Flames Look For A Better Effort Against San Jose & Get Back In The Win Column

Calgary Flames @ San Jose Sharks, 8:30 PM MT, SAP Center, San Jose CA

Calgary Flames 15-5-5 (35 pts) – San Jose Sharks 13-11-1 (27 pts)

TV: SN1 – Radio: Sportsnet 960

Odds: Calgary (+115) San Jose (-135) O/U: 5.5

The Flames will wrap up a four game road trip with a stop in San Jose to take on the Sharks tonight. The Flames have currently won two of their three games on this trip, collecting four out of a possible six points so far. A win tonight would make this an ultra successful trip whether it’s the full two points or only a point. California trips have always been difficult for Calgary and the thought of getting five to six points on an eight point road trip out West isn’t a bad thing at all.

The Flames were riding a three game winning streak before they ran into New Anaheim Vegas on Sunday night. Calgary fell to the Golden Knights 3-2, dropping their 7th straight at T-Mobile Arena, but there has still been plenty good on this trip. The Flames went into Anaheim and took down a plucky Ducks team that gave them all they could handle and won their third straight at Honda Center, a perpetual house of horrors for the Flames. They also won a tight game in LA, taking down the Kings 3-2. Those were back to back games to start a trip through the Golden State and the Flames showed they were up for the task.

What awaits the Flames at the end of this road trip is an interesting San Jose team. The Sharks have played well, winning five of their last eight, but still find themselves eight points behind the front running Flames in the Pacific Division. The Sharks won four straight out of the gate and looked like the surprise darlings of the Pacific Division. Then reality set in. San Jose would go on to lose seven of their next 10 amid a Covid-19 outbreak that at one point saw them without 10 players, their head coach and head trainer. Sandwiched in that mess was a 4-1 victory over the Flames where San Jose took Calgary by surprise and sent the Flames on a streak where they lost three of their next four games.

San Jose is no slouch, which the Flames found out and found out the hard way. But both teams have gone in very different directions since that November 9th game in Calgary. San Jose went 6-7-0 in their next 13 with three one goal efforts and being on the end of two shutouts as well. Calgary on the other hand has gone 8-3-2 in their last 13, collecting at least a point in 10 of those games, vaulting them to the top of the Pacific and Western Conference.

Calgary has struggled in San Jose since winning all three contest at the Sharks home barn in 2017. Since then the Flames have gone 4-7-0 in San Jose, but this Flames team can certainly start to correct that if they come out tonight and score early and play Sutter hockey once they have the lead, something they’ve been very good at doing this season.

Puck drop is at 8:30 PM MT from the SAP Center in San Jose.

What’s Happening With The Opposition?

San Jose Sharks SBN Coverage: Fear The Fin

Last Time Out

Calgary Flames 2 – Vegas Golden Knights 3

San Jose Sharks 4 – Columbus Blue Jackets 6

Players To Watch

Calgary Flames

Andrew Mangiapane (F): 3 points in last 3 games, 16 goals on the road

San Jose Sharks

Erik Karlsson (D): 3 points in last 3 games, 4 points in 6 home games

On The Struggle Bus

Calgary Flames

Mikael Backlund (C): 1 point in last 6 games

San Jose Sharks

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (D): 0 goals in 19 games

by Mark Parkinson