Wolf, Flames remain upbeat after heartbreaking OT loss to Golden Knights
Dustin Wolf had no reason to hang his head. But given the enormity of the situation, it was understandable to see him sit there, in his crease, dealing with the emotion of the cruelest of overtime losses.
CALGARY – Dustin Wolf had no reason to hang his head.
But given the enormity of the situation, it was understandable to see him sit there, in his crease, dealing with the emotion of the cruelest of overtime losses.
The latest in a series of unfortunate bounces for his club saw a centring pass by Vegas’ Reilly Smith from behind the net bounce off MacKenzie Weegar’s skate and in off the back of Wolf’s arm to snag a crucial point from the desperate Flames.
And while 18,000 fully-invested fans filed out of a tense, raucous building wondering just how damaging the setback was to their playoff chances, Wolf offered up a refreshingly different perspective.
“We’re the underdogs,” said Wolf following a 3-2 loss to Vegas that saw his team rebound from a 2-0 deficit and a fourth-straight video review that denied the Flames of a goal.
“We came into the year with everybody saying we’re going to suck, and look at us now – we’re fighting for our lives to sneak in.
“And you know what, we’re going to get in.
“This one stings, but we move on to the next one.
The belief inside that room won’t be dampened by the unlucky bounce or the video review that was eerily similar to their loss against Utah on Tuesday in which the puck sat as close to crossing the inside edge of the goal line as possible without producing a visible white gap for the overhead camera.
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“It sucks, I feel like we haven’t gotten any bounce(s) to go our way in numerous amount of games,” said Wolf, who was spectacular in stopping 31 shots on a night that could have gotten away from the Flames early on without him.
“I mean, how many times has the puck sat on the line and just not crossed. A tough way to go, but we got a point and we’ve got a good stretch here where I think we can make (up) some ground.”
The loser point helped close the gap between the Flames and wild card holder Minnesota to four points. The Flames have six games left and one in hand against the Wild, who visit Calgary on Friday.
It’s a ride that’s not for the faint of heart, as the love affair between the city and the lads who never quit has made for plenty of must-see TV of late.
Saturday night on Hockey NIght in Canada was no different.
Down 2-0, Joel Hanley completed a brilliant passing play from Blake Coelman and Nazem Kadri by pausing briefly before rifling home his second of the season with eight seconds left in the second period.
Matt Coronato’s 21st of the year came in the opening minute of the third, setting up a final stretch in which a fully-invested Saddledome gathering agonized over every play.
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A Kevin Bahl tripping penalty with 89 seconds remaining caused plenty of angst, before a Mikael Backlund breakaway in the dying seconds upped everyone’s heart rate.
A painful blocked shot by MacKenzie Weegar early in overtime helped kill off the penalty, setting up four more minutes of anxiety-ridden, four-on-four play.
It sure felt like the season hung in the balance.
When Smith’s second of the game found the back of the net 4:31 into extra time, the disappointment and heartbreak in the stands was palpable.
The players felt it too, as they’re only human.
But there was Weegar minutes later, putting on a grin for After Hours, while Wolf faced the media with a reminder of the resilience that has gotten them this far.
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“You’ve got to think of it as half glass full too, right?” said Wolf, whose squad heads west to face San Jose on Monday and Anaheim on Wednesday.
“One point is better than no point. Obviously I think we deserved better, but the hockey gods aren’t really helping us a whole lot now with bounces.
“At some point it’s going to turn, and when it does I think we’re all going to be laughing about it.
“But in the meantime, we’ve got to work our nuts off here the last six games and find a way to get 12 points.”
New kid alert
Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh will undoubtedly be heading to California to meet up with the Flames, as his Saginaw Spirit were eliminated from the OHL playoffs on Saturday.
It’s unlikely the prolific defenceman will suit up for the Flames as long as they remain in the playoff race. But in the meantime, the 19-year-old first rounder will do his best to soak up everything he can from his future teammates, readying himself to make the inevitable jump from junior legend to big-leaguer.
