CALGARY – In a media world where in-depth coverage is too often trumped by quirky sound bites, the takeaway from the Calgary Flames’ shocking win over the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes will be marked by Devin Cooley’s post-game exploration of his two brains.
It’s a doozy, as was his 34-save performance in a 3-2 win that saw him aided by the post four times.
However, those in attendance, or who tuned into the team’s first home win of the season, will be much more focused on the 69-second span in which Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh reminded everyone of why the future in Calgary could be considerably more exciting than the present suggests.
Down 1-0 to a Carolina Hurricanes team riding a seven-game winning streak, the Flames were pinned in their zone for a shift that saw Yan Kuznetsov and Zach Whitecould weather more than three minutes of ice time.
Aydar Suniev finally won a net-front battle over Jackson Blake, clearing the zone and giving his teammates a chance to breathe.
What followed was a glimpse of what this organization hopes to build around.
Coronato dropped a pass back to Gridin, who was entering the offensive zone with speed, forcing the young winger to collect the pass backhand to forehand. With two Hurricanes closing in, Gridin didn’t hesitate. He unleashed a quick, gorgeous release into the top corner, giving Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi little chance.
His first goal of the season. His best game of the year, by his own assessment, because he kept his feet moving all night.
A goal-scorer’s goal, and a relief for the 21-year-old.
“Yeah, for sure,” said Gridin.
“You can see it in my celebration. I just gotta build on that.”
Sixty-nine seconds later, another prized prospect delivered.
On a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing sequence initiated by Joel Farabee with the man advantage, Morgan Frost finished the play in his 400th NHL game. But the hockey intelligence that made it happen belonged to Parekh, whose read and execution on a pass few players would dare consider, helped turn a good opportunity into a goal.
Two of the most exciting young players in the Flames organization dazzling on the same stage, combining for two goals that turned the game and quite possibly gave their team the belief they are capable of so much more than they’ve shown through their first seven games.
“You want them to have the confidence in those situations that they can be difference-makers and they can attack the game,” said coach Ryan Huska.
“They’ve been so much better over the last little while, understanding that it’s not possible to happen every shift. And that, to me, is the growth we really want to see in these guys.”
The raw ability is obvious. The challenge is building consistency around it.
Carolina tied it 2-2 with three seconds remaining in the period, but the Flames weren’t flustered, piecing together a dominant third period. Outshooting Carolina 10-1 over the opening 10 minutes, they rolled four lines with newfound confidence. Their power play looked dangerous, with Parekh eventually ringing one off the post and Coronato creating chances of his own.
“The first ten minutes of that third we felt like we were a team playing to win, and we weren’t scared,” said Parekh, whose tentative club had been outscored by 21 goals their first seven games.
“It does bring some confidence. I don’t think we are playing up to our standard and hopefully things are going to turn here.”
Recent call-up Jonathan Castagna nearly supplied his first NHL goal with a terrific backhand in tight, and the fourth line, featuring Adam Klapka and Brennan Othmann, was buzzing, too.
“I loved him tonight, and his line too,” said Huska.
“George (Castagna) does everything right. He’s a bigger body, he skates really well, and he knows exactly what he’s supposed to do. If you can model that effort and game that he brought to the table tonight, he’s going to be here a long time.”
This was not a team waiting for somebody else to make something happen. It was a team pushing the defending champions onto their heels.
And when they faltered, Cooley was there, relying on what he called his unconscious brain to control his performance.
“The game is way too fast out there to let your conscious brain decide, and I’m a really bad conscious brain goalie,” he philosophized.
“So I just let my unconscious brain do everything. Like, don’t think about anything – don’t have too much fun, don’t smile. Just shut it off. And then I just start making saves. Then I’m like, ‘I don’t even know how I made that save.’”
Even more entertaining off the ice as he is on it, Cooley’s post-game TV interview prompted Parekh to admit he dashed from the dressing room to the lounge just to see what Cooley would say next.
He didn’t disappoint.
Nor did the Flames, giving their fans more glimpses of what’s to come, as they identify those they hope will be difference-makers years down the road when the team is competitive again.
With four minutes remaining, Frost delivered another beauty, sending a brilliant cross-ice pass to Yegor Sharangovich, who one-timed the winner past Bussi. Suniev, stationed in front as a clever decoy, helped make the play work.
Cooley and his mates held the fort from there.
One victory doesn’t fix a rebuild. One 69-second burst doesn’t guarantee anything.
But disciplined defending, resilient goaltending, four-line pressure and young players making elite-level plays against a powerhouse? Those are the signs that matter.
For one night, the Flames didn’t merely give a glimpse of their future.
They gave everyone a reason to believe in it.
