Flames win back-to-back home games, climb out of NHL basement
Goaltender Devin Cooley posted a .958 save percentage over two wins as Calgary improved to 3-6-0, brushing aside talk of tanking for the draft lottery.
The Calgary Flames earned their first back-to-back home wins of the season, beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 and then the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Thursday, moving to 3-6-0 after a rocky start that saw them drop five straight games and get outscored 27-8.
Goaltender Devin Cooley stopped 36 of 37 shots against Minnesota, including a flurry of late chances from Matt Boldy, Jared Spurgeon, Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov in the final 30 seconds. Cooley said he carried a .958 save percentage through the two victories and dismissed suggestions from fans wanting the team to lose for a better draft position, saying his focus stays on process rather than results.
Forward Ryan Strome said the team has found a defensive foundation after a difficult start, acknowledging Calgary lacks the offensive firepower of some rivals. The Flames scored two power-play goals in a game for the first time this season, with goals from Joel Farabee and Aydar Suniev, and have converted 4-for-10 on the man advantage over their last four games after struggling earlier in the season.
Captain Mikael Backlund missed the Minnesota game with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, while Ben Jones made his NHL debut. The Flames, playing their final season at the Saddledome before moving to Scotia Place, host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.