The Calgary Flames’ win on Jan. 18 in Winnipeg was against the best team in the entire Western Conference. The Jets had been 18-4-3 at home and 31-12-3 overall until Wolf and the Flames beat them.
Wolf is now No. 6 in the NHL in Save Percentage and No. 10 in the NHL in Goals Against Average.
In a story in “The Athletic” ranking the five best rookies in contention for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s best rookie, writer Scott Wheeler said, “There’s no way the Flames are in the playoff hunt at the halfway mark without (Wolf). He has been an upper-echelon goalie this year.”
“The Athletic writer Harman Dayal added, “Wolf is the most valuable player on a team that’s wildly exceeded expectations. Calgary has a 15-6-2 record during Wolf’s games and a 6-8-5 record when he doesn’t start. Wolf’s athleticism, instincts and reads are phenomenal. He’s single-handedly given the Flames opportunities to win games where they’ve been decisively outplayed.”
Recent results for Calgary with Dustin Wolf in goal (as of Jan. 20)
Jan. 13: Won 5-2 at Chicago
Jan. 16: Lost 4-1 at St. Louis
Jan. 18: Won 3-1 at Winnipeg
Season totals
Wolf’s record: 16-7-2 with a Save Percentage of .917 and a Goals Against Average of 2.51
Calgary’s record: 22-16-7, in fourth place in the Pacific Division
The Wolf Watch is a periodic look-in at the career of Gilroy native and ex-Morgan Hill resident Dustin Wolf, goalie for the NHL’s Calgary Flames.