Devin Cooley reacts to Dustin Wolf's save on Sennecke

Gino Hard just flagged that Devin Cooley was impressed when Dustin Wolf denied Beckett Sennecke's Michigan attempt tonight.

The save came in a Ducks win at the Saddledome. Anaheim beat the Flames 5-3, but the moment that had people talking was a goalie stopping one of the flashiest plays in the game.

Hard's post is short, and the reaction in it is the whole point. He noted that it was safe to say Cooley was impressed, with a pair of emojis to back it up.

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Cooley has been a part of the Flames' goaltending story for a little more than a week now. He left the Battle of Alberta with an injury on October 28, and Wolf took over in the second period of that game.

Both goalies grew up in the same part of California, Cooley in Los Gatos and Wolf in Gilroy. This season Cooley has played 7 games and Wolf 9, so the Flames have leaned on both.

That's what makes the reaction land. A goalie knows better than anybody how hard it is to stop that play, and Cooley clearly appreciated it.

Why Sennecke keeps trying plays like this

Sennecke is 20 years old and the third overall pick from 2024. He has 10 goals and 19 points in 16 games this season, and the Michigan attempt is the kind of play a player only tries when his confidence is sky high.

Thursday in Edmonton he put up 2 goals and an assist, including the game-winner. Players with that kind of production get a longer leash, and Joel Quenneville has no reason to pull it.

Honestly, the Flames should be fine with this one. Wolf made the stop, and the Ducks winger will keep trying it as long as the goals keep coming. Goalies around the league should expect to see it again.

Early reports after Cooley's exit had a likely MCL injury and weeks of absence as the worry. Calgary hasn't given a different picture in the information available tonight, so how soon Cooley is back in the crease remains the open question.

The Flames host the Flyers on Sunday, and the Ducks face the Penguins the same day.

Quick hits

MINNESOTA WILD: Kirill Kaprizov had a four-point night, per Michael Russo, as the Wild beat the Sharks 4-1 tonight. That's a big night for the franchise star, and Minnesota took full advantage.

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SAN JOSE SHARKS: Macklin Celebrini tied it for the Sharks tonight, but they fell 4-1 at Minnesota for a fourth straight loss. Celebrini did his part, but the losing streak is the real concern now.

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Zachary Werenski scored again, but the Blue Jackets lost 5-2 at Buffalo tonight. It was a road game that got away from them, and one goal from the star defenseman wasn't enough.

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BUFFALO SABRES: The Sabres beat the Blue Jackets 5-2 at home tonight, with Josh Norris scoring twice. A strong home showing, and the secondary scoring did the heavy lifting.

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Elias Pettersson and the Canucks land in Edmonton to face the Oilers on Saturday night, the last stop of a quick two-game road trip. A fast start would help a lot against McDavid's group.

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