The Calgary Flames squeaked out a victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins to remain undefeated in regulation through six games this season. It took six rounds in a shootout and a last-minute equalizing goal, but they got the job done to move to a 5-0-1 record and stay atop the Pacific Division.
Veteran forward Nazem Kadri delivered the equalizer in front of the net following a blast from the point from defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who scored the Flames’ first goal. The shot initially hit Noel Acciari in front, but Kadri was there for the rebound and deposited it in the net.
The sequence perfectly represented the kind of effort needed to win this game, with Calgary having tied the game after being down for a second time in the third period.
“It’s what you want to do,” Kadri said, via Flames TV. “You want to come up big for your team. Big shootout winner as well, so it wasn’t pretty at times today, but we found a way, and that says a lot.”
While the Flames had chances on one end, the Penguins had plenty on the other. They were led by the usual weapons: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, with help from players like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. They also received a goal from Acciari, which is one Dustin Wolf is likely to want back.
Speaking of Wolf, his effort was phenomenal when the Flames needed it. He finished the game with 35 saves, many of them in high-danger areas. The team was given a chance to win because of him, and although only three games have been played, his 2.36 goals-against average and .936 save percentage have been a huge contributor to the team’s start to the year.
“I don’t think Wolfie has any shortage of confidence, and that speaks volumes when you want to become an NHL veteran,” Kadri said. “You’ve got to have that confidence, even if you have an off night, and be able to rebound. He made some incredible saves today and certainly gave us a chance.”
Looking back on the game’s defining moment, the momentum was entirely in Calgary’s hands. They were able to gain possession in the offensive zone and cycle the puck from north to south. Kadri initially picked the puck up on the left side of the ice and brought it below the goal line, finding Jonathan Huberdeau parallel to him on the opposite side.
As Huberdeau passed the puck to the point, Kadri went net front, as he’s known to do. Then, all it took was the puck to fall right to him off the body of Acciari, and he found a hole below Alex Nedeljkovic’s glove and above his pad to tie the game.
“When you’re drawing 6-on-5 plays, I’m not sure what the percentages are for scoring, but I know the net’s empty, and it’s usually going back that way,” Kadri said. “But it feels nice to come up big for our team, and we were all over it. I think we deserved that one.”
Kadri’s start to the season has been about as strong as anyone could ask for. His five points in six games are tied for third on the Flames with Huberdeau and the sophomore forward Connor Zary, and when he’s scoring big goals, the Calgary train is on the right track.
The puck keeps bouncing the right way for him and the team, and they’ve earned the bounces through most of their games. It has put the Flames in an advantageous position moving forward into a tough rest-of-October schedule with the Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and Utah Hockey Club as their upcoming opponents.
