CALGARY, Alberta — In an exciting match on Sunday night, Joel Hanley netted his initial goal of the season at 13:26 in the third period, propelling the Calgary Flames to a narrow 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.
The Flames managed to break a three-game winless streak, moving them within a single point of Vancouver for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. In addition to Hanley’s goal, both Nazem Kadri and Kevin Rooney contributed to the team’s score. Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf made a notable comeback with 27 saves, marking his 20th victory despite a winless stretch in his last four outings, bringing his record to 20-11-3.
For the Sharks, Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli managed to find the net, but the team now faces a five-game winless stretch and has lost six consecutive games on the road. Goaltender Alexander Georgiev had 33 saves but succumbed to his sixth straight defeat, having dropped 12 of his last 13 games.
The game was tied at one before Rooney scored his first point since December 10, putting Calgary ahead 3:35 into the second period. However, Toffoli brought San Jose back even just 1:54 into the third, following up on his own rebound for his 21st goal of the season, leading the team.
Key takeaways from the game include Celebrini’s 18th goal, which places him one goal ahead of Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov in the NHL rookie scoring race. Celebrini also led the Sharks with six shots and very nearly scored again, hitting the crossbar in the third period, which could have shifted the momentum in favor of San Jose.
For the Flames, Kadri has shown consistent scoring prowess, celebrating his third consecutive season with 20 or more goals since he signed as a free agent with Calgary. Remarkably, he is the fourth player in the last 30 years to achieve this feat in his first three seasons with the franchise.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Hanley capitalized on a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau while both teams were skating four on four. The defenseman seized the opportunity, firing a shot over Georgiev’s blocker, marking his first goal since March 23 of last year, after a stretch of 31 games without a score.
On a statistical note, Wolf’s victory improves his career record against San Jose to 5-1-0, an impressive feat considering he grew up in Northern California.
Looking ahead, the Sharks are set to face Winnipeg on Monday night, while the Flames will take on Washington on Tuesday night, continuing the pursuit for playoff positioning.
