Nice comeback, no victory
The Sharks wore their throwback jerseys then went out Thursday and played a good old- fashioned Smythe Division game against Calgary.
The Flames won 6- 5 in a shootout in a game that resembled the wide- open battles of yesteryear. Jiri Hudler scored the decider against goalie Alex Stalock in front of 16,854 at SAP Center.
“We got our chances in overtime and the shootout,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said.
San Jose had a golden opportunity to win late in regulation but failed to convert on a full twominute 5- on- 3, even against a back- up goalie, Jonas Hiller, who was forced to enter the game with just three minutes remaining when Karri Ramo injured his left leg.
“Kudos to him,” San Jose’s Logan Couture said of Hiller. “He stepped in on a 5- on- 3 and made unbelievable saves. He saved them a couple of points.”
Couture was the only one of four Sharks’ shooters to score in the shootout; Joe Colborne converted before Hudler as the Flames won a third straight game.
The Sharks not only capped a comeback from three goals down, but also briefly led early in the third period.
Rookie left wing Joonas Donskoi tied the game 4- 4 with his ninth goal at 2: 46. He tapped home a goalline feed from Couture past Ramo, who got tangled with defenseman Ladislav Smid in front.
Then rookie defenseman Dylan DeMelo scored his second of the season as San Jose converted a third power play in six chances at 5: 55 for a 5- 4 lead.
But Calgary defenseman Kris Russell crashed the net to punch home his fourth of the season at 8: 08 on the power play.
A strong second period that featured the Sharks outshooting the penalty-plagued Flames 11- 4 enabled the hosts to trim their deficit to one on the strength of two powerplay strikes.
Couture scored his fifth 48 seconds into the middle period, taking a cross- ice feed from defenseman Brent Burns and beating Ramo with a wrist shot from the left circle.
Center Patrick Marleau scored his 17th, converting a 5- on- 3 with a tap- in of a pass from center Joe Thornton at 11: 17.
“That was quite a game,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “I don’t know where to start. I liked the fact we didn’t pack it in and found a way to get a point.”
The Sharks played possibly their worst period of the season to open the game, allowing four goals in the first 13: 26.
Defenseman Justin Braun wore the goat horns on the first two goals.
Braun’s bad clearing pass was picked off by Sam Bennett in neutral ice, and the Calgary center skated to the top of the right circle before beating Stalock with a low shot to the far corner of the net at 4: 12 for his 15th goal. Then, the Flames needed only 29 seconds to convert a Couture minor when defenseman Mark Giordano’s wrister from the left circle deflected off Braun’s stick past Stalock at 5: 18.