Mission accomplished for Jakob Pelletier, who finally played his first game with the Flames on Saturday in Calgary. However, he only had 6:50 playing time in a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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The diminutive Quebec forward gasped before receiving the call from the big club, almost four years after being selected in the first round. And he had to patiently try again before playing a first meet two weeks after his recall.
The Quebec native, author of 96 points in 97 duels in the American Hockey League (AHL), was used sparingly by the ruthless Darryl Sutter against the Lightning. Sharing the fourth unit with plumbers Trevor Lewis and Walker Duehr, Pelletier was the Flames’ least-used player. He still got a shot on goal and a body check, in addition to a turnover.
“It’s unreal, the main interest of journalists after the meeting dropped. During the warm-up and my first appearance on the ice, I was stressed. But after that I understood that it was just hockey.
The moment was all the more significant for Pelletier as it took place in front of six members of his family at the Scotiabank Saddledome, including his father Mario.
“It was magical,” the father rejoiced in a telephone interview with the QMI agency. There are no other words to describe it. Jacob got the match he had been waiting for for a year. He’s proven he can hold his own.”
As it should be, Sutter was stingy with compliments after the duel. When asked about the performance of the only rookie in his lineup, the 64-year-old settled for asking what number Pelletier wore before simply letting loose that he was “21 years old and a long way away”.
Those words should not, however, discourage the former Moncton Wildcats and Val-d’Or Foreurs, according to Mario Pelletier.
“Jakob is mentally very strong and humble. And everyone saw the game: Jakob didn’t look bad. He had good chances and created a few. Now he’ll never be 6’2″ and he’ll never be 220 lbs. If Sutter likes players like that, it won’t be Jakob. There are 31 other teams in the NHL that would like players like him.
It must be said that in the midst of fighting for a playoff spot, the Calgary team had every reason to trust their veterans in this replay of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
The veterans reacted with presence against the “Bolts”, who took a 2-1 lead in the middle of the second period. Tyler Toffoli, Rasmus Andersson and Dillon Dube struck to give the Flames a two-goal cushion, then Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Coleman confirmed the win in an empty net.
Nazem Kadri, another veteran in attack, opened the scoring in the first period.
Steven Stamkos, Vladislav Namestnikov and Anthony Cirelli answered for the visitors.
Against all odds
Before Pelletier, 57 other players debuted at the Bettman Circuit in 2022-2023. However, his first game has a very special connotation, as no team has a harder time breaking through in the NHL than the Calgary Flames.
It’s no secret that head coach Sutter doesn’t like youth… or athletes with small stature.
Pelletier became the first player born in the 2000s to play a game…in Alberta team history! For comparison, the Montreal Canadiens had seven this season alone.
At 5-foot-9, Pelletier was also the only player under 5-foot-10 in uniform on Saturday. Earlier this season, the talented Matthew Phillips (5’7″) had just two small games with the Flames before being demoted to the AHL, where he outrageously dominates the league with 44 points in 31 games.
Veterans rise up
It must be said that in the midst of fighting for a playoff spot, the Calgary team had every reason to trust their veterans in this replay of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
The veterans reacted with presence against the “Bolts”, who took a 2-1 lead in the middle of the second period. Tyler Toffoli, Rasmus Andersson and Dillon Dube struck to give the Flames a two-goal cushion, then Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Coleman confirmed the win in an empty net.
Nazem Kadri, another veteran in attack, opened the scoring in the first period.
Steven Stamkos, Vladislav Namestnikov and Anthony Cirelli answered for the visitors.