In San Jose, the visiting Calgary Flames’ Elias Lindholm hit for a double in the third period to break open a tight 2-1 lead en route to a 5-2 win over the Sharks on Sunday.
The win snapped a five-game skid for the Flames.
Milan Lucic scored his first goal of the season in the win.
“The main thing is getting a big win here to start off the (four-game) road trip,” Lucic said. “This is a huge time of year for us, a huge road trip for us before the Christmas break starts, and we wanted to make sure we brought one of our best road games here tonight.”
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves in the Flames win.
Calgary improved to 14-12-6.
Lindholm scored with just 16 seconds gone in the third period for a 3-1 lead.
“It changed quickly,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “We felt pretty good about the way the game was going. We felt the second period was a pretty even period. In a blink of an eye it’s 4-1. It’s a good hockey team. I know they’ve had their struggles from a record standpoint, but that’s a team that plays fast and heavy, and they make you earn everything you have.”
Dillon Dube made it 5-1 at 2:10 when he shot into an open net from a sharp angle after Kahkonen mishandled a dump-in by Nazem Kadri.
San Jose dropped to 10-17-6.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we know that, but I think that we’re trying,” the Sharks Erik Karlsson said. “We have good moments out there, and to become a good team in this league where everything is so tight and every team is fighting for their lives, it’s small margins. You have to find a way to be consistent on a nightly basis, and that’s what we’re striving for.”
Lindholm scored 19 seconds after his first goal for a 4-1 lead that stunned the Sharks.
“First one was just ‘Huby’ (Jonathan Huberdeau) came out of the box and made a really nice pass to me. Just stayed out there,” Lindholm said. “Then the second one, ‘Ras’ made a nice play. Probably not going to happen again, scoring two goals that quick, but I’ll take it.”
Timo Meier scored for the Sharks, his power play strike tied the game, 1-1, after Tyler Toffoli gave the Flames a 1-0 in the first.
Lucic’s goal gave the Flames a 2-1 lead headed to the third.
“You want to contribute,” Lucic said. “Even if your role changes, you still play the right way and play your role, but you still want to chip in when you can. Right now, it was a great play by [Lindholm] to find me there in the high slot. Just gained some confidence after that.”
Dillon Dube gave the Flames a 5-1 lead at 2:10 of the third to complete the outburst that buried the Sharks.
Tomas Hertl scored late in the third period for the 5-2 final.
Kaapo Kahkonen made 20 saves in the Sharks loss.