'Winning is fun': Flames use strong finish to secure first victory

ANAHEIM – There won’t be a whole lot of wins for the Calgary Flames this season that feel as good as this one.

Fact is, there won’t be a whole lot of wins.

But the fact that the first triumph of the season took six games and a whole lot of heartache to get to made Tuesday’s win near Disneyland feel like they were indeed in the Happiest Place on Earth.   

Four goals. Two points. A post-game flight to Vegas that suddenly had a reason to get loud.

And a dressing room that, for the first time all season, had every reason to crank the music, slap a few backs and enjoy the hell out of itself.

“Anything is possible!” wailed one player with a laugh.

Relief.

A 4-2 win Tuesday night over a potent Ducks team that gave Calgary every opportunity to find a familiar way to lose.

Instead, the Flames found a way to win.

After repeatedly finding themselves on the wrong end of the kind of third periods that can suck the life out of a team, they finally got something back.

A reward.

“It’s awesome,” said Adam Klapka, one of the game’s unlikely stars.

“Winning is fun, and that’s what we all want.”

Klapka provided the early jolt, cashing in on a turnover with his second goal of the year, before backing it up with a fight.

Aydar Suniev supplied another significant development, recording his first multi-point game, including his second goal in as many outings. The young forward helped set up Martin Pospisil for the late winner, giving the Flames another encouraging glimpse of what their kids can provide when they're trusted to play.

And trusted they were.

With less than four minutes remaining, Jonathan Castagna lined up for an offensive-zone faceoff in a 3-2 game, a small but telling sign of the leash Ryan Huska is willing to give his youngsters in meaningful moments.

It’s one thing to talk about developing young players. It’s another to put them over the boards when the game is on the line.

The Flames need more of that.

First, though, they needed Dustin Wolf.

The goaltender delivered a 23-save bounce-back performance, looking increasingly comfortable as the game wore on. He stayed composed through a lengthy stretch without much action, then came up with the saves Calgary needed when Anaheim pushed in a tied third period, 2-2.

“In the second and third period, he looked like the guy that we know and love for sure,” the coach said.

The Flames certainly missed that guy his first few starts.

They've also needed a third period that doesn't leave them staring at the floor of a quiet room afterward.

Coming into the night, Calgary had been outscored 13-4 in third periods, and given the way things had gone early on, there was every reason to wonder whether the same old story was about to get another chapter.

Not this time. And boy did they need a respite from the losses.

With under five minutes remaining, Pospisil took a pass from Suniev, sold a fake slap shot and beat Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal five-hole.

Just like that, the Flames had their lead back.

Pospisil said he'd tried the move in practice, where it had found the net a couple of times. It was a calculated gamble from a player growing increasingly comfortable down the middle.

“It was great,” he said of the rewarding result.

“It was hard with the stretch games of like that, especially beginning of the season – that was tough. But we're really happy that we won the game tonight.”

Huska acknowledged the pressure that comes with losing, even when a team's play is improving. Players start squeezing their sticks. They get deflated. When opponents begin pushing, the thought creeps in: Oh boy, here we go again.

“It's not easy when you're in a stretch like this to start the year - you want to see the players have results,” said Huska, whose club trailed 2-1 after the first period.

“But I feel like their game continues to get better, and it was nice to see the pieces kind of come together a little bit more than they have the prior five games. A lot of positives from the group tonight. I'm happy that they got a win because it's hard on a player.” 

That’s what makes this win matter beyond the standings.

The Flames finally pushed back. They held on.

They weathered the pressure from a dangerous Anaheim team, killed five of six penalties, blocked shots and found the winning goal when the game demanded it. Not every moment was pretty. It didn't have to be.

“We've been battling hard the last few games,” said Wolf, whose club got an empty netter from Yegor Sharagovoich.

“It's a relief to finally get them.”

He was talking about the two points.

“We still have to stay on the ground to know it's just one game, but yeah, we're gonna have some fun, I think, for sure,” smiled Klapka, an assist away from a Gordie Howe hat trick

They finally gave themselves something positive to build on.

Baby steps.

For a team that desperately needed a little joy – a team that isn’t likely to win a whole lot in Year 1 of their rebuild - you can’t help but be happy for them.