On Thursday night, we saw the Calgary Flames host the San Jose Sharks at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The Flames came into the game last in the Western Conference with a 4-12-2 record, while the Sharks entered the night one point out of a Western Conference wild card playoff spot with an 8-6-3 record.
Coming into the season, expectations would have been that these records would be reversed, and from what the Flames showed tonight, you could make the claim that these records still mean very little.
Game Recap
Despite having the worst record in the NHL, the Flames quickly took over this game, outshooting the Sharks 13-1 in the first period. However, even with all of the pressure, Yaroslav Askarov kept his team in the game, holding the Flames to no goals in the period.
The Flames were finally able to break the ice just over five minutes into the second frame on Blake Coleman’s seventh goal of the season, which went unassisted after he went in all alone after one of the more peculiar defensive zone turnovers you will ever see from the Sharks.
Through 40 minutes, the Flames utterly dominated the Sharks. The Sharks did not record their first five-on-five shot of the game until the second period, and went into the second intermission with only two shots at even strength.
A late John Klingberg penalty pretty much killed the Sharks’ chances of finding the tying goal late in this game, and the Flames closed out the 2-0 shutout, with Samuel Honzek adding an empty-net goal with four seconds left to play.
Despite being on the losing side, Askarov was the best player on the ice, saving 34 of 35 shots and making eight high-danger saves in the game, his fifth straight game with a .940 save percentage or higher.
With the win, the Flames snapped a three-game losing streak and will look to start a streak against the Winnipeg Jets on Hockey Night in Canada. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Sharks. They will look to bounce back on Saturday night on the road against the Seattle Kraken.
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
