By Canadian Press

Late rally powers San Jose Sharks to 4-3 comeback win over Calgary Flames

Mar 22, 2022 | 10:01 PM

CALGARY — Logan Couture scored the game-winner on Tuesday as the San Jose Sharks scored 28 seconds apart in the third period for a 4-3 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Timo Meier and Alexander Barabanov also scored for San Jose (28-27-8). The Sharks will look to sweep their two-game road trip to Alberta when they play in Edmonton on Thursday.

Johnny Gaudreau, Dillon Dube, and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary (38-17-8), which lost at home in regulation for just the second time in their last 19 games (15-2-2). Matthew Tkachuk had a pair of assists.

It’s also the first time all season the Flames have lost in regulation after heading into the third period with a lead (31-1-2).

After giving up a couple of early goals, Sharks goaltender James Reimer settled in, finishing with 28 stops. He improves to 17-13-6.

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At the other end, Jacob Markstrom had 34 saves and fell to 29-12-7.

Down 3-2 after 40 minutes, San Jose tied it 11:07 into the third when Tomas Hertl worked the puck out front where Barabanov was wide open and he snapped a shot inside the post for his 10th goal.

The go-ahead goal came on a defensive zone turnover. Blake Coleman’s pass attempt off the sideboards hit Sasha Chmelevski in the skate and caromed to Noah Gregor. Gregor’s shot was stopped but Couture scored on the rebound.

With the goalie pulled, the Flames applied heavy pressure over the final minutes, but could not get the puck past Reimer.

The Flames took a 3-1 lead 4:08 into the second when Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson turned the puck over to Gaudreau and on the ensuing two-on-one, Gaudreau set up Backlund, who went to his backhand to slip the puck through Reimer’s pads.

The Flames had a great chance to go up by three when Gaudreau was awarded a penalty shot at 14:59 of the second, after being hooked from behind by Brent Burns.

But bidding for his 30th goal of the season and 200th of his career, Gaudreau was thwarted on a great glove stop by Reimer.

Less than three minutes later, the Sharks cut the deficit to one when Meier got the puck in the corner, spun, and whipped a shot from a sharp angle off Markstrom and in for his team-leading 27th goal.

Calgary got off to a fast start striking 4:17 into the game on their first power play.

Tkachuk sent a diagonal pass from the left point to the right faceoff circle that Gaudreau stopped with his skate, kicked to his stick, and fired under the crossbar.

The Flames surged in front 2-0 at 8:16 when Dube beat Reimer from the slot. Tkachuk assisted.

Dube has been the beneficiary of new lines recently deployed by head coach Darryl Sutter, moving up to play with Tkachuk and Backlund. He had been playing on the fourth line and was a healthy scratch for three games in a row earlier in March.

Dube has four points (two goals, two assists) in the last four games after compiling the same totals over the previous 24 games.

San Jose got one back 14:54 into the game on an unassisted goal from Vlasic, who kept the puck in at the blue line and flung a wrist shot that appeared to catch Markstrom by surprise.

NOTES: The Sharks were without injured forwards Jonathan Dahlen and Matt Nieto, who are both considered day to day. … Newly acquired San Jose goalie Kaapo Kahkonen backed up Reimer. … Flames trade deadline acquisition centre Ryan Carpenter did not dress as he arrived in Calgary on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2022.

Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press