CALGARY — There were two minutes left in Ivan Prosvetovâ€s final, 30-minute audition for the Calgary Flames backup gig Wednesday night when a TV timeout prompted the Russian netminder to meander over to the bench.
No one wouldâ€ve blamed him if he requested an early departure.
Already victimized by five Canucks goals, you can bet the 26-year-old was wondering at that moment if it was worth leaving a starting gig in the KHL for a shot at a backup job in the NHL that suddenly felt like it had slipped away.
So tight has been the battle between him and Devin Cooley, the decision was made to split the game so the clubâ€s goalie coaches could get one last chance to try picking the winner.
Well, Wednesday solved nothing, as both goalies struggled mightily behind a porous Flames club that fell 8-1 to Vancouver.
Prosvetov was not to blame for the first three goals, victimized on a Brock Boeser breakaway, an Elias Pettersson power-play blast and a point shot that ricocheted off Nazem Kadri.
But no matter how inept your team is in front of you, when your playing future is on the line you need to be better than allowing five goals on 19 shots.
Cooley wasnâ€t a whole lot better, allowing a short-side groaner a few minutes in, before being beaten by a nifty five-hole finish by Quinn Hughes to complete a two-on-one. A soft shorthanded goal allowed in the final minute capped a night in which he allowed three goals on seven shots, which included a desperate pad save on a Pettersson penalty shot.
“It was a tough one for both of those guys because of what we did in front of them,†said Huska, who will have to make a decision on his opening-night starter without the benefit of seeing either play again.
“So itâ€s a tough one to evaluate. Itâ€s almost a little unfair in that regard. Like, I donâ€t think people in front of them did what they needed to do to give them a chance.â€
Cooley is a more structurally sound goalie, Prosvetov is considered a bit more athletic, but one is being put on waivers soon, with an eye on starting the season in the AHL.
Was the coach concerned about the effort?
“Yep, it does (concern him),†said Huska of his normally hard-working teamâ€s lacklustre outing.
“Itâ€s not a light switch. You can assume all you want but if you donâ€t go and play our style of hockey then itâ€s not going to work. You have to be committed to doing it the right way. The pace has to go up.â€
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Given Zayne Parekhâ€s penchant for roaming, Huska thought it salient to try the 19-year-old right-shot defencemen on his left side, opposite Brayden Pachal.
It only lasted a few periods.
“I donâ€t think it would have mattered, right or left side the way our group was playing tonight,†said Huska of a game in which the Canucks were continually finding ways to get around the Flames blue-liners.
“It was a tough night for a lot of people.â€
Playing 20:30, Parekh saw time on the second power-play unit, where he made a questionable pinch in the offensive zone late in the second period that finished with a Canucks shorthanded goal. His power-play unit was scored against again late in the game.
It wonâ€t be the last time the youngster is victimized, as it will clearly take plenty of time for the Flames†prized first-rounder to cut down on the type of mistakes he used to get away with as a junior superstar.
“Maybe situational awareness is the way I could put it for him,†said Huska when asked earlier in the day what he hoped Parekh would continue working on as the pre-season continued.
“Understanding who you are on the ice with, when to try something thatâ€s a little bit higher risk, whatâ€s the score, whatâ€s the time on the clock? These are all things that as a young guy you have to start to understand and really recognize, and those would be a few things weâ€ll look for over the last couple of exhibition games.â€
Parekh, who is a lock to open the season on the roster, finished the night playing with a game-low minus-4, with one shot on net and three blocked shots, including a painful block with the palm of his hand that had him shaking and checking his right paw afterward.
Parekh wasnâ€t the only one banged up on the night as Martin Pospisil left nursing an injury to his face, and Huberdeau was lying on the ice in pain for a full minute after a late-night collision with Canuck goalie Kevin Lankinen. It appeared he smashed heads with the goalie, but eventually got up and skated to the bench where he immediately proceeded to the dressing room. Huska had no update afterwards.
After scoring in back-to-back games and potting the shootout winner in Seattle, Matvei Gridin is still in the mix to make the opening night roster.
To be sure, heâ€s still a longshot, as there are a handful of veterans the club doesnâ€t want to expose on waivers with a demotion. Heading that list will be Rory Kerins, who has had a strong enough camp to warrant a reprieve from returning to the AHL where he led the Wranglers in scoring last year.  Â
Thus, Gridin will almost undoubtedly start the year with the Wranglers where the 19-year-old first-rounder will benefit tremendously from boatloads of ice time and responsibilities against pros.
Placed in the catbird seat alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman on Wednesday, Gridin made a few nice passes, demonstrated some deft net-front presence, had three of his shot attempts hit the net and finished minus-2 in 15 minutes of ice time.
It likely wasnâ€t enough to extend his stay with the big club past Fridayâ€s final exhibition game, but the QMHJL rookie of the year will leave here with the coaching staff salivating over the speed and shot Flames fans will see plenty of for years to come.
A breakthrough camp no matter how/when it ends.
“He was a little quieter tonight but we saw a good lineup today… so you almost knew it would be a tough night for him,†said Huska.
“But it gives him an opportunity to see where he has to take his game to stay and play here.â€
Huberdeau – Frost – Coronato
Farabee – Kadri – Sharagovich
Zary – Kerins – Pospisil
Coleman – Backlund – GridinÂ
Bahl – Andersson
Hanley – WeegarÂ
Parekh – PachalÂ
Regulars who were scratched:
Kirkland, Klapka, Lomberg, Solovyov, Bean
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