The Calgary Flames are heating up. So is goaltender Devin Cooley, whose last two games have been nothing short of outstanding.
Cooley has been a revelation over his last two starts. That is a sharp contrast to how he started the season. In his first two contests, Cooley looked like a fringe NHL backup netminder, posting a rough 0-2-0 record, an .818 save percentage, and 10 goals allowed.
His last two matchups couldn’t have been more different. He has more than shown the potential to be, at worst, a solid backup in the NHL, if not a potential 1B netminder. And it’s not like Cooley has been facing bad teams lately.
He was the starter in Thursday night’s contest vs. the Minnesota Wild. That came just four days after he helped upend the Carolina Hurricanes. Cooley was stellar against Carolina, making 34 saves and ending the game with a .944 save percentage. Against Minnesota? Cooley made 36 saves on 37 shots, good for a staggering .973 save percentage.
Combined, Cooley had a .959 save percentage, with 70 saves and just three goals allowed. Those numbers skyrocketed Cooley’s 2026-27 numbers to an .898 save percentage, a 3.26 GAA, and a .500 quality starts percentage through four games.
Devin Cooley Has Been Red-Hot For The Calgary Flames
Cooley’s emergence has come at a pivotal time for the Flames, a team that had fallen behind in the Pacific Division early in the season. Still, his general numbers don’t tell the entire story across these last two games.
The Flames had a tough time creating chances in both matchups vs. the Hurricanes and Wild, posting a Corsi For at 5-on-5 of just 41.6 percent. Calgary also started in its own zone way too many times, with just 30.8 percent of their starts coming in the offensive zone.
Cooley had far less rest time than the opposing goaltenders in both matchups. Calgary’s inability to score consistently also put pressure on Cooley, as he did what it took for the Flames to win each game by one goal.
Still, it is tough for netminders like Cooley to keep up this high level of play every time they man the crease. It also isn’t like Cooley is the clear-cut number-one goaltender in Calgary, since he is in a timeshare with Dustin Wolf. There is no guarantee that Wolf will put together the same kind of play Cooley has.
Flames Must Find Ways To Take Pressure Off Their Goaltenders
Devin Cooley has shown he can string together multiple elite performances, but Wolf has yet to accomplish this in 2026-27. Cooley also hasn’t shown that he can keep up such a high level of play long-term, so Calgary’s skaters must start pitching in sooner rather than later.
Wolf, especially, has struggled through five games. He is 1-4-0 with a 4.85 GAA, an .834 save percentage, and a .200 quality starts percentage. Perhaps he enjoys the same success as Cooley in the coming games. But if that isn’t the case, or Cooley’s play becomes more up and down, then Calgary’s skaters must start closing the gap.
Finding ways to score and taking pressure off netminders should be a top priority for the Calgary Flames heading into Saturday when they face the Detroit Red Wings. If Calgary’s skaters start playing better hockey, Cooley and Wolf will benefit. And Cooley may start stringing together even more unforgettable performances.
Calgary Flames Goalie Is Putting Early-Season Struggles Behind Him