Tkachuk tallies twice as Flames edge Sharks
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Flames rookie Matthew Tkachuk scored his second goal of the game to break a late tie Thursday, and Calgary handed San Jose its first home loss of the season, 3-2.
Tkachuk, an 18-year-old rookie who appeared in his 10th NHL game, beat San Jose goalie Martin Jones with a sweet move to the backhand when left all alone in front at 15:39. Tkachuk scored his third career goal on only Calgary's third shot of the period.
The Flames (5-6-1) entered on an odd-man break, and Calgary winger Michael Frolik sent a perfect cross-ice feed from the right boards to Tkachuk.
The Sharks, who won their first four games at SAP Center, were unable to tie it with Jones pulled for an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds.
Troy Brouwer also scored for Calgary, which got 26 saves from goalie Chad Johnson. Jones finished with 19 saves.
San Jose (6-5-0) rallied for two goals before the midway point of the final period to tie it 2-2.
Defenseman Brent Burns scored his fourth of the season with a straight-on blast from the blue line that beat Johnson, who was partially screened by Sharks center Joe Thornton just 35 seconds into the third period.
The strike came on a power play that carried over from the second period when Calgary's Sam Bennett tripped San Jose's Joonas Donskoi at 18:55.
San Jose tied it on an even-strength tally by right winger Melker Karlsson. He redirected a shot from the left point by defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic for his second of the season at 9:18. Vlasic was set up on an offensive-zone faceoff won by Chris Tierney.
Calgary broke a scoreless tie by connecting for a pair of even-strength strikes just 1:33 apart late in the second period.
First it was Brouwer scoring his fourth of the season at 16:32 with a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Jones. Flames forward Micheal Ferland skated below the goal line and left a back pass for Brouwer, who had a step on Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon.
Then it was Tkachuk, playing in his 10th game, collecting his second career goal at 18:05. He took a drop pass from Deryk Engelland and filled Jones' 5-hole with a shot from the right circle. Jones may have been partially screened by Vlasic, who was getting push back by Engelland.
The Sharks and Flames skated to a scoreless draw over the opening 20 minutes, a special teams period that also featured each team registering seven shots on goal.
San Jose went 0-for-3 with the man advantage but produced all but two of its first-period shots on the power play. Center Logan Couture and defenseman David Schlemko put long-range shots on Johnson after the Sharks went without a puck on net on their first power play.
Burns narrowly missed on the third five-on-four with a blast from the top of the left circle that Johnson got just enough of to roll it past the outside post.
Calgary didn't manage any shots on its late first-period advantage after Sharks defenseman Paul Martin hooked Flames left winger Johnny Gaudreau.
NOTES: The Sharks became the last Western Conference team to lose a home game. ... Flames rookie LW Matthew Tkachuk played in his 10th game on Thursday, which trims his entry-level contract from three years to two. ... The Sharks went with No. 1 goalie Martin Jones for a seventh straight game while the Flames decided on backup Chad Johnson after starter Brian Elliott played five straight. ... Calgary's four-game road trip continues with stop No. 3 on Saturday in Los Angeles. ... San Jose next hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday in a rematch of last spring's Stanley Cup Final. ... LW Matt Nieto and D Dylan DeMelo were San Jose's healthy scratches. D Dennis Wideman, D Nicklas Grossmann and C Freddie Hamilton did not dress for Calgary.