CALGARY, Alberta — Joel Hanley netted his first goal of the season at the 13:26 mark of the third period, propelling the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday evening.
Nazem Kadri and Kevin Rooney also contributed with goals for the Flames, helping to end a three-game winless streak. This victory brought Calgary to within one point of Vancouver for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf made an impressive 27 saves, achieving his 20th win of the season after a challenging stretch of four consecutive winless outings. His record now stands at 20-11-3.
For the Sharks, Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli were the goal scorers, but the team has struggled significantly, going winless in their last five games and losing six straight on the road. Alexander Georgiev, in net for San Jose, turned away 33 shots, but this loss marked his sixth in a row, with only one win in the last 13 games he has played.
The action on the ice saw Calgary take the lead when Rooney scored his first goal since December 10, putting them ahead after the game was tied at one.
Toffoli quickly answered, scoring just 1:54 into the third period by swatting in his rebound for his 21st goal, which leads the team.
In terms of noteworthy highlights, Celebrini’s 18th goal brought him ahead of Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov, making him the NHL’s rookie goal leader. Celebrini was active on the ice, leading his team with six shots, including one that struck the crossbar in the third period that could have potentially changed the game’s outcome.
Kadri achieved a milestone by securing his third consecutive season with at least 20 goals since joining Calgary as a free agent. He now stands as the fourth player in three decades to accomplish this feat in his first three seasons with the Flames.
A pivotal moment occurred during a four-on-four situation when Hanley received a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and leveled a shot that soared past Georgiev’s blocker, marking Hanley’s first goal since March 23 of the prior year, ending a dry spell of 31 games without a score.
In a key statistic, the Northern California native Wolf has maintained a strong record against the Sharks, now standing at 5-1-0 in matchups against them.
Looking ahead, San Jose will face off against Winnipeg on Monday night, while the Flames will travel to Washington for their game on Tuesday.
