Sharks unable to play spoiler in loss to Flames

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Apr 13, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The San Jose Sharks had one final chance to play spoiler on Sunday night and end the already precarious playoff hopes of the Calgary Flames.

But with the game tied in the third period, the Sharks allowed even-strength goals to forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato in a 5-2 loss to the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Sharangovich beat Sharks goalie Georgi Romanov 90 seconds into the third period with a wrist shot after he took a nifty pass from Morgan Frost in the slot.

Coronato scored at the 10:55 mark after he shook off a check from Nikolai Kovalenko, took a pass from Mikael Backlund, and beat Romanov from in close for his 24th of the season.

Sharangovich added an empty-net goal with 2:44 to go as the Flames swept their season series with the Sharks 4-0 and kept their playoff hopes alive.

Tyler Toffoli scored his 30th goal of the season in the first period and assisted on Jan Rutta’s third goal of the year that the tied the game 2-2 at the 4:20 mark of the second period.

On his goal, Toffoli took a pass from Lucas Carlsson and put a shot on net that Flames goalie Dustin Wolf stopped. But Toffoli collected the rebound, took a stride to his right, and fired another shot just under the crossbar to reach the 30-goal plateau for the third consecutive year.

Toffoli, who signed a four-year contract with San Jose on the first day of free agency last July, became the third player in Sharks history to record 30 goals in their first season with the team, joining Dany Heatley (39 in 2009-10) and Sergei Makarov (30 in 1993-94).

Toffoli had 34 goals as a member of the Flames in 2022-23 and had 33 last season, starting the year with the New Jersey Devils before he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets.

Toffoli almost had his 31st on a Sharks third-period power play, as he collected a loose puck in front of the Flames’ net that caromed off the end boards. But Toffoli didn’t get a great shot away, and Wolf quickly slid over and made the save.

The Sharks allowed first-period even-strength goals to MacKenzie Weegar and Adam Klapka as the Flames scored twice on their first five shots. But Sharks goalie Georgi Romanov still had 20 saves in the first two periods, including three on the penalty kill.

The Sharks came into Sunday having already clinched, so to speak, 32nd and last place in the NHL’s overall standings. The Flames, though, needed a win to keep alive their flickering playoff hopes.

Calgary came into the game five points back of the Minnesota Wild and four points back of the St. Louis Blues for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. Minnesota and St. Louis both have one game left, and Calgary now has two games left in a bid to catch the Wild or the Blues.

The Wild would have clinched a playoff berth had the Flames lost to the Sharks in any fashion, and the Blues would have secured a postseason berth if Calgary had lost to San Jose in regulation time.

The Flames finish the regular season with a home game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and a road game in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Sharks finish the regular season with a game in Vancouver on Monday and a home date against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

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