Wolf makes 27 saves, Flames stay hot by shutting out Mammoth

CALGARY -- Dustin Wolf made 27 saves, and Yegor Sharangovich’s early goal turned out to be the game-winner for the Calgary Flames, who stayed hot with a 2-0 win against the Utah Mammoth at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

It was Wolf's second shutout this season and fifth in the NHL.

“I thought we just settled into the game," Wolf said. "We blocked a ton of shots, especially at the end there. That’s the character of our group is we find a way to get in front of pucks when we need to, and obviously we were able to shut them down. That’s a good offense over there, and to give them nothing, it feels good.”

Connor Zary also scored for the Flames (11-15-4), who have won the first two games of a four-game homestand and are 6-2-1 in their past nine overall.

“A good performance overall,” Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “Obviously, off to a good start, and then we had some looks, they had some looks, but ‘Wolfie’ played really well in net. Overall, I thought we played a pretty strong game.

“It’s nice to come home and actually be home for a bit. Hopefully we can keep taking advantage of this homestand, and then we’ll see where it takes us.”

Vitek Vanecek made 21 saves for the Mammoth (14-13-3), who were coming off a 4-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Friday and concluded a six-game road trip 2-4-0.

“Obviously, not the start we were expecting,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think the rest of the game we played a solid 5-on-5, but offensively, if you want to score in the League, you need to get in the eyes of the goalie, you need to disturb the defense a little bit more, and we were a little bit too perimeter.”

Utah forward Logan Cooley did not play because of a lower-body injury he sustained after colliding with Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen at 15:21 of the third period on Friday.

“He didn’t play, that’s what I will say," Tourigny said.

Sharangovich gave the Flames a quick 1-0 lead just 16 seconds into the first period. He knocked in a rebound from the edge of the crease after Vanecek stopped Nazem Kadri’s initial wraparound attempt.

“He’s been way harder on the puck, and because he’s been harder on the puck, he’s had a lot more offense," Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. "So, now to me he’s back to being more of a threat coming through the neutral zone, and even where he scored his goal tonight, he was right in front of the net."

Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt had a good chance to tie it at 14:46 of the third period, but he wasn’t able to get any elevation on his shot from the slot.

“I wish I could replay that,” Schmidt said. “I’ve got to elevate it against a goalie that goes down and then he's quick across. It felt like he was seeing the puck really well, so I was trying to shoot back against the grain. Maybe he wouldn't be able to see the release, but I’ve at least got to try and create a rebound there.”

Zary scored into an empty net at 17:46 of the third for the 2-0 final.

“There’s a ton of room for improvement,” Tourigny said. “We got better during the game, we got better since the start of the season, but it’s a work in progress for us to have that speed, that execution, the moving of the puck quick and moving the puck into speed, and that’s where we’re at our best.”

NOTES: Sharangovich’s goal was Calgary’s fastest to start a game since April 3, when Kadri also scored 16 seconds into a 4-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks. ... The Flames went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and are 17-for-17 in their past six games.