The Calgary Flames kick off yet another crucial road trip on Monday night, as they embark upon a four game swing through the east that features four games over six nights.

At this juncture of the season, it’s pretty clear that rookie Dustin Wolf has laid claim to the spot as the Flames’ top netminder – both his numbers and usage back that up. However, his goaltending partner Dan Vladar has been very strong lately, including three superb performances during the last road trip.

Given how the upcoming road trip is scheduled and each player’s performances against these opponents, how should the Flames handle their goaltending duties over the upcoming week?

Here’s how the schedule unfolds:

The trip doesn’t include very much travel – heck, in New York the team probably stays in the same hotel the whole time – but they do have to navigate a back-to-back set and an earlier-than-usual on Saturday. Based on how they typically deal with this type of schedule, we could presume that each goalie gets two starts. Given their standings situation and the state of the playoff race, though, perhaps we could also see one goalie (possibly Wolf) get leaned on a bit more.

How has each netminder performed against these opponents over their careers?

If you’re motivated entirely by past performances, most likely Wolf would play against the Rangers and Islanders while Vladar would take on the Maple Leafs and Devils.

The Flames have played seven back-to-back sets so far this season. So far, the Flames have divided up goaltending duties in each back-to-back sets. That said, the Flames are in the midst of a battle for a playoff spot, so that could change the decision-making parameters that the club uses from here on out.

It’s worth noting that while Wolf hasn’t started both sides of a back-to-back in the NHL, he did so last season in the AHL seven times with the Wranglers. (And did so frequently throughout his AHL and WHL runs). Vladar has started both sides of a back-to-back set a few times, most recently in February 2023. It wouldn’t be uncharted territory for either goaltender.

Asked on Saturday after practice at Winsport if the Flames will be using both netminders on the trip, head coach Ryan Huska declined to tip his hand.

“We’ll see,” said Huska. “I mean, like I said, we have confidence in both guys. So we go kind of one game at a time, just like we’re asking the players to do.”

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