By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Logan Couture returned, but San Jose still hit a season-high four game losing streak, as the Calgary Flames won 4-2.

Playing for the first time since October 13, Couture played 12:38 minutes, had one assist, one shot on goal and was 38% on the face off.

San Jose was still missing defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic though, with his lower-body injury. Vlasic did not fly out for the two-game road trip.

The Sharks will have to hope the season-high losing streak adds that needed edge to get them back in the win column. In the Pacific Division, they have the same number of points as the Vancouver Canucks and are only one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks. Calgary is now only four points behind San Jose.

The Flames have scored at least three goals in each of their current three game win streak.

Calgary’s Mikael Backlund had a goal and assist and Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman had two assists apiece.

The Flames’ Markus Granlund scored first 1:45 into the game, aided by Jiri Hudler and Wideman, both of whom got their twelfth assists.

The Sharks’ fourth line tied the game at 4:31. Chris Tierney was helped by Joonas Donskoi and Dainius Zubrus, who got his first assist.

The teams then exchanged power play goals.

Sean Monahan made it 2-1, assisted by Giordano and Wideman.  San Jose managed to only give up this special teams goal, amongst the six other opportunities.

The Sharks then got a power play goal for the second straight game when Joe Thornton was aided by Patrick Marleau and Couture. It was Couture’s second assist of the season. Calgary challenged the goal for interference, but was overruled.

In the second, Michael Frolik scored what would be the game winner, helped by Backlund and Dougie Hamilton.

The Flames’ first attempt at making it 4-2, was taken back after a victorious challenge by San Jose after review.

At 8:59, Backlund made it 4-2 for good, assisted by Giordano and TJ Brodie.

The Sharks’ Alex Stalock then came in and stopped 10 shots against the power play during the night.

San Jose’s Melker Karlsson had a shot that was just denied by the left goalpost and Couture had two penalties in the period.

The Sharks had penalties late in the game, similar to the game versus the Ducks. Donskoi was called at 16:15, voiding a power play and Pavelski, who was called with 3:23 left against Anaheim, went in the box for holding at 18:34.

Game notes: Zubrus had a penalty in each period. San Jose had 30+ shots for the second straight game. The Sharks will try to turn the tides when they face their former Coach Todd McLellan and his new team, the Edmonton Oilers for the first time, Wednesday at 6:30pm.