Photo: (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

By: Pearl Allison Lo

Both teams combined for 13 goals as the Flames Calgary was the victor in an 8-5 match versus the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Saddledome Monday on New Year’s Eve.

The Flames started and ended the game the same way with three goals in the opening and closing periods. Except for San Jose’s one goal in the first, both teams had multiple goals in each period.

Calgary maintained their lead atop the Pacific Division, now separating themselves from the Vegas Golden Knights in points with 52.

For the Flames, Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau each had two goals and two assists, Mikael Backlund had two goals, Elias Lindholm had a goal and two assists and Sean Monahan led all with a whopping five assists. Joonas Donskoi had two goals for the Sharks.

Each team had at least one power play goal and traded goals except for two straight to end the first period and three straight in the third.

Backlund started the party early at home, just 1:10 into the game, finding goalie Aaron Dell’s open left side. Michael Frolik got the second assist after the puck hit him when Brent Burns was trying to clear.

Lukas Radil tied it up at 6:53.

However, Backlund, Frolik and Tkachuk struck again at 10:55, with Backlund at the helm once more to make it 2-1. Frolik and Tkachuk switched places with the assists.

Calgary created their first two-goal lead when Tkachuk scored off the game’s first power play at 17:24.

Burns tallied the match at 3-2 with Joe Pavelski, also on the power play, at 3:55 of the second.

Tkachuk played spoiler though at 10:47 with his second of the game.

The last two goals of the second came with under two minutes. Donskoi earned his first goal at 18:22 and in return, Lindholm potted the puck at 19:33.

Both sides saved the most goals for last with a total of five in the third period.

Donskoi’s second goal 48 seconds in marked the beginning.

The Flames then scored three straight goals in just under 3:30. James Neal scored at three minutes and then Gaudreau scored his 20th and 21st goals at 5:48 and 6:29.

Joe Thornton made sure to at least end the game with a San Jose goal, as he put the puck past goalie David Rittich at 13:15. This was the Sharks’ second power-play goal.

That was not all however. With less than 30 seconds in the game, Calgary’s Sam Bennett committed a controversial hit on Radim Simek before fighting Barclay Goodrow.  

Up Next: The Sharks’ first game of the New Year will come January 2 versus the Colorado Avalanche at 6:30 pm.