Devin Cooley Took the Loss, But He's Not the Flames' Problem

It's getting harder for Calgary Flames fans to find much encouragement in the standings, but every now and then, a player deserves a little more credit than the team’s record suggests. Wednesday night's 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers was another frustrating result, but Devin Cooley probably shouldn't be the first name fans point to when looking for answers.

The Flames goaltender stopped 21 of 23 shots, and the Rangers' final goal came into an empty net. That's a tough night to take a loss, particularly when there wasn't much offensive support coming from the other end of the ice.

Cooley Can't Do It All by Himself.

Cooley had a couple of difficult moments against New York. Mika Zibanejad got a puck past him off his skate early in the second period, then beat him again with a power-play one-timer later in the frame. Those two goals were enough for the Rangers.

But here's something worth remembering. Cooley has given Calgary some pretty good goaltending this season. He's now 5-4-0 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage through nine appearances. Those are respectable numbers for a team that hasn't exactly made life easy for its goaltenders. He's also coming off an impressive October, so a couple of less successful outings shouldn't suddenly change how we look at him.

Maybe the Flames Need to Give Their Goaltender More Help.

This is where I think Flames fans should look beyond the latest loss. Goaltenders are often judged by the final score. Two goals go in, the team loses, and suddenly everyone wonders whether the goalie is cooling off. But hockey doesn't work quite that simply. Cooley can't be expected to make every save, and he certainly can't provide the offence, too. At some point, the players in front of him have to give him a little breathing room.

Calgary has some work to do, and nobody is suggesting one goaltender can turn things around by himself. But if Cooley keeps providing the kind of numbers he’s shown so far, that’s one position the Flames may not have to worry about as much.

Wednesday was a loss, and Cooley will probably want a couple of those goals back. That's hockey. But I'd be careful not to confuse one disappointing night with a bigger problem. The Flames have enough questions to answer without creating another one where it might not exist.