Cooley and Three Posts Send the Wild Home Empty
Minnesota carried this game from start to finish and still lost it. The Wild outshot Calgary 36-22 and took 71 shot attempts to the Flames' 38, but the scoreboard read Calgary 2, Minnesota 1.
The pressure was real. By expected goals (how many goals a team's chances were worth), the Wild's looks added up to 3.87, nearly double Calgary's. They scored once.
The biggest reason was Devin Cooley. He stopped 35 of 36 shots and turned aside all 14 high-danger shots he faced. His goals saved above expected was +2.87, meaning he kept out almost three more goals than an average goalie would have.
The posts covered the rest. Kirill Kaprizov, Bobby Brink and Jonas Brodin each rang one off the iron. Matt Boldy fired six shots without scoring.
Calgary made its few chances count. The Flames scored twice on the power play, with Aydar Suniev and Joel Farabee finding the net, while Minnesota went 0 for 4 with the extra man. Michael McCarron scored the lone Wild goal.
The bounces went Calgary's way, and the Wild drop to 2-2-2 on the road despite carrying the play.
