5 Things - Flames @ Sharks

1. Just Win, Baby

It's a phrase made famous a hop, skip and a jump north of San Jose.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis preached it, and his NFL squad did it, winning a trio of Super Bowls in a seven-year span between 1976 and 1983.

And it's exactly the motto the Flames will try to take away from this week's visit to California, beginning tonight with a tilt against the Sharks.

As the team landed in San Jose Sunday, they learned the Minnesota Wild had scored a 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars, pushing their advantage over Calgary to six points in the Western Conference Wild Card race.

The Flames have two games in hand on the Wild, but to a man, they're well-aware that unclaimed points with those games in hand would have a similar feeling to trying to hang onto a handful of Pacific Coast sand.

Give this team credit, though.

They're plucky. They don't quit.

And Saturday against Vegas, they stared down yet another two-goal deficit, clawing their way back into the fight to earn a point.

Tonight, they want two.

And head coach Ryan Huska is hopeful that the 60-minutes set for SAP Center will bring about the type of special-teams opportunities his group felt slip through their fingers two nights ago.

"Every team in this league is a good team. Some teams you match up really well against, some teams, you don’t. You have to find a way to get something done," Huska said following Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "We had a few chances that we could have capitalized - again, the powerplay, towards the end of the third period - you want those to be situations where you’re going to grab it by the throat and you make sure you win the game in that situation.

"The powerplay’s got to give us a little bit more."

The good news is, that powerplay has cashed in in each of the Flames' previous two meetings with the Sharks this season, including a 3-1 win here back on Dec. 28.

Mikael Backlund scored the decider that night - on the man-advantage - and on the heels of a point left unclaimed against Vegas, the Flames captain is hopeful Monday night's fixture in the Bay Area will be an opportunity for he and his teammates to showcase their very best.

"It’s like playoffs," he said Saturday evening. "No matter the result, you’ve got to turn the page … and just focus on the next game, find a way to win the next game.

"We’re just going to turn our heads to San Jose now, go into that building and play our best game of the year."

2. Know Your Enemy

The Sharks won't be participants in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, but in the Bay Area, all eyes are on the future.

Calder Trophy contender Macklin Celebrini leads a group of youngsters that are learning the NHL ropes, one step at a time.

They enters tonight's game having dropped their last five contests, the latest coming in the form of a 5-1 defeat Saturday at the hands of the Seattle Kraken.

Seattle put San Jose on the back foot right from the get-go, and never looked back.

"Very frustrating. We were sloppy. I actually liked our start. We pressed," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told NHL.com after the game. "Their first chance goes in the back of the net. Their second chance goes in the back of the net. That's not how you want to start a game."

Will Smith had the lone San Jose marker Saturday, while Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov split duties in goal.

But the future is bright.

Celebrini, 18, is tied with 22-year-old William Eklund with 55 points atop the team scoring table.

And two seasons removed from his career-best 34-goal campaign with the Flames in 2022-23, veteran forward Tyler Toffoli is closing in on another 30-goal season; he leads the Sharks with 28 tucks.

San Jose GM Mike Grier will add to his stable of young talent this summer, too. The Sharks hold seven picks in the first four rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

3. Fast Facts

2024-25 Season Series

Tonight marks the third of four meetings this season between Calgary and San Jose, with the Flames holding a 2-0 edge in the season set.

Calgary won 3-1 at SAP Center Dec. 28, going ahead 4:40 into the contest on a goal from Jonathan Huberdeau. Mikael Backlund then broke a 1-1 tie with a powerplay marker in period two, before Huberdeau added some third-period insurance.

Nazem Kadri, Kevin Rooney and Joel Hanley provided the Flames offence in the most recent meeting - a 3-2 Calgary win Feb. 23 at the Scotiabank Saddledome - while Dustin Wolf made 27 saves in the club's return to action following the 4 Nations break.

Did You Know?

As a kid growing up, Dustin Wolf looked up to both Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick for inspiration.

But who knew the California kid would have such early success against teams from his home state.

This past Thursday, Wolf and the Flames knocked off the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, improving the 23-year-old puck-stopper's career mark against California clubs to 11-1-0.

Five of those wins have come against San Jose, while Wolf holds perfect 4-0-0 and 2-0-0 career records against Anaheim and Los Angeles, respectively.

4. Wild Card Update

The Dallas Stars did the Flames no favours Sunday, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul.

That means the Wild - who hold that second Wild Card berth in the Western Conference standings - now lead Calgary by six points; the Flames will burn one of their two games in hand tonight.

Minnesota is set to visit the Scotiabank Saddledome Friday.

Here's a look at each team's remaining schedule:

Minnesota Wild (42-29-7, 91 points)

• Apr. 9 vs. San Jose Sharks
• Apr. 11 at Calgary Flames
• Apr. 12 at Vancouver Canucks
• Apr. 15 vs. Anaheim Ducks

Calgary Flames (36-27-13, 85 points)

• Apr. 7 at San Jose Sharks
• Apr. 9 at Anaheim Ducks
• Apr. 11 vs. Minnesota Wild
• Apr. 13 vs. San Jose Sharks
• Apr. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
• Apr. 17 at Los Angeles Kings

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Nazem Kadri

Kadri hit another milestone Saturday night against Vegas, recording his 400th career NHL assist on Joel Hanley's second period markers.

That follows on the veteran Calgary centre notching his 300th career goal two Tuesdays ago versus Seattle, as well as his 700th career NHL point Mar. 29 at Edmonton.

Kadri is one goal away from matching his career single-season best of 32, set in back-to-back seasons as a member of the Maple Leafs in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

He leads the Flames in scoring with 60 points, and holds the team lead in the season series with San Jose, too, with five points (1G, 4A) in two prior meetings in 2024-25.

Sharks - Will Smith

A lot of the attention in San Jose has been centred around Macklin Celebrini, and for good reason.

But Will Smith can flat-out play, too.

The 20-year-old had San Jose's lone goal - his 14th of the season - in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Seattle, and he played a career-high 25:07 Apr. 1 versus Anaheim.

Smith was the fourth-overall selection by the Sharks in the 2023 Draft, and turned pro this season after leading the NCAA in scoring as a freshman in 2023-24, collecting 71 points in 41 games for Boston College.