One has a hefty resume, the other is a rookie, but both goaltenders in Friday night’s battle between the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators — Dustin Wolf and Juuse Saros — have faced similar doubts over the years.
Too small for the NHL game always being the biggest.
Saros, 29, stands 5-foot-11. Wolf, 23, is generously listed at 6-foot-0. On Friday, both stood tall as the biggest players for either team in a tightly contested 2-0 Flames win.
It was Wolf’s first NHL shutout.
For goaltenders who are smaller in stature, athleticism and focus are everything. Constantly compared to Saros as he’s worked his way toward the NHL nets, Wolf has mirrored the more experienced netminder in many ways. One reason for that is he was told by development coaches to watch what Saros does well. Another is that he’s blessed with many of the same gifts as the Predators goalie widely considered one of the best in the league.
Quickness, agility, and mobility are all great descriptors. But they also anticipate the play and track the puck at an elite level to allow their natural athleticism to take them where they need to go. The lateral movement is mystifying and it makes them a pair of the most exciting goaltenders to watch on a nightly basis.
Bringing it all together is their competitive nature. They hate to lose.
One of them had to on Friday. Thanks to a third-period opening goal from Flames defenceman Daniil Miromanov and an empty netter from Blake Coleman, Wolf got the best of the man he’s been studying.
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It improved Wolf’s record to 6-2-1 on a season he’s been splitting down the middle with fellow Flames backstop Dan Vladar. The 29-save shutout dropped Wolf’s goals-against average to 2.53 and bumped his save percentage up to a whopping .921 — good for seventh in the league among those who have played at least five games.
“He’s a heck of a goaltender over there,” Wolf said post-game. “He’s been a fun guy to watch over the last few years and obviously I’m still going to keep a pretty close eye on him.
“He’s certainly one of the best in the league and I think there’s definitely things I can continue to take from him.”
His best game of the season previously came on Monday night when he turned away 28 of 29 shots in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames will likely continue to work Vladar in but Wolf has shown worthy of more playing time.
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