CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames secured a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, thanks in large part to Dustin Wolf, who recorded 28 saves during regulation and made two key stops in the shootout.
Rasmus Andersson found the back of the net for Calgary, contributing the only goal in regulation time. In the shootout, Andrei Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland each tallied a goal to seal the win for the Flames. Meanwhile, Pierre Engvall scored the Islanders’ only regulation goal, marking his third in three games this season.
Wolf’s performance improved his record to 7-2-1 as he successfully thwarted shootout attempts from Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat. On the other side of the ice, New York’s Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves but slipped to a 3-3-2 record.
The Islanders had a crucial opportunity to clinch the victory in overtime, yet they were unable to capitalize on a power play. Noah Dobson unleashed a powerful shot that hit the crossbar, leaving New York still in search of a win.
In terms of game dynamics, the Islanders ramped up their efforts in the third period, but Wolf remained solid, stopping a barrage of shots, with Horvat’s close-range attempt being one of the most critical denials.
Calgary’s power play, which ranked 30th prior to the game and had struggled with only two successful conversions in their last 37 opportunities, finally broke through late in the third period. The Flames waited over 46 minutes for their first power play of the contest, which resulted in Andersson’s powerful slap shot finding its way past Varlamov, ending his streak of seven games without a point.
A pivotal moment occurred during the shootout after Yegor Sharangovich and Palmieri were both turned away. Kuzmenko opened the scoring with a swift backhand shot. After Wolf made a critical save against Horvat, Kirkland clinched the win with a well-placed shot to the glove side.
An interesting stat is that the Flames have now been limited to three or fewer goals in 16 consecutive games; nevertheless, they have managed a record of 7-6-3 during this span, bolstered by outstanding goaltending.
Looking ahead, the Islanders will conclude their five-game road trip in Detroit, while the Flames are set to face off against the Rangers on Thursday.