Photo credit: @BrodieNBCS
By Pearl Allison Lo
Despite San Jose’s seven penalties, goalie Martin Jones had 36 saves backed up with goal power, as the Sharks won over the Flames 5-2 Thursday.
As the top two teams in the Western Pacific came to a head, the result was San Jose moving two points closer to the Flames and now two points away from the lead position.
Joe Thornton received his 1000th point with the Sharks and Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane scored two goals and an assist apiece.
San Jose scored three goals in a span of 1:24 and never trailed after.
“Coming from Winnipeg, big win, you don’t want to let it down,” noted Thornton.
The beginning half of the first was marked by a goal from Mark Jankowski at 4:36 as he deflected Mark Giordano’s shot. Calgary also had a power play chance.
The second half started when Dalton Prout was called for interfering with Kane at 10:55. The Sharks’ first power play was cut short by a slash from Hertl, but San Jose capitalized 4-on-4. Thornton earned his 1000th point with the primary assist after a turnover by Johnny Gaudreau on the other end. Kane’s shot looked like it was blocked, but it slowly slid between goalie David Rittich’s legs at 12:39.
The Sharks then scored shorthanded with the Flames’ remaining time on the man advantage. Brent Burns stole the puck with Rittich moving to the top of the right faceoff circle to clear. However, it was Burns who won the battle, as he made his way past Rittich to score second in the empty net.
This prompted a goalie change from Rittich to Mike Smith.
But San Jose was not done yet. Smith was no less immune as the Sharks’ third goal was scored 5-on-5 with Hertl tipping Radim Simek’s shot from the point.
Calgary came out gunning in the second period with six shots on goal and five blocked shots in the first six and a half minutes. A wraparound attempt by Gaudreau inspired a sprawled out toe save along the post by Jones after he stopped the puck on the other side off teammate Justin Braun’s stick. The Flames earned a power play at 6:33, during which the Sharks were luckily able to avoid a goal. It took two other Sharks besides Jones in net to achieve that.
It took until 16:27 for more scoring action. Kane earned his second goal on his second attempt to give him two goals twice in four games. Joonas Donskoi made a nice pass up ice beforehand.
Calgary was not left out though. Tim Heed took a slashing call at 17:19 and 23 seconds later, T.J. Brodie scored on the power play from the point through traffic. His shot went off Braun to give the Flames a 4-2 goal.
In the third, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon took a penalty at 2:42.
Later, both goalies exchanged tripping penalties with Smith charged at 10:10 and Jones charged at 12:35. Right before Smith, Thornton had an attempt clang off the post.
Kane got a cross checking minor at 15:45. The Flames’ chance at an advantage were then interrupted with interference on Giordano over a minute later, during which the Sharks scored their final goal on a power play. Hertl’s goal came at 18:37.
Up Next: San Jose go for five straight wins and a 3-0 Canadian road trip when Game Three starts on Saturday versus the Edmonton Oilers at 4 pm.
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