VANCOUVER — Devin Cooley got a new juggling instructor this summer, as well as some linear algebra textbooks so he could do math problems for fun.
What he really could have used was a new glove, with dark webbing in it.
It might have helped him and his Calgary Flames salvage their first point or two Saturday night.
Alas, the white webbing in his catching mitt was a dead giveaway to the lads in the NHL’s situation room who spotted the puck moving in Cooley’s glove while it was across the goal line, trying to reel in a dribbler through his equipment.
The play came 90 seconds into the third period of a game that saw the Flames clinging to a 1-0 lead, thanks to a Matt Coronato power-play snipe.
A Liam Ohgren redirect appeared to on-ice officials to be snagged by Cooley in time, prompting them to waive it off.
Situation room official Rod Pasma told Sportsnet.ca it was ruled a goal as replays spotted the puck moving in Cooley’s glove through the white webbing while it was behind the line.
Pasma admitted it might have been inconclusive (and thus not counted) if Cooley’s webbing was black. Duly noted.
“I, 100 per cent, was like, ‘that’s not a goal,’ because I watched me cover it,” said the Flames netminder, who motioned no goal to the referee immediately.
“What I think happened was I covered it, and it hit (the heel) of my glove and then pushed underneath (towards the tip). I went to (Flames equipment manager Mark DePasquale) on the bench and was like, ‘what if I have black netting and a black colouring on the glove?’ Maybe that might make a difference. So I don’t know, I might try that out.”
You bet he will.
The goal turned the tide on a game that had initially seen the Flames bounce back well from an embarrassing opening night by playing tight defence.
However, Ohgren’s goal kick-started a four-goal third period by the Vancouver Canucks, which included a slick finish by defenceman Elias Pettersson, who beat Cooley with a forehand-to-backhand move in alone that stood as the game-winner midway through the third.
Like the first game, discipline was a problem, as the Flames gave up five power plays in a feisty affair in which the visitors deserved credit for living up to their training camp mantra, 'Get in the Fight.'
Adam Klapka led the charge, racking up 25 minutes in penalties, which included a first-period fight with Luke Schenn and two misconducts.
“I liked the way the guys responded after a tough home opener, and great fight by Klapper to get the guys going,” said captain Mikael Backlund, whose team held Vancouver to 14 shots the first two periods, but eventually lost 4-1.
“But I feel like we gave it away. Too many penalties wore us down. At times we had momentum, we took a penalty and then gave the momentum back to them.”
Coach Ryan Huska said his team was a “much different team than our first game of the year,” but he lamented squandering a one-goal lead in the third period.
“I thought we were edgy, and that’s the way our team has to play now,” said Huska before jumping on a charter for Seattle, where the team plays again Sunday.
“The biggest part for me is I thought we lost rhythm because of the penalties we were taking.”
The Flames got a scare late in the third when Zayne Parekh was caught with his head down at centre ice, where he was rocked by Pettersson with a clean hit that led to the Canucks’ third goal and left Parekh crumpled on the ice. Parekh got up slowly, clearly winded, and went straight to the bench.
He was back in action minutes later, when the Canucks scored an empty-netter.
Winger Brennan Othmann made a solid debut, replacing healthy scratch Connor Zary in the lineup. He mucked it up on the third line with Yegor Sharangovich and Ryan Strome, while also making a big play to clear a Marco Rossi rebound off the line late in the second period.
“Coach’s decision,” said Huska when asked of the move.
“We had a lot of guys that could have been in that category. It’s just understanding the importance of taking care of the puck. Connor’s a good player. He’ll get himself right back in there.”
