Filip Zadina’s 4-point effort propels Sharks past Flames

Filip Zadina scored twice in a career-best, four-point game and Luke Kunin added two goals as the visiting San Jose Sharks topped the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Thursday.

Justin Bailey collected one goal and two assists, his first career multipoint game, while Mikael Granlund added a goal for the Sharks, who sit next to last in the NHL standings and snapped a two-game losing skid (0-1-1). Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves.

Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the Flames, who have dropped two straight outings. Chris Tanev logged two assists, and goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 25 shots.

Kadri opened the scoring at the 4:19 of the first period. Blackwood stopped Martin Pospisil’s long shot but kicked out a long rebound that Kadri skidded into with his skate and pushed into the cage for his 17th goal of the season. Kadri has collected seven goals and 15 points in a 10-game point streak against San Jose.

Two goals in 36 seconds and a four-point game for Filip Zadina ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/nNIlosXBDH

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 16, 2024

The Sharks took advantage of two egregious Flames turnovers to take a 2-1 lead before the game’s midway point. Granlund put the Sharks on the board at 4:52 of the second period when Noah Hanifin coughed up the puck to Zadina, who fed Granlund in the slot to convert for his sixth of the campaign.

Bailey gave the visitors the lead when he took advantage of MacKenzie Weegar’s miscue and completed a give-and-go with Zadina for his fourth of the season at 7:50 of the middle frame.

Kunin’s power-play goal made it a 3-1 game at 12:30 of the second period. Kunin’s sharp-angled shot was stopped, but Tanev swept the puck into his own goal, and Kunin was credited.

Backlund’s tally, his 12th of the season, with 19.4 seconds remaining in the second period made it a one-goal game. With players crashing the net, Backlund’s sharp-angled shot banked into the net off San Jose defenseman Calen Addison.

Zadina responded with a pair of goals 37 seconds apart as the Sharks pulled away. His first came by deflecting a long shot at 4:38 of the final frame, and he followed with a top-shelf effort from the slot for his seventh of the campaign.

Kunin netted his second of the night at 15:30, his eighth of the season, Kuzmenko collected his 11th of the season at 16:40 to round out the scoring.

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–Field Level Media

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