Calgary Flames
Which goalie starts for Flames?

With one game left Wednesday night before the Calgary Flames disperse for their all-star game weekend plans, one massive question remains.
No, not whether the team will accomplish their goal of being in a playoff position before the break.
Who is the starting goalie?
A lot of chatter about the netminding decisions has come from the fan masses of late. Part of that is because Jacob Markstrom started in back-to-back games last week in Columbus and St. Louis and the second half of that one was a disaster.
That wasnโt on the goalie, but thatโs how reactionary analysis goes.
With tonightโs game also a back-to-back scenario, many believe we could see backup Dan Vladar get his first start since Jan. 7.
But donโt count on it. The Calgary Flames goal of a playoff spot isnโt one head coach Darryl Sutter takes lightly. Heโll start whichever netminder he believes will give them a chance to win. Remember his bristly response after the loss against the Blues when asked about his decision to go with Markstrom?
โ(Markstrom) hasnโt had much work. We didnโt play for a month, we get four days off in a few days,โ Sutter said at the time. โSo, pretty easy. The other guy (Vladar) hasnโt won for a month. Pretty easy. Trying to win hockey games.
โIt wasnโt even a hard decision. It was one we made a long time ago.โ
This decision might be slightly more impromptu, if only because Vladar came on in relief on Tuesday night in Dallas and earned the win in a 4-3 comeback victory after entering with a two-goal deficit.
But that was more about how the team was playing in front of the goaltenders, as associate coach Kirk Muller said after the victory.
Goalie swap in Dallas a message to the Flames skaters
โSometimes, you gotta give the guys a little bit of a message,โ Muller said. โHad nothing to do with (Markstrom). We play back-to-back. It was just like, โHey, we got a new guy coming in, so you better play hard for him.โ It was a good call.โ
It isnโt an easy position to be in for Vladar, but he only had to make a handful of saves as his team dominated possession and fired 18 shots at the opposition over the final 20 minutes. But credit to him, he earned his first victory since Dec. 3 and the effort was appreciated by his fellow Calgary Flames players.
โWeโre not goalies so we donโt really know how hard that is, but it canโt be easy,โ Matthew Tkachuk said on Wednesday morning. โNot expecting to play and then coming in with only a period to play. He wasnโt peppered too much but made the saves when he had to. He looked very calm in there. If that was me, Iโd be pretty nervous.
โItโs tough to do but he did a great job.โ
Weโll find out shortly if he gets another chance with the pre-break finale against the Arizona Coyotes.
