Sharks Lose 4-2 to Flames, Reimer Injured

Calgary Flames left wing Milan Lucic (17) chases down the puck as the San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) is in pursuit at the SAP Center in San Jose on Apr 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks lost to the Calgary Flames for the first time this season, by a score of 4-2 at SAP Center. It was the Sharks’ fifth loss in a row. For Calgary, the win was the capstone for a California sweep after they won in Los Angeles and Anaheim. Matthew Tkachuk, Trevor Lewis, and Elias Lindholm scored for the Flames. Dan Vladar made 31 saves for the win. Nick Bonino and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks. James Reimer made 32 saves before being injured in the third period. Kaapo Kahkonen made five saves in relief.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“Our execution could be better. From a compete standpoint, and for being in games with some of the top teams, you know, we’re banging heads with them. I think that I always come back to the same thing: it’s tough to win games when you’re only scoring one and two. I know I sound like a broken record.”

The Flames took the lead at 7:19 of the first period. Matthew Tkachuk stole a puck at the Sharks blue line. He didn’t break stride as he skated at the Sharks net and shot the puck over Reimer’s shoulder.

The Sharks tied it with a goal off Nick Bonino’s skate at 14:29. Assists went to Jaycob Megna and Matt Nieto.

Trevor Lewis made it 2-1 for Calgary at 19:05, carrying the puck into the zone and all the way to the net to jam it past Reimer’s pad. Assists went to Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin.

Elias Lindholm made it 3-1 at 13:28 of the second period. Tkachuk carried the puck across the line and then dropped it to a trailing Lindholm. Lindholm’s shot went between two defenders and over Reimer’s glove. Assists went to Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.

The Sharks got the first six shots of the third period and were rewarded. Logan Couture cut the lead down with a power play goal at 5:24. Timo Meier sent the puck at the net from just above the goal line. Couture was at the net and the puck went off his leg and in. Assists went to Meier and Mario Ferraro.

James was injured midway through the third period after a collision with Couture who had tripped over Blake Coleman’s skate right in front of the net. Couture’s leg slid right into Reimer’s neck and head. There were no updates after the game about his injury.

The Sharks pulled Kahkonen with a little under 90 seconds left but lost control of the puck with 32 seconds left. The Flames went the other way and Lindholm scored into the empty net.

The Sharks power play had three opportunities and got three shots on net. Their penalty kill gave up seven shots to three Calgary power plays and had one short-handed shot. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 48% of the draws. The Sharks blocked ten shots, Calgary blocked 20. Neither John Leonard nor Jonah Gadjovich, who both left the game Tuesday, were in the lineup.

The Sharks’ next game is on Saturday in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Beat Back Flames 5-3, Hertl Scores Hat Trick

San Jose Sharks left wing Jasper Weatherby (26) screens Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar (80) to allow a goal by center Tomas Hertl to score in the first period at SAP Center on Tue Dec 7, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks came back from a two goal defecit to win 5-3 against the Calgary Flames Tuesday. The Sharks got goals from Erik Karlsson and Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl scored a hat trick. Logan Couture passed the 600 point mark in his NHL career. Adin Hill, making his fourth start in a row, made 40 saves for the win. Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Ruzicka scored for the Flames. Dan Vladar made 22 saves in the loss.

Tomas Hertl’s three goals and one in the previous game signal a shift from a 10 game dry spell, during which he had just two goals. Of this sudden productivity, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“Yeah, he was frustrated for a couple weeks, a few weeks getting chances but not putting it in. We had a talk the other day and he just, good players do that. He’s a heck of a player in this league I think. You knew it was going to come, just like [Bonino] a few weeks ago, we were talking about it. You don’t play that long in the league and have that much success and the switch goes off.”

Calgary’s Dillon Dube started the scoring just 97 seconds into the game. Milan Lucic made a quick pass from the outside to the slot and the puck went off of Dube and also Mario Ferraro right in front of the net. Lucic got the assist.

Tomas Hertl tied the game with his tenth of the season, on a power play at 8:58. Alexander Barabanov made a pass from one face-off circle to Hertl in the other. Hertl took the shot off the pass and put it in the top corner on the short side. Barabanov and Brent Burns got the assists.

Johnny Gaudreau scored his tenth of the season, giving Calgary the lead back at 11:55. Matthew Tkachuk made a nifty between-the legs pass from almost behind the net. The pass found Gaudreau on the doorstepTkachuk and Elias Lindholm got the assists.

Adam Ruzicka scored the first of his career at 4:31 of the second period. Christopher Tanev’s shot created a rebound and Ruzicka kept after it until he could push it around Hill’s skate and in. Tanev and Brad Richardson got the assists.

Erik Karlsson cut the lead down with a break-away goal as he came out of the penalty box. Logan Couture spotted him and got the puck up to him as the penalty expired. Assists went to Couture and Jasper Weatherby.

Logan Couture tipped an Erik Karlsson shot, tying the game again on the power play at 14:27. Jonathan Dahlen got the secondary assist.

Tomas Hertl gave the Sharks a lead with his second of the night at 18:10. Alexander Barabanov’s shot created a rebound close to the goal line. Hertl was there to lift it in.

At 6:29 of the third period, Lane Pederson went into the boards by the bench, head-first, with some help from Milan Lucic. Pederson returned from the dressing room very quickly and no penalty was assessed.

Calgary pulled their goaltender for the extra skater with a little under two minutes left in the third. Tomas Hertl scored his third of the night into the empty net at 18:10.

With just under ten seconds left in the game, Ferraro’s clearing attempt hit referee Michael Markovic in the face and he needed help to leave the ice.

The Flames beat the Sharks in the face-off circle in 59% of the draws. They out-shot the Sharks 43-27. The Sharks power play had two chances and scored on both. Their penalty kill gave up three shots and produced three short-handed shots.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in San Jose against the Minnesota Wild at 7:30 PM PT.