Video coach Jamie Pringle was the hero on Tuesday night, despite Matt Coronato scoring the game-tying goal and the overtime winner in a thrilling conclusion.
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With 8:24 left in the third, Brendan Gallagher seemed to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-1 lead before Coronato spearheaded a Calgary Flames rally.
However, Pringle signalled the goal for offside right away. The Flames then mounted a successful challenge, and Coronato completed the task as Calgary reversed the trend and prevailed 3-2 in overtime.
Flames goalie Dustin Wolf stated, "I was just saying that a post is normally a goalie's best friend, but I think the video coach is now No. 2." With Canadiens supporters cheering as if it were inevitable, the roof of the Bell Centre almost collapsed, but Pringle didn't believe it.
"We've always been confident in Jamie," Ryan Huska, the head coach of the Flames, stated. "He is the league's best player. Challenge immediately after he flashed it up in another scenario.
"If it weren't for his bravery, we wouldn't have won. There's a reason you have such a wonderful man in that chair. We were able to stay in this game today thanks to Jamie's excellent performance."
The 49-year-old "Chips" from Picton, Ontario, known as Pringle, is in his fourteenth season with the Flames.
Additionally, it wasn't the first time this season that he was instrumental in a win The video coach successfully contested two goals in Calgary's 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on October 13, including one deflection by Corey Perry that the hockey community was certain should have been scored.
Even though a failed challenge would have put his side on the penalty kill, Pringle made the hasty choice nevertheless.
"He's hot this year," Blake Coleman, a forward, stated. "You know what? After a difficult year, he had to make amends. He's been on fire, and we had some great conversations in the closing moments.
"I'd say of all the guys on our team, he's probably the one who hasn't missed a night so far."
On Tuesday, Coronato arrived at the appropriate moment.
With 2:46 left in regulation time, the 21-year-old winger knotted the score. He went off the post and in, and he sailed into the slot. Then, seven seconds into the extra period, he scored the game-winning goal, only one second away from tying the NHL record for the fastest overtime goal.
"He is exceptional. Wolf remarked, "He's had a lot of opportunities to score, but he's been kind of snakebit a couple times. "To see him score on two unbelievable shots, that's a scouting report on him, his shot's lethal."
When Coleman said, "The kid can shoot it," "Couple big ones."
Coronato, who was selected 13th overall in the 2021 NHL draft, played the majority of the previous season with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL.
He has participated in eight NHL games and two AHL games this season. Additionally, with In the major leagues, he can anticipate many more performances like Tuesday's.
"Sometimes with younger players, you put them in the American League for a bit and it's hard on them," Huska stated. "There is undoubtedly a long-term strategy. We are aware of how beneficial he will be to us. We simply want to ensure that we are placing him in circumstances for which he will be prepared and capable of succeeding.
"He's done an excellent job of preparing himself to play, and we saw the result of his effort tonight."
The Flames (7-5-1) began a three-game road trip with their second victory in seven games. The Canadiens (4-7-2) lost their fourth straight game in front of four games played outside of the home.
Head coach Martin St. Louis remarked, "We didn't throw up on ourselves tonight, but we still feel a bit sick to our stomachs," in reference to a post-game evaluation he gave following a 6-3 loss in Washington last week.
Despite falling just a few minutes short of capturing two points and ending their drought, the Canadiens did not convey a sense of doom and gloom in the dressing room. However, St. Louis stated that his players should leave this game "hungry" in order to get in the win column.
"If I was in their shoes, I'd wish we played tomorrow," he stated. "I would prefer to feel that way. I aspire to be like that.
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