The Calgary Flames may have a goaltender competition on their hands, given Devin Cooley’s recent performances.
On Monday, two things happened. One, Devin Cooley won the NHL’s Second Star of the Week. Two, he’s confirmed to be starting in the net on Monday night against a team Calgary has had a tough time with.
Per Pat Steinberg: “Devin Cooley starting tonight vs. Toronto. Fourth consecutive start.”
Devin Cooley And His Lights-Out Play
After three epic starts that saw Cooley knock off the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Detroit Red Wings, he more than deserves to keep manning the net. In those three contests, Cooley has made 100 saves on 104 shots. Those numbers catapulted his season totals to a .912 save percentage, a 2.80 GAA, a .600 quality starts percentage, and a 3-2-0 record.
Of course, the other name in this situation is Dustin Wolf, who was supposed to be the guy in 2026-27 and beyond. But Wolf has done nothing to justify remaining the starter at this point. His .834 save percentage is one of the worst in the NHL. Ditto for his 4.85 GAA and .200 quality starts percentage.
Until Cooley is no longer the hot hand, or until Wolf strings together a few solid performances, the starting gig is Cooley’s to lose. If he has a monster outing against the Maple Leafs? Then, it is hardly a question.
How Cooley fares on Monday evening will be worth paying close attention to.
Calgary Flames Projected Lines And Pairings vs. Maple Leafs
Mikael Backlund could return to the lineup. But Steinberg warned that he is “…officially a game time decision vs. Toronto, per head coach Ryan Huska.”
If Backlund is good to go, he is projected to man the first line with Joel Farabee and Matt Coronato flanking him. Farabee and Coronato lead the Flames with nine and eight points, respectively.
Morgan Frost is projected to center the second line with Yegor Sharangovich and Aydar Suniev on the wings. Frost and Suniev continue to pace the Flames with three goals apiece.
Matvei Gridin, Martin Pospisil, and Ryan Strome remain the projected third liners. Gridin is starting to climb up the ranks with five points, good for fourth on the team.
Finally, Maxim Tsyplakov, Jonathan Castagna, and Adam Klapka are once again the projected fourth liners vs. Toronto. Klapka has 34 hits on the year and trails only Pospisil.
Kevin Bahl and Simon Nemec look like Monday night’s top pairing, with Jacob Middleton and Zach Whitecloud slated for the second. Bahl continues to lead the rotation in ice time at 22:11.
Yan Kuznetsov and Zayne Parekh clock in on the projected third pairing. Parekh has tied Nemec for the team lead in points among defensemen with three. He scored a goal in that big win over the Red Wings.
With the Calgary Flames heating up and Devin Cooley taking arguably his best week as a pro into Monday night, anything is possible for this young Flames team. If Cooley enjoys another stellar performance, then Dustin Wolf must start making the most of what may be more limited opportunities. This goaltender competition has gotten very interesting to watch.
Calgary Flames’ NHL Second Star Is Making Life Complicated for Dustin Wolf