0 om 'Dome ice.

The last goaltender selected in the 2019 draft (seventh round, 214th overall), Wolf won the dual between the pipes against his former American World Juniors teammate Spencer Knight, who was the first 'tender taken that year, 13th overall in the first round. Knight made 24 stops.

Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames, who improved to 15-11-5 on the season in a massive bounce-back game after losing 8-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday evening.

"It was a really good game by us, from the start to the finish," said Backlund. "We didn’t give them much and when we did, Wolfie was really good. The whole team played really solid tonight, it was the response we wanted and needed.

It was also a milestone night for a couple of Calgary players, MacKenzie Weegar skating in his 500^th game against his former team, while Joel Hanley played his 200^th tilt.

Three game-puck giveaways and immaculate vibes all around!

Couple of milestones for the boys! pic.twitter.com/LdtYa6tl4r
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 15, 2024

Kadri would get the Flames on the board with another highlight-reel gem, stripping Dmitri Kulikov deep in the Panthers zone, then going backhand-forehand and wrapping the puck around the outstretched right pad of Knight at 8:57.

Martin Pospisil had been all over Kulikov harassing him before the takeaway.

It as Kadri’s third goal in as many games.

Kadri makes a RIDICULOUS move to open the scoring

The homeside went looking for their second goal when Kadri gained the zone and went wide, feeding it across to a trailing Rasmus Andersson. The Flames blueliner lost the handle trying to get a shot off and was hit from behind by for Flame A.J. Greer, flattening Knight as both crashed into the net.

With 2:36 to go, Florida went to the powerplay but the Flames were able to kill it off and then with 18.8 ticks left in the first, Hanley was sent off for closing his hand on the puck after a scramble in the corner of the Calgary zone but the Flames also killed it off to start the second period.

Wolf made a pair of stellar stops early in the period, denying Mackie Samoskevich’s one-timer from one-knee in the left circle and then stopping Jesper Boqvist’s rebound attempt right on the doorstep.

The Flames appeared to go up 2-0 when Matt Coronato skated out from the behind the Florida net and rifled a puck Knight stopped but the rebound came to Backlund who put it home but, after review, the officials overturned it saying he kicked it into the net.

Knight made a massive stop on Coleman’s rebound attempt off another Coronato shot on the following possession but the Texas Tiger would tally later with 54.7 to go in the stanza.

After a heckuva shift by No. 20 battling for the puck in the neutral zone and absorbing a couple of big hits, including one from another former Flame, Matthew Tkachuk, Coronato skated the puck into the zone and feed Coleman who converted his sixth of the season, with Backlund getting the other helper.

Coronato feeds Coleman, who buries on a 2-on-1

Backlund would unleash a long-distance wrister 6:17 into the third that beat Knight far-side, top shelf to seal the deal.

Backlund's shot fools Knight as the Flames extend the lead