<p>The Calgary Flames were not particularly good in the first period of Saturday night&#8217;s game against the Los Angeles Kings.</p>
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<p>But the Flames are a team that has two things that play to their advantage: a pretty consistent playing style&#8230; and a couple of reliable goaltenders that can hold them in games where they&#8217;re not at their best.</p>
<p>Against the Kings, Flames rookie netminder Dustin Wolf was a big part of their success in a 2-1 win over Los Angeles. Here are five key moments from the Flames&#8217; victory.</p>
<h2>Dustin Wolf stands on his head (pretty much the entire first period)</h2>
<p>During head coach Ryan Huska&#8217;s post-game chat with the media on Saturday night, it was suggested that the Flames as a group got through the Kings&#8217; first period barrage. Huska offered a correction.</p>
<p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t the group. It was Wolf.&#8221;</p>
<p>Starting for the 22nd time this season – and the 14th time on Saddledome ice – Wolf faced 17 shots in the opening 20 minutes, including <em>nine </em>on an early Kings power play, and managed to keep the Flames in the game.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dustin Wolf makes some great saves on the PK! </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoKingsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoKingsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/k4BkoWdSiL">pic.twitter.com/k4BkoWdSiL</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878281393232326670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>&#8220;We were able to hang around because our goaltender made some saves,&#8221; noted Huska. &#8220;And I think once we got through the first period, our game got a little bit better. And we got a really big power play goal and our penalty kill did a really good job for us tonight. So hung around for a bit and then we found a way to win.&#8221;</p>
<p>Wolf&#8217;s record improves to 14-6-2 with a 2.53 goals against average and .916 save percentage. At home, he&#8217;s 11-2-1 with a 1.98 goals against average and .936 save percentage. With Dan Vladar to spell him off this season, Wolf has been <em>superb</em> this campaign. We&#8217;ve often heard the cliche that a team&#8217;s goaltender allowed them time to find their game, but Wolf&#8217;s been able to do that frequently throughout the first half of this season.</p>
<h2>Ryan Lomberg&#8217;s fights (13:05, second period &amp; 8:11, third period)</h2>
<p>At some point, Ryan Lomberg is going to complete the &#8220;hat trick.&#8221; We&#8217;re not doubting his ability to score goals, but this season he&#8217;s amassed more fighting majors (six) than goals (one) or points (four).</p>
<p>But through 39 appearances in the Flames&#8217; lineup, Lomberg has proven himself to be an integral part of the team&#8217;s culture. He engaged in two fights on Saturday night, his second multi-bout game of the season.</p>
<p>His first, in the second period, involved him going toe-to-toe with Tanner Jeannot, an old acquaintance from their days across from each other in the Battle of Florida – Lomberg with the Panthers, Jeannot with the Lightning – and was Lomberg trying to spark his group.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ryan Lomberg and Tanner Jeannot drop the gloves! 🥊</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoKingsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoKingsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/bcO2Q5VyqA">pic.twitter.com/bcO2Q5VyqA</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878299571379396868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>His second clash of the evening, in the third period, saw him step up to Kyle Burroughs after a hit on Walker Duehr that sent the Flames forward down the tunnel. (Duehr returned to the bench later on, but didn&#8217;t play another shift after the hit.)</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Walker Duehr takes a hard hit into the board. Ryan Lomberg comes to his defence and picks up his second fight of the game! </p>
<p>Lomberg is such a beauty. Great signing by the Flames.</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoKingsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoKingsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/pt4xSbDBaO">pic.twitter.com/pt4xSbDBaO</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878311185432350964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>&#8220;You know, Lombo, he&#8217;s been around a long time now,&#8221; said Huska. &#8220;So he knows when our team needed a little bit of something. So he found a way to do that for us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re still waiting for the hat trick,&#8221; joked Jonathan Huberdeau post-game. &#8220;I mean, he&#8217;s been talking about it. So we&#8217;ll see when he&#8217;s going to do it. But I mean, two is good, but three would be on the track.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Jonathan Huberdeau&#8217;s power play goal (4:36, third period)</h2>
<p>The Flames have had a challenging season with special teams. When their power play&#8217;s been good, their penalty kill has struggled, and visa versa. This season, through 41 games, they&#8217;ve won the special teams battle just eight times.</p>
<p>Saturday night was that eighth occurrence, and the first time the Flames have held the opposition&#8217;s power play off the scoresheet since Dec. 19 against Ottawa – snapping a streak of seven games allowing at least one power play goal against.</p>
<p>In a game where the margins were pretty tight at five-on-five and there wasn&#8217;t much breathing room to create scoring chances, Jonathan Huberdeau&#8217;s spinarama goal on the power play was gigantic.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥</p>
<p>Jonathan Huberdeau scores on the power play! That&#39;s his 18th goal of the season. </p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoKingsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoKingsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/R4iMaUO4pd">pic.twitter.com/R4iMaUO4pd</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878309078964768886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Huberdeau joked post-game that he does not have a special name for the move.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, I mean, I don&#8217;t know&#8230; I think it was obviously got fortunate to get a good bounce of Matty&#8217;s shot, but I just tried to put it as fast as I could. I knew the goalie was out of position, so it was a huge goal for us.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Adrian Kempe hits the post (10:53, third period)</h2>
<p>After the Flames got the go-ahead goal, the Kings shortened their bench, shuffled their lines and pressed for the equalizer. With just over nine minutes left, Adrian Kempe, Quintin Byfield and Anze Kopitar generated a lot of zone time&#8230; and nearly the equalizer.</p>
<p>Kempe had a shot that glanced off Wolf&#8217;s body and hit the post, then ricocheted around the side of the crease. MacKenzie Weegar slid the puck to Wolf in the crease, and then a bit of a scrum occurred after Byfield whacked Wolf&#8217;s mask with his glove. It was a game where goaltending made a big difference for the Flames, and Wolf got enough of a piece of arguably the Kings&#8217; best third period scoring chance that it hit iron and stayed out.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Quinton Byfield throws a little punch at Dustin Wolf&#39;s head and Huberdeau and Weegar take exception and take him out! You love to see that from 10 and 52!</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoKingsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoKingsGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/8Cg63RALO5">pic.twitter.com/8Cg63RALO5</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878312233035272499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Wolf walked the media through the puck sequence after the game.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yeah, I mean, before that even happened, I thought I made a decent play with the puck behind the net,&#8221; recalled Wolf. &#8220;And it turns around and comes right back into a grade A. And, you know, I got a piece of it. But glad it hit the post. And I don&#8217;t know if Weegs was trying to scare me a little bit by throwing it back into my feet. But, you know, that&#8217;s hockey for you.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Flames are back in action on Monday night when they face the Chicago Blackhawks.</p>


The Calgary Flames were not particularly good in the first period of Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
But the Flames are a team that has two things that play to their advantage: a pretty consistent playing style... and a couple of reliable goaltenders that can hold them in games where they're not at their best.

Against the Kings, Flames rookie netminder Dustin Wolf was a big part of their success in a 2-1 win over Los Angeles. Here are five key moments from the Flames' victory.
<h2>Dustin Wolf stands on his head (pretty much the entire first period)</h2>
During head coach Ryan Huska's post-game chat with the media on Saturday night, it was suggested that the Flames as a group got through the Kings' first period barrage. Huska offered a correction.

"It wasn't the group. It was Wolf."

Starting for the 22nd time this season – and the 14th time on Saddledome ice – Wolf faced 17 shots in the opening 20 minutes, including <em>nine </em>on an early Kings power play, and managed to keep the Flames in the game.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878281393232326670

"We were able to hang around because our goaltender made some saves," noted Huska. "And I think once we got through the first period, our game got a little bit better. And we got a really big power play goal and our penalty kill did a really good job for us tonight. So hung around for a bit and then we found a way to win."

Wolf's record improves to 14-6-2 with a 2.53 goals against average and .916 save percentage. At home, he's 11-2-1 with a 1.98 goals against average and .936 save percentage. With Dan Vladar to spell him off this season, Wolf has been <em>superb</em> this campaign. We've often heard the cliche that a team's goaltender allowed them time to find their game, but Wolf's been able to do that frequently throughout the first half of this season.
<h2>Ryan Lomberg's fights (13:05, second period &amp; 8:11, third period)</h2>
At some point, Ryan Lomberg is going to complete the "hat trick." We're not doubting his ability to score goals, but this season he's amassed more fighting majors (six) than goals (one) or points (four).

But through 39 appearances in the Flames' lineup, Lomberg has proven himself to be an integral part of the team's culture. He engaged in two fights on Saturday night, his second multi-bout game of the season.

His first, in the second period, involved him going toe-to-toe with Tanner Jeannot, an old acquaintance from their days across from each other in the Battle of Florida – Lomberg with the Panthers, Jeannot with the Lightning – and was Lomberg trying to spark his group.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878299571379396868

His second clash of the evening, in the third period, saw him step up to Kyle Burroughs after a hit on Walker Duehr that sent the Flames forward down the tunnel. (Duehr returned to the bench later on, but didn't play another shift after the hit.)

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878311185432350964

"You know, Lombo, he's been around a long time now," said Huska. "So he knows when our team needed a little bit of something. So he found a way to do that for us."

"We're still waiting for the hat trick," joked Jonathan Huberdeau post-game. "I mean, he's been talking about it. So we'll see when he's going to do it. But I mean, two is good, but three would be on the track."
<h2>Jonathan Huberdeau's power play goal (4:36, third period)</h2>
The Flames have had a challenging season with special teams. When their power play's been good, their penalty kill has struggled, and visa versa. This season, through 41 games, they've won the special teams battle just eight times.

Saturday night was that eighth occurrence, and the first time the Flames have held the opposition's power play off the scoresheet since Dec. 19 against Ottawa – snapping a streak of seven games allowing at least one power play goal against.

In a game where the margins were pretty tight at five-on-five and there wasn't much breathing room to create scoring chances, Jonathan Huberdeau's spinarama goal on the power play was gigantic.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878309078964768886

Huberdeau joked post-game that he does not have a special name for the move.

"No, I mean, I don't know... I think it was obviously got fortunate to get a good bounce of Matty's shot, but I just tried to put it as fast as I could. I knew the goalie was out of position, so it was a huge goal for us."
<h2>Adrian Kempe hits the post (10:53, third period)</h2>
After the Flames got the go-ahead goal, the Kings shortened their bench, shuffled their lines and pressed for the equalizer. With just over nine minutes left, Adrian Kempe, Quintin Byfield and Anze Kopitar generated a lot of zone time... and nearly the equalizer.

Kempe had a shot that glanced off Wolf's body and hit the post, then ricocheted around the side of the crease. MacKenzie Weegar slid the puck to Wolf in the crease, and then a bit of a scrum occurred after Byfield whacked Wolf's mask with his glove. It was a game where goaltending made a big difference for the Flames, and Wolf got enough of a piece of arguably the Kings' best third period scoring chance that it hit iron and stayed out.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1878312233035272499

Wolf walked the media through the puck sequence after the game.

"Yeah, I mean, before that even happened, I thought I made a decent play with the puck behind the net," recalled Wolf. "And it turns around and comes right back into a grade A. And, you know, I got a piece of it. But glad it hit the post. And I don't know if Weegs was trying to scare me a little bit by throwing it back into my feet. But, you know, that's hockey for you."

The Flames are back in action on Monday night when they face the Chicago Blackhawks.

5 key moments from the Flames’ 2-1 win vs. Kings

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