Who will be between the pipes for the Calgary Flames in Wednesday’s curtain-raiser against the Canucks in Vancouver?
You’re not the only one wondering.
“If you hear anything, let me know,” quipped Dan Vladar, one of the two candidates.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska hinted that he’s made up his mind, but he’s not ready to spill the beans just yet.
He plans to share the news with his puck-stoppers on Tuesday.
“Don’t try to sneak in there tomorrow and ask them or anything like that,” Huska teased during Monday’s media availability. “I like to tell them the day before so they can go through their routines and prepare properly. I think, for a goaltender, they would rather know that instead of just showing up at the rink (on game day) and finding out he’s starting.”
It seems like a safe bet that Vladar and Dustin Wolf will see a relatively even split of starts over the next few weeks, and probably over the next several months, but there’s certainly some prestige that comes with the opening-night nod.
Vladar’s edge is his experience. The 27-year-old has logged 75 appearances in the NHL spotlight and is finally pain-free after hip surgery in March.
Wolf, meanwhile, is typically billed as Calgary’s goaltender of the future. This is the first time the 23-year-old has cracked the start-of-season roster.
If Wednesday’s assignment is based on pre-season stats, well, Vladar posted a lower goals-against average and Wolf had a better save percentage. (Devin Cooley was also sharp in camp, but the third-stringer was assigned to the Wranglers after clearing waivers Monday.)
“You always want to be the guy, right? That’s the ultimate goal,” Wolf said. “Me and Vladdy are obviously going to battle and whoever gives the team the best chance to win is going to play.”
Indeed, a Game 1 gig doesn’t necessarily mean a workhorse role for the entire winter.
“I think we have a pretty good handle on who’s going to start the opening night,” Huska said. “And then we will go from there.”