Not only were Calgary Flames fans treated to what first-overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini could do on the ice in Calgary’s 3-1 victory, but they were also treated to a matchup between two young goaltenders with high ceilings: Yaroslav Askarov and Dustin Wolf.

The San Jose Sharks acquired Askarov in a trade with the Nashville Predators, who selected the Russian 11th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. After signing Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension and bringing in Scott Wedgewood as a free agent on a multi-year deal in the off-season (he is now the backup goaltender in Colorado), there was no room for Askarov to put himself in the rotation, so general manager Barry Trotz moved him out west. And against the young gun in the Flames net, it was set to be a battle.

Wolf emerged with a win and credited his players, who limited the Sharks to 22 shots, most of which were of lower quality.

“I thought our team was terrific out there tonight,” Wolf said, via FlamesTV. “The first 40 minutes, we were in their zone pretty much the entire game, and they had some pushback in the third, which is to be expected, but we did a great job in our d-zone limiting our opportunities against. And yeah, I’m glad we got the win.”

The Sharks generated the offence during that “pushback” Wolf referred to in the quote above. In the third period, San Jose did a good job entering the Flames zone and generating higher-quality chances, especially in the back half. The Flames spent the final few minutes trying to mitigate the damage the Sharks could do, and it took some great saves from Wolf to do it.

Wolf made one save, in particular, that stood out above the rest. Before the empty-net goal scored by Jonathan Huberdeau, it was a 2-1 game, and the Sharks were pushing with the extra man. A somewhat broken play led to Mikael Granlund receiving the puck wide-open on the backdoor, but Wolf was there to make the save and keep the game in the Flames’ hands.

“It looked like our D-man and their forward both whiffed on it, and it just ended up with the guy on the backdoor,” Wolf said. “I just tried to stay square and make myself big, and luckily, it just hit me.”

While Wolf ended with the win recorded under his name, Askarov’s performance in the San Jose net was remarkable. He finished the game with only two goals against on 32 shots (a .937 save percentage) and a 2.55 goals saved above expected (GSAx). Just as he has since coming to San Jose, he showcased why he was drafted so high just a few years ago.

“For sure, it’s cool,” Wolf said. “He’s a great goalie over there, and I’m sure we’re going to see each other a lot more throughout our careers. He gave his team a chance to win tonight. That’s what you expect as a goalie, and again, we’re glad we were able to find two in the back of the net and add the empty netter.”

Not only was this a great result for the Flames in the standings, but it’s also an extra special win for Wolf, who is from Gilroy, California, half an hour away from San Jose. He grew up going to Sharks games, so being able to play in the SAP Center as an NHL goaltender is a dream come true.

“For myself, it feels good to come home,” Wolf said. “I watched so many hockey games in this arena, and I’d like to think it gives you a little extra jump. It’s cool to have some family in the crowd. Last season the arena wasn’t as full, and it was pretty cool to see it pretty much sold out tonight just like it used to be.”