The Calgary Flames (27-21-8) returned to action on Sunday night, hosting the San Jose Sharks for their final home game before the NHL Trade Deadline. Although it wasn’t pretty, the Flames rallied for a 3-2 victory thanks to some unlikely heroes.
Of course, in a contest that featured former first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who now has goals in both career meetings against the Flames, the home team was able to gut out a win thanks to goals from Kevin Rooney (fourth of the year) and Joel Hanley (first career game-winner).
Meanwhile, Dustin Wolf continues his quest to be a Calder and Hart Trophy candidate by becoming only the second rookie in Flames history to win 20 games, following in the footsteps of Hall of Famer Mike Vernon (1986-87).
Thanks to their latest victory, Calgary is one point behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Although most of the excitement surrounding tonight’s lineup was about Connor Zary returning from his 15-game absence, the Flames’ fourth line of Rooney, Ryan Lomberg, and Martin Propsil looked good from the opening puck drop.
NHL Highlights | Sharks vs. Flames – February 23, 2025 Dustin Wolf made 27 stops and Joel Hanley’s first goal of the season was the game-winner as the Calgary Flames edged the San Jose Sharks 3-2.—————-…
As the teams were tied 1-1, Rooney batted home a rebound off a Lomberg shot, sending the home crowd into a frenzy with his fourth of the year at 3:35. Interestingly, Lomberg had a hot stick, collecting four shots through two periods, while Rooney had two. The two combined for more pucks on goal than two of the three skaters on the top line, Jonathan Huberdeau (two) and Matt Coronato (zero).
Considering how desperate the Flames have been most nights to get secondary scoring, Sunday night’s unlikely heroes were the fourth line who stepped up in a critical game.
It’s clearer today than ever that the Flames are Dustin Wolf’s team. However, one of the hottest NHL goalies on home ice recently has been on a cold streak, earning a 1-4-1 record in his past six home starts before Sunday. Those are unusual numbers for a young netminder who began the year 12-2-1 at home.
Against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the NHL, Wolf made the necessary saves and gave his teammates the best opportunity to score at the other end and pick up a valuable two points in the standings.
Wolf’s .931 SV% is the highest he’s had in a game since his last victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 30. Moreover, it’s only the fifth time in 2025 that he recorded an SV% higher than .930 and the eighth time collecting a total higher than .900.
The Flames limped into the 4 Nations Face-off break on a three-game winless streak and were just 2-4-1 in their last seven. On Tuesday, the club embarks on a critical six-game road trip against some of the NHL’s top teams.
To say that Sunday night’s win was a monumental confidence boost ahead of the trip is an understatement. Moreover, the Flames picked up a win without the offense being carried by Huberdeau or Nazem Kadri, who was buzzing all night with a team-leading six shots.
The following two weeks will be the defining moments of the Flames’ season. They could fall out of playoff contention or continue defying the odds as they have all year. Even though the Saddledome wasn’t sold out on Sunday, the club sent the fans home happy and optimistic that the 2024-25 Flames are not done yet.
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