» KANE’S FOUR GOALS CARRY SHARKS
CALGARY, Alberta — The game-time decision proved to be the right decision.
Evander Kane recorded his first career four-goal game Friday, charging the Sharks to a 74 victory over the Calgary Flames in a Pacific Division battle loaded with playoff implications after he skipped the team’s morning practice with a lower-body tweak.
Head coach Pete DeBoer labeled Kane, who missed two shifts in Edmonton Wednesday, as a “game-time decision” Friday morning.
What a decision it wound up being.
Kane didn’t waste any time to make his presence felt, scoring the game’s opening goal six minutes into the first. He recorded his first goal of the night by beating goalie Mike Smith with a shot from just inside the blue line that appeared to redirect off defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s stick.
The 26-year-old forward tied the game at 2-2 with his second goal at 6:29 of the second, deflecting a point shot from Dylan DeMelo while he was tied up in front of the net with Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic. Kane completed the hat trick at 16:32 of the middle frame, putting the Sharks ahead 4-3 by hammering in the rebound of his own blocked shot from the doorstep.
After he celebrated the goal by raising his arms up toward the rafters from his knees, Kane told his teammates, “oh my God, finally.” The goal marked the first hat trick of his eight-year NHL career. He wasn’t finished, though. Kane added a fourth goal at 1:02 of the third, his 25th of the year, pushing the Sharks’ lead to 6-3, by tapping in a Joe Pavelski pass from the side of the net. Three of Kane’s goals came after DeBoer promoted Chris Tierney up to the right wing of Pavelski’s line, replacing Jannik Hansen, who was filling in for the injured Joonas Donskoi.
Kane’s fourth goal chased Smith, who entered the night with a .940 save percentage in 25 career appearances against the Sharks, from the game.
With four goals on the night, Kane has now recorded 10 points in eight games since he joined the Sharks in a deal with the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline.
But Kane wasn’t the only Sharks forward to find the back of the net Friday. Kevin Labanc made it 3-3 at 11:42 of the second by picking the topright corner from the outer edge of the left circle and Tomas Hertl gave the Sharks a 5-3 edge with 1:58 left in middle frame by poking a pass from Justin Braun through Smith’s legs.
Eric Fehr iced the game with an empty-net goal at 16:02 of the third.
By recording his 10th goal, Labanc became the 12th Shark to reach double digits in goals this season, highlighting the team’s scoring depth.
The win allowed the Sharks to regain a three-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division while seriously compromising the Flames playoff hopes.
In the lead in to Friday’s action, sports talk radio in Calgary was billing the contest as the “biggest game of the year.” The Flames desperately needed a win, entering the game three points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division and five points behind the Sharks for second place.