Jekyll and Hyde Act Continues for the Calgary Flames

The 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks was another woeful outing in a long line of stinkers against the NHL's worst.

The Calgary Flames’ record against the NHL’s bottom feeders took another hit in the 6-3 home loss to the Sharks. San Jose entered Thursday’s contest with 2.11 goals per game and 2.07 on the road, the second-fewest in both categories. Only Chicago finds the twine less.

On the good news front, the defeat was the first loss in six games against the Sharks dating back to 2021. I guess the Sharks were due for a win, which sounds peculiar considering they’re the NHL’s second-worst team. Dustin Wolf started in place of Jacob Markstrom, who had started the previous seven games.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old netminder endured the worst of five starts this season. His positioning, aside from the Sharks’ opener, was pretty good. However, Wolf’s nerves were shot and his confidence shaky, a vulnerable state that worsened in the third period when the Sharks scored two in 37 seconds.

His forgettable outing, consisting of a .806 save percentage, was unsurprising considering how seldomly he has seen the crease. It was an excellent learning lesson for the young goaltender. Based on the unsure performance, some say the organization should think twice about trading Markstrom. Others will disagree, believing it’s more imperative than ever to offload Markstrom, providing Wolf the opportunity to gain the required experience and confidence.