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Flames Post-Game: Flames edge Sharks in goaltending duel
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Dec 29, 2024, 00:37 ESTUpdated: Dec 29, 2024, 00:41 EST
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The Calgary Flames headed to the Bay Area on Saturday evening to kick off their post-Christmas schedule against the San Jose Sharks. With Dustin Wolf and Yaroslav Askarov standing across the ice from each other, we anticipated that goaltending would be a big focus.
Well, that was precisely the case. Wolf and Askarov both shined, particularly San Jose’s netminder, but the Flames managed to get a little more offence than the home side in a 3-1 road victory over the Sharks.

The rundown

The Flames controlled much of the play in the first period and probably would’ve scored more goals if anybody but Askarov was in San Jose’s net.
Calgary’s lone goal was a pretty nice bit of hockey, though. Nazem Kadri won the puck to the point off an offensive-zone draw. MacKenzie Weegar’s point shot was tipped by Jonathan Huberdeau into the San Jose net, which gave the Flames a 1-0 lead.
Brayden Pachal stepped into Carl Grundstrom with a clean hit midway through the period. Grundstrom left the game and didn’t return, and a fight broke out as well.
First period shots were 18-7 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 11-7 Flames (high-danger chances were 5-2 Flames).
Early in the second period, Connor Zary was called for slashing. On the ensuing Sharks power play, obscure rookie Macklin Celebrini fired a one-time feed from Alex Wennberg past Wolf to tie the game at 1-1.
But the Flames got their lead back a little while later. With Timothy Liljegren in the sin bin, Mikael Backlund fired a rebound off an initial Kadri shot past Askarov – as he slid across the crease to try to stop the puck – to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.
Second period shots were 9-7 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 8-7 Flames (high-danger chances were 5-3 Flames).
Both teams had their moments in the third period. The Sharks had a couple nice scoring opportunities broken up by strategic Flames shot blocks – one by Blake Coleman and one by Kevin Rooney.
The Sharks pulled Askarov for an extra attacker with a couple minutes left and pressed for the equalizer, but they couldn’t score again. Kadri made a great diving swipe at the puck to clear the Flames’ zone during a last-minute Sharks attack, Martin Pospisil out-battled Celebrini for a loose puck in the Sharks end, allowing Huberdeau to score on the empty net to give the Flames a 3-1 victory.
Third period shots were 8-7 Sharks.

Why the Flames won

First off, the Sharks played on Friday and lost to Vegas. This was, as the kids say, a scheduled win.
Were the Flames perfect? Nope. But they did a nice job of playing a pretty persistent, structured brand of hockey. When they had breakdowns, their goalie bailed them out. They absolutely peppered Askarov with shots and chances, and they probably would’ve won this game in a walk with anybody else in net. With Askarov in the cage, they had to work for it a bit harder.

Red Warrior

Let’s give a hat-tip to Kadri, who had a pair of assists, won some key face-offs, and generated a ton of shots, too.

Turning point

Let’s go with Backlund’s goal. The Flames got their lead back pretty quickly after Celebrini’s goal, and it allowed them to dictate play rather than be more reactive.

This and that

Brayden Pachal fought Nico Sturm in the first period.
Mikael Backlund’s goal was his 207th with the Flames, breaking a tie for 10th all-time in franchise history with Eric Vail.
Jakob Pelletier played his ninth game of the season and will become waiver eligible after his next game. Walker Duehr played his 10th game of the season and has become waiver eligible.

Up next

The Flames (17-11-7) are off to scenic Nevada. They face the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.

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