Tag: Calgary Flames

Mammoth Extinguish Flames 3-1 In Home Opener

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Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayton (27) scores against the Calgary Flames in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Oct 15, 2025 (AP News photo)

Mammoth Extinguish Flames 3-1 In Home Opener

JJ Peterka nets game-winner in Delta Center debut as Karel Vejmelka locks down the Utah net.

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth returned to Salt Lake City Wednesday night for their home opener following a 1-2-0 road trip through Colorado, Nashville, and Chicago to begin the 2025-2026 NHL season. For the second straight year, Utah forward Dylan Guenther scored the team’s first goal of the season, this time in a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche on October 9.

Before the puck drop at Delta Center, Tusky the Mountain Blue mammoth made its mascot debut, officially ending the double duties of Jazz Bear from the city’s NBA squad.

At 7:21 of the first period, Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev went to the sin bin for high-sticking Blake Coleman. Just over a minute later, Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson cashed it in to give the Flames an early 1-0 lead, assisted by Morgan Frost and Nazem Kadri. Calgary netminder Devin Cooley, no relation to Utah’s Logan Cooley, turned away all ten shots he faced in the opening frame while Karel Vejmelka stopped four of the five shots he faced.

It didn’t take long in the second period for Utah to even the score. At 1:16 of the period, Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton found the back of the Calgary net for his first goal of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and John Marino. Three minutes later, JJ Peterka took advantage of a giveaway by Brayden Pachal and flew the full length of the ice before beating Devin Cooley unassisted for his second goal of the season and a new entry into the Mammoth highlight reels to give Utah the 2-1 lead. The second period was all Mammoth as the home squad put 18 shots on goal to Calgary’s three.

The Flames fought back in the third period, outshooting Utah 12-4, but both netminders held the line until Devin Cooley got pulled to give Calgary a 6-5 offensive advantage. The Flames peppered Karel Vejmelka with shots in the closing minutes, but Utah forward Kevin Stenlund banked a rebound off the dasher boards and into the empty Calgary net for his first goal of the season to put the game away.

New acquired forward JJ Peterka faced the media in the locker room for the first time after the game. Describing his first home opener as a Mammoth, Peterka said, “The crowd throughout the whole game was unbelievable. Started with the anthem in the warmups, with how many kids and how many fans came out. Just throughout the whole game, when we needed energy, we for sure got it from the crowd.” As for the game itself, the winger added, “I think that was a tough game, but we stuck to our game plan throughout the whole 60 minutes. We knew they were going to make a push and throw everything in there, and I think Veggie was unbelievable throughout the whole game, but especially in the third, he made some huge stops to secure the win.” With regard to Calgary’s third period push, Peterka commented, “We kind of played a little bit more defensively, made sure we are in the shot lanes and in passing lanes, and outweighed them because we knew they come pretty hot out of the locker room.”

Winning goaltender Karel Vejmelka was asked about getting that first W at home. “Obviously, first home game of the season, so we wanted to play a good game and we did. We found a way to win. It wasn’t an easy game. But like I said, we found a way.” Having faced only 8 shots combined in the first two periods, Vejmelka was asked about staying focused while being largely uncontested for much of the game. He responded, “You know, it’s all about staying sharp and mentally focused. It wasn’t easy for us in the first period, but [there was] pressure in the third and we played a really good job defensively, but I needed to make a couple of good saves. It’s a big team win. As for the energy of the fans on opening night, the Utah netminder said, “Well, it’s always fun to play again in front of our fans. It’s so much fun and I enjoy every minute on the ice. It’s really special to be back home, and really appreciated all of that.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny began the postgame interview with a statement. “It was a positive outing, and lots of opportunities. Unfortunately, we could not convert, but it was a positive outing. And then the third, they had a really good push, but I liked the way we managed it defensively. We turned the puck over a little bit too much when we were protecting the lead, a little bit too safe. But our game in general, when it comes to the physicality, balancing, the hits, and trying not to draw penalties.” Talking about giving up Calgary’s early goal, Tourigny commented, “I think we reacted well after the first. In the first, it was a war, maybe a little bit too into it. But after we reacted really well. I really like the mental strength of our team, and even when they had the push, we still played well. When you dominate the way we dominate for two periods, and you arrive in the third, and they have a push, I didn’t feel any panic. The guys were trying to do the right thing, not necessarily having success at it, but we’re doing the right thing, and we defended really hard. So that’s tough for them to get to our net front, but when they did, Veggie came up big.” Overall, Tourigny was satisfied with his team’s performance for the night. “Our forecheck was big, and I think that when we’re on top of our opponent and we skate the way we did in the first two periods, we are tough to play against, and we drew a lot of penalties. That’s a really good game for us. … Part of playing good defense is that you need to be able to break out the puck a little bit better than we did in the third. It was a strength of ours in the first two periods. In the third, it was a little bit tougher. And they obviously pressed a bit differently than they did in other situations. So it put us in a little bit of some adversity, which is something we will talk more about and improve, but the way we played without the puck was really good, and much more comfortable.”

The Mammoth return to action at the Delta Center on Friday against the San Jose Sharks, continuing with games next week against the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche to conclude the season opening homestand.

San Jose Barracuda podcast Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda conclude regular season in Calgary this Friday and Saturday

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San Jose forward Patrick Giles (54) and Ontario Reign defenseman Augus Booth (24) battle on the ice at Tech CU Arena in San Jose on Sat Apr 12, 2025 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

San Jose Barracuda podcast Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Marko final home game of the regular season the San Jose Barracuda (35-26-5-4) gave up two goals in the first three minutes and could never find their way back eventually losing to the visiting Ontario Reign (41-24-3-1) at Tech CU in San Jose.

#2 What was impressive was the Reign’s goaltender 18 years old Carter George had 33 saves in his first professional game and what a way to start with your first shutout as well.

#3 The Reign’s Martin Chromiak scored his 17th goal of the season on a tipped in shot from the right point from between the circles for a 1-0 lead. The Reign’s Reilly Walsh scored his fifth goal of the season making it 2-0 going top shelf in the offensive zone off the face off.

#4 In the second period San Jose had opportunities to get on the scoreboard the Reign’s Walsh did it again scoring a perfect shot glove side under goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from between the circles. The Reign came away with a 4-0 shutout for the win on Saturday night.

#5 The Barracuda take on the fifth placed Calgary Wranglers next Friday and Saturday to conclude the regular season. The Wranglers are 36-27-4-3 and won five of their last ten games. How do you see this match up in Calgary?

Marko Ukalovic will cover the San Jose Barracuda post season for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 5-2 to Flames, Toffoli Scores 30th

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San Jose Sharks’ Tyler Toffoli (73) scores on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) during first period NHL hockey action in Calgary on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-2 to the Calgary Flames Sunday. MacKenzie Weegar, Adam Klapka, Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 28 saves for the win. The win preserves playoff hopes for Calgary fans as the team avoided elimination. Tyler Toffoli and Jan Rutta scored for San Jose. Toffoli’s goal was his 30th of the season, for the third season in a row. Georgi Romanov made 25 saves in the loss. It was the ninth loss in a row for the Sharks.

After the game, Tyler Toffoli talked about the season’s many losses:

“We’ve been in so many games this year and blown so many leads in stupid ways, that I think if everyone reflects in the right way going into the summer and comes into training camp next year it could be a completely different season.”

Jan Rutta also commented on the team’s tendency to lose: “We’ve been playing well enough to win a lot of games and always found a way to lose.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was asked what he wanted the young players to learn from these losses. He said: “How hard it is to win in this league, how you can’t get caught taking a breath at any moment, that it’s a fine line between winning and losing.”

The Sharks took the lead at 3:09 of the first period. Tyler Toffoli scored his 30th of the season with a wrist shot from right in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Lucas Carlsson and Noah Gregor.

Calgary tied it up with their fourth shot of the game at 9:24. After the Sharks twice failed to clear the zone, MacKenzie Weegar scored with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Adam Klapka and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Calgary took the lead at 14:15 with a goal from Klapka. Klapka skated to the net as Nazem Kadri carried the puck in along the boards and then centered it for the snap shot. An assist went to Huberdeau as well.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks led in shots 15-6. The only penalty in the period went against the Sharks for too many men on the ice.

The Sharks tied it up 4:20 into the second period. Jan Rutta scored with a backhand as he skated by the net. Assists went to William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli.

The second period was as lopsided as the first, though this time the shots favored Calgary 16-5. The Sharks again took the only penalty of the period, a high-stick against Timothy Lijegren.

Calgary took the lead back with their third goal 1:30 into the third period. Yegor Sharangovich scored with a snap shot for his 100th career NHL goal. Assists went to Morgan Frost and Brayden Pachal.

The Flames padded that lead with a fourth goal at 10:55, a wrist shot in front of the net from Coronato. Assists went to Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.

Sharangovich scored his second of the game into an empty net at 17:16. Rasmus Anderson got the assist.

The Flames took their two penalties of the game in the third period but it did not hurt their result, with the shots nearly even at 10-8 Sharks.

The Sharks will play their final road game of the season on Monday in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Let Another One Get Away Lose To Flames 3-2

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Sharks Celebrate goal over Calgary at SAP Center in San Jose on Apr 7 (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca

The losses continue to mount for the Teal team, which suffered another defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames 3-2. In this game, the team that scored first failed to take advantage of its numerical advantage.

For Calgary, it was necessary to get wins as they remain in the fight for a Wild Card playoff spot, and the Alberta team knows every point counts. For our Sharks, all that remains is to close out the year with a win, in what was their penultimate home game before closing out the season against Edmonton.

It’s also important to offer our sincere condolences to a colleague in the hockey world. During the game, it was announced the passing of Greg Millen, former NHL player and analyst for Hockey Night in Canada for the Canadian network Sportsnet where the Canadian network did not produce the game for Canadian viewers and broadcasting the Sharks’ NBC Sports broadcast instead.

During the first period, the Sharks took the lead near the end of the first period with a goal by Will Smith, assisted by Nikolai Kovalenko and Macklin Celebrini, both assisting players tried to score another goal in Calgary’s goal.

Georgie Romanov was in charge of the goaltending duties, recording 29 saves. However, the stats seem to go against him as he recorded his fourth loss in six games with the Sharks.

The Sharks tried to gain control of the puck and possession during the second period, but the period remained scoreless and still having the Teal ahead by one.

The nightmare came in the final period, something the home team hadn’t anticipated. Calgary took a three-goal lead starting eight minutes into the third period, with Adam Kapla tying the score.

At the last minute, Jonathan Huberdeau put Calgary ahead 2-1, and then Matt Coronato closed the scoring for the visitors, leaving the Sharks at 3-1.

The game-winning goal came at the last minute, thanks to a power play by Will Smith, who left the score at 2-2 for the Sharks.

With this result, the Sharks are down to 20-47-10. The Sharks will travel on the road to Minnesota to try to avoid furthering the Wild’s playoff hopes, and then head to Canada.

The Sharks will be home on April 16 when they host the Edmonton Oilers for the final time this season, concluding the Sharks’ NHL campaign for the year.

Utah HC Ices Flames 3-1 Kicking Off Final Regular Season Homestand Of Inaugural Season

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Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) shoots and scores past Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) in the first period at the Delta Center on Tue Apr 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Goaltender Karel Vejmelka limited Calgary to one goal in his 18th consecutive start as Utah Hockey Club begins final regular season homestand with a win.

Nearly six months after kicking off their first season in Salt Lake City, the Utah Hockey Club hosted the Calgary Flames on Tuesday for the first of five games in the final regular season homestand of the year. Fans arrived to a Delta Center surrounded by trees popping with white blossoms heralding the arrival of Spring, even as the local mountains received a fresh blanket of April snow earlier in the day. Mathematically still engaged in the Wild Card hunt, Utah continues to treat every game as a playoff game. Tuesday night was no different as the Utah battled and defeated the visiting Flames 3-1.

Late in the first period, Utah forward Kevin Stenlund broke the scoreless tie with a snap shot past Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf, his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot and Ian Cole. Karel Vejmelka, starting his 18th consecutive game in goal, turned away all 12 Flames shots in the frame.

At 2:25 of the second period, Barrett Hayton put Utah up 2-0 with a backhand shot, his 18th of the season, assisted by Sean Durzi and Nick Schmaltz. Later in the period, Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson cut the lead in half with an unassisted goal, his 11th of the season.

Karel Vejmelka stood tall in net, stopping 32 of 33 shots, and his teammates sacrificed their bodies to hold off Calgary’s attempt to send the game into overtime late in the third. With 18 seconds remaining, Utah captain Clayton Keller sealed the victory scoring into an empty net for his 25th of the season, assisted by Logal Cooley and Dylan Guenther who returned to the ice after receiving stitches for a puck to the face.

In the locker room, Forward Barrett Hayton was asked about the most important component of tonight’s game. “I think sticking with it. Obviously this is a playoff game for both teams.. you knew it was gonna be a war till the end. Their last seven games have been unreal… a lot of comeback wins in that so we knew we had to have that urgency the whole time and stick with it.” Talking about Vejmelka, Hayton remarked, “It’s just a lot of fun to play in front of him. He’s a competitor, he loves doing it. It’s a lot of confidence in a guy like that, and you see it every day. We know he kicks, but still, he makes some saves out there that are just crazy.”

Vejmelka also addressed the media. “It’s fun to play every night in front of our home crowd. They give us some special energy and it’s kind of cool to play, especially in those kinds of games where we are still in the hunt, so we need every point. It was fun.” How does he feel physically after starting 18 consecutive games? “Actually, pretty normal. I don’t really feel like I played that long. It’s fun to play and I’m playing better and better, which is great. It’s fun to play those kinds of games. I like to play under pressure, so it’s part of it, and I really enjoyed it.” When asked what he has learned about himself during that stretch, Veggie responded, “I don’t really think about it. I don’t really overthink because it doesn’t help you. I just try to focus on another game, another shift, and another shot. That’s kind of the mindset that I’ve had and we just need to keep going and keep rolling and play a style of hockey where we block shots. Being resilient is huge for us.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his post-game briefing by saying, “First, great game by Vej. I think he was elite with that key moment. I think the first two periods we were really stingy defensively, we had a lot of chances as well offensively. We could have closed the game, separated ourselves. We didn’t, but we stayed with it. In the third, I liked our mindset in terms of urgency defensively… I think we backed up a little bit too much, but other than that, I think we found a way, we had big kills as well, so that’s what I think.” Tourigny elaborated on the play of Vejmelka. “Vej in the past has been known for.. when he gets tired… he had kind of a difficult time, and that was important for us to go through them and learn to battle through. Like I said this morning, at some point, if we’re in a 15, 16, 20, 24 game run in the playoffs, he needs to be able to sustain, and it’s not easy, it’s tough. It’s tough mentally and physically, and what he’s going through now will help when that will happen because he will have been through it. He will have a situation and will say, okay, I’ve been through that and I learned from it, so I think it’s good for him to go through that. As a goalie, there’s a different vibe when, okay, I had a bad game, that’s over, now I need to be good tonight. And that’s exactly what happens when you’re in the playoffs.. you can lose eight nothing yesterday.. doesn’t matter next game. You need to be ready and move on, and so I think that stretch will make him go through it and learn from it, so I think it’s good for him.

With regard to the Wild Card race, Tourigny continued, “The point is, we’ll never quit. That’s what you want to raise, that’s what you want to be as a team… a team who will never quit. There’s no quitting in that room. There’s no quitting in those players. There’s only one thing we want to do, and we want to pursue our objective. We won’t quit until they pull the plug, and if they do, it is what it is… but we won’t give them any reason to do it. We have a bunch of players who are so competitive and they’re so proud to play in that season, the way we’ve been supported by the fans and we’re so fortunate, so I think we want to give it back.”

Utah remains 8 points back of the final Wild Card slot with 7 games to go. The Los Angeles Kings arrive on Thursday night for the second game of the homestand.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Lightning get shutout help from Vasilevskiy; Isles edge Bruins 2-1 at the Garden; plus more NHL news

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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) put the stop on the Calgary Flames right wing Matt Coranato (27) at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thu Feb 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 27 Calgary Flames shots on goal for a 3-0 shutout at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thursday. The Lightning got goal scoring from Brandon Hagel, Erik Cemak, and Nikita Kucherov.

#2 The New York Islanders just got by the Boston Bruins 2-1 at the Garden in Boston. The Islanders Alexander Romanov scored his fourth goal of the season at 16:11 in the first period and teammate Kyle Palmieri scored his 18th goal of the season at 4:21 in the second period. The Bruins got their only goal of the game at 10:04 when David Pastrnak scored in the third period.

#3 The Columbus Blue Jackets won a three goal contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Most of the game’s scoring came in the second period when the Red Wings Alex DeBrincat scored his 27th goal at 27 seconds making it 1-0, the Blue Jackets would follow up with four unanswered goals from James Van Riemsdyk, Sean Kuraly, Kent Johnson, and Riemsdyk scored his second goal of the period making it 4-1 CBJs. The Red Wings JD Compher scored at 16:30 for the final goal of the period making it 4-2. The Jackets Kirill Marchenko scored at 19:03 in the third period to round out all the goals in a 5-2 win for Columbus.

#4 The San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens skated to a 2-2 after the first period. The Sharks getting first period goals from Fabian Zetterlund and Nico Sturm. The Habs got first period goals from Nick Suzuki scoring twice in the period. In the second period the Sharks Will Smith scored at 17:21 making 3-2 Sharks. The Canadiens added two more in the third period Alex Newhook and in overtime Cole Caulfield scored the game winner for the 4-3 win.

#5 The Carolina Hurricanes came away with a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Wearing their Hartford Whalers uniforms the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in the first period taking a 3-1 lead after the first period. Carolina would score a goal in each of the second and third periods for the 5-2 win.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Posts Third Consecutive Home Win With 2-1 Victory Over Chicago

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Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) takes the puck up ice against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Feb 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse each found the back of the net, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 of 22 shots, as Utah nails down third consecutive home win.

Coming off of a 2-1 home victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, Utah HC returned to the ice on Tuesday to square off against the Chicago Blackhawks, whom they defeated 5-2 on opening night in October.

Prior to the puck drop, local recording artist Yahosh Bonner, fresh off of starring in the lead role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the musical “Ragtime!,” the inaugural production at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater in Pleasant Grove, set the tone for the game with his powerful performance of the national anthem.

At 12:47 of the first period, Utah forward Kevin Stenlund went to the penalty box for holding against Connor Bedard to give Chicago its first power play of the evening. Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones converted the man advantage on a snap shot for his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teravainen, as Chicago took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom was stingy in net for the first two periods, but with 44 seconds remaining in the second, Utah captain Clayton Keller found the back of the net to tie things up with his 21st goal of the season, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley.

Kesselring’s assist was his 17th of the season establishing his new single-season high. Last season he registered 16 assists in 65 games for the Phoenix Coyotes. Cooley’s assist gave him at least one point in each of Utah’s last 8 home games.

Utah forward Lawson Crouse gave his squad the lead at 12:12 of the third period with a backhand shot, his 9th goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Olli Määttä. The goal turned out to be the game-winner, Crouse’s second of the season, matching his 2023-2024 total. Crouse also scored against the Blackhawks on opening night.

Chicago put heavy pressure on Utah in the closing minutes of the game with their goaltender pulled, but Karel Vejmelka stood tall to protect the victory. Vejmelka has now won 3 games in a row, allowing just 4 goals during that span for a 1.40 GAA and .942 save percentage.

In the locker room, Lawson Crouse talked about how his team has been handling pressure recently. “As our identity progresses forward, we keep taking steps in the right direction. It’s a lot of fun when we play this way. Everyone is on board.

Everyone that’s contributing and creating team success pushes everyone to be the best they can possibly be.” Describing his game-winning goal, Lawson added, “We attacked as a unit, and Doaner made a great play to find me in the middle. There was a lot of open ice, and I think the key player on that play was McBain just being at the net, and that allowed me to have that extra second to get the shot off.”

Captain Clayton Keller, Tuesday night’s other scorer, talked about his squad’s perseverance. “It’s huge. We didn’t have our best stuff to start the game, but we stuck with it. They played hard. They made us work for everything. It’s good to get the win there.

It was a tight game all the way through, so a huge win for us.” Talking about Crouse’s goal, Keller said, “It’s huge. He’s such a great teammate. He’s scoring, not scoring, and has been through the ups and downs. He’s a guy that you love being around at the rink.

Just a great teammate. Anytime another guy has success, it’s awesome.” When asked about holding onto the lead for the final eight minutes, Keller added, “Just keep playing our game. Keep going. I think we’ve taken strides in learning from previous mistakes when we’ve had the lead. Playing a little bit more loose. That’s part of the way that we kind of stuck with it. We had a lot of possession and chances in the third there.”

Head coach André Tourigny was happy with his team’s consecutive home win and offered particular praise for the play of Crouse. “He’s playing with more conviction. He has less doubt in his head, he plays a little bit more free-minded. He shoots quickly and you can see he doesn’t overthink the game. So, I like the way he played, the pace he played with, and I think that line was excellent again tonight. Obviously, they got the big goal as well, but the pace and the key moments were really good.” With regard to the whole team, he said, “They want it. There’s a good feel on the bench right now. There’s a feel of competitiveness, there’s a feel of care, and there’s a feel of passion. I like the way it feels and the guys are all in on winning. They don’t give a damn about who, but us.”

Speaking about Vejmelka, who also won Sunday’s 2-1 contest against the Canucks, Bear noted, “He stopped the puck and that’s a good quality for a goalie. He did a really good job in both games and found a way to make the last stop. Even during 6-on-5, they had two good looks, and [Vejmelka] came up big. I like the way he plays…He was really solid [against Vancouver] and looking at this body of work since he got hurt, I think he really stepped up and has allowed us to be in the hunt.”

Summarizing the game, he concluded, “It was huge. I think we’re at the point as a team where we’re in the zone and it’s like next man up. We need to find a way to win games and I think tonight, we did a lot of good stuff, offensively and defensively. The puck was not going in and we had a little bit of a tough time to make the next play offensively in terms of execution, but we stayed with it, and I think the guys were focused. Even if the execution was not at our best, we stayed with it, and we played with confidence. We had confidence in our play without the puck and confidence if we kept pegging away and putting the puck behind and putting pucks at the net. Something will go in and it did.”

Utah will go for its fourth consecutive home win on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. They have won five of their past seven games and trail the Calgary Flames by three points in the Western Conference Wild Card chase.

Sharks Fall 3-2 to Flames, Losing Streak at five

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San Jose Sharks Henry Thrun (3) tries to stop the Calgary Flames Jonathan Huberdeau (left) from attacking Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev (40) and the net in the second period at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sun Feb 23, 2025 (News photo by Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 to the Calgary Flames Sunday. Nazem Kadri, Kevin Rooney and Joel Hanley scored for the Flames. Dustin Wolf made 27 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Sharks. Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves in the loss.

After the game, Toffoli said: “It just sucks. I thought we had a pretty good game, better than the one we played going into the break.” Asked if this five-game losing streak is frustrating, he said “If anyone says they’re having a good time losing games, I don’t want them on my team, to be honest.”

The Sharks scored first, at 3:41 of the first period. Toffoli centered the puck from below the goal line, just as Celebrini closed on the crease. Celebrini scored his 18th of the season with a wrist shot. Assists went to Toffoli and Jake Walman.

The Flames tied it on a power play at 7:27. Nazem Kadri scored with a wrist shot from just above the left face-off circle. Assists went to Morgan Frost and MacKenzie Weegar.

Calgary outshot the Sharks 14-8 in the first period. The Sharks took two penalties and the Flames took on in the first.

Kevin Rooney gave Calgary the 2-1 lead at 3:35 of the second period. Rooney caught a rebound from a shot by Ryan Lomberg. Assists went to Lomberg and Martin Pospisil.

The teams were tied with 13 shots apiece in the second period. They also had one penalty apiece.

Toffoli tied it back up at 1:54 of the third period. Wolf stopped Toffoli’s first shot but left a rebound. Toffoli caught that and scored his 21st of the season. Assists went to William Eklund and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Joel Hanley gave Calgary the 3-2 lead at 13:28 of the third. Hanley shot the puck to the net from the blue line, then skated in. Jonathan Huberdeau caught the puck just outside the blue paint and passed it back up to Hanley for the shot. Assists went to Huberdeau and Kadri.

The officials were very busy in the third period. The Sharks were given two minor penalties, one matched penalty and a double minor. Calgary had one minor penalty and the matched penalty. The teams were very close again in shots, 9-8 Calgary.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Winnipeg against the Jets at 4:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks try to rebound after rough first half against Flames Sunday

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Jan 27, 2025. Askarov is out for three weeks due to a lower body injury (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Maybe the Four Nation Face Off came at a right time for the San Jose Sharks the Sharks were in the middle of a four game funk that saw them in their last game get absolutely hammered in San Jose on Sat Feb 8 to the Dallas Stars 8-3.

#2 One of the things the Sharks have had problems with is allowing their opponents to get the early lead and the game against the Stars was not an exception allowing three goals in the first period.

#3 Their third periods have been troublesome too in that same game against the Stars the Sharks allowed three goals against and were whipped by the Stars in a five goal advantage.

#4 Goaltending is a concern for San Jose as top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov is out three weeks with a lower body injury while playing for the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday. He faced 14 shots in the first period of the game but had to come out and did not return. How critical is Askarov’s loss going to be with two months left of the season?

#5 The Sharks return to action opening up a seven game road trip starting this Sunday in Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome against a Flames team that is fifth in the Pacific Division having lost five of their last ten games and lost three in a row. The Sharks need to snap their four game skid and will have a real test starting this seven game road trip.

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks add Seventh Straight Loss Against Calgary 3-1 at SAP Center

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Another Saturday night action at the tank as the Sharks hosted the Flames in front of a big crowd that expected a victory.

Calgary Flames in action against San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose on Dec 28, 2024 (AP Photo)

By: Fernando Abarca

Lately, Calgary has been a tough customer for the Sharks as the team added up the eighth loss in nine of the last nine games Sharks losing Saturday night 3-1. Unsurprisingly, the team from Alberta, Canada, is currently fifth in the standings showing great hockey.

Friday night against Vegas, the Sharks suffered one of the most painful losses in the season so far with a 6-3 score in a game where the Sharks completely dominated for most of the 60 minutes of hockey. Saturday night, it was the same result.

The team had many positive things to take away and one of them was the performance of goaltender, Yarovlav Askarov who recorded 30 saves throughout the game.

Also, there were plenty of shots on goal but only one on goal, it has been one of those nights in which the Sharks have not found ways to get ahead.

Macklin Celebrini, is at the top of the rookie scoring with 12 goals and 27 points showing the quality of player that he is and what he has shown in the first half of the season.

Macklin scored a goal in the second period assisted by Alexander Wennberg.

Calgary, despite dominating and being the winner, was very passive. Jonathan Huberdeau put Calgary 1-0 in the first period, while the second goal fell in the second period by Mikael Backlund. In an empty net, Huberdeau sealed the game with a goal in the last seconds of the third.

This game has surely been one of the most challenging for the Sharks due to the injuries that occurred during the course of the game, especially to key players who decide the game. At the press conference, Macklin Celebrini appeared indifferent, pensive, and at times evasive.

Clearly, they do not want to get used to losing, especially in instances where they can play a good game.

The Sharks will close the year at home, receiving the Flyers on New Year’s Eve.