Devin Cooley stopped 36 shots as the Calgary Flames edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Thursday night, fueled by two power-play goals in the opening period. The Flames took control early with Aydar Suniev scoring his third goal of the season, which was also his first on the power play, at 9:11 remaining in the first. Just over three minutes later, Joel Farabee added his first goal of the campaign by capitalizing on a rebound, giving Calgary a two-goal cushion they held onto despite pressure from the Wild.
Calgary’s win marked their second straight victory at home, improving their record to 3-6-0. The Flames managed to hold off Minnesota’s attempts to claw back into the game, with Cooley’s 36 saves proving decisive. Jesper Wallstedt made 20 saves for the Wild, who fell to 6-3-2 despite Michael McCarron’s goal.
The Flames played without their captain Mikael Backlund, who remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The team also saw former Wild center Ben Jones make his season debut for Calgary. These roster adjustments could have unsettled the Flames, but their early power-play success gave them a foothold that the Wild struggled to shake.
Minnesota’s lone goal came later in the game from McCarron, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. The Wild had opportunities but were unable to break through Cooley’s strong goaltending. Calgary’s ability to convert on two of their early power plays set the tone, allowing them to maintain control even as Minnesota pushed in the later stages.
The Flames will host Detroit on Saturday night, looking to build on their recent momentum. Meanwhile, the Wild travel to Seattle for their next game on the same day. Both teams will be aiming to improve their records as the season progresses, but Calgary’s win on Thursday underlined the importance of capitalizing on special teams and solid goaltending.
According to Yahoo Sports.
