Sharks defeat Flames in shootout after Meier's tying goal

SAN JOSE -- Martin Jones made 32 saves, and Timo Meier scored the tying goal in the third period for the San Jose Sharks in a 3-2 shootout win against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on Thursday.
Meier tipped a Brent Burns point shot between goalie David Rittich's pads from the slot at 12:00 to tie it 2-2.

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"I was just trying to get in front of the net, and then the shot was coming toward me," Meier said. "I was trying to get a piece of it, and luckily it went in.
"I've been working a lot with [Joe Pavelski] and [Burns] before practice, getting some tips. [Pavelski] is probably the best at it, so I've been learning from him, and it worked out tonight. I'm looking forward to keep working on that."

Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi scored in the shootout, when Jones denied Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund.
The Flames were 10-0-0 when leading entering the third period.
"After they tied it at 2, they grabbed some momentum," Flames captain Mark Giordano said. "Again, shootouts are tough. During OT, we had one go off the cage. It's disappointing especially since they are ahead of us in the standings. For them to get that extra point hurts.
"It feels like these shootouts we've been on the wrong end of it. I think they got the momentum on that first shootout goal, and it gives you a big advantage."
Pavelski scored in the first period for the Sharks (20-11-4), who have won three games in a row and are 4-1-1 in their past six, all within the Pacific Division.
"Critical points, especially with [Logan] Couture out of the lineup," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said of the center who has missed four games with a concussion. "We talked about that, the ability to put teams in holes behind you as opposed to let them close the gap on you. We all know how important the last 40 games are. We know some of these teams are going to go on runs. You want to build as much of a cushion as you can."
Garnet Hathaway and Backlund scored in the first for the Flames (18-15-4), who have lost two games in a row. Rittich made 30 saves in his fourth NHL start of the season.
"He made some crucial saves when we needed him to," Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. "He had a solid outing. He was in their faces during the shootout. It's a tough position to be in. Joonas coming down on you is not an easy thing to defend against. We needed to put some goals on the board for him."

Flames forward Jaromir Jagr played his 1,731st game, tying Ron Francis for third in NHL history. He trails Gordie Howe (1,767) and Mark Messier (1,756).
"The one thing about [Jagr] is that he doesn't seem all that concerned about milestones," Gulutzan said. "The number is astonishing, baffling and impressive all at once."
Hathaway gave the Flames a 1-0 lead 4:22 into the game with his second goal of the season.
Pavelski tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 7:16. Joe Thornton sent a pass from the left face-off circle to the slot, and Pavelski lifted a shot inside the left post.
San Jose has scored on the power play in nine straight games.
Backlund scored a power-play goal at 15:45 to put Calgary in front 2-1. Matthew Tkachuk sent the puck toward the slot, and Backlund tipped it past Jones.
Backlund was promoted from the second to the first power-play unit, trading places with Mark Jankowski.
Flames forward Michael Frolik left the game with 11:36 left in the second period after being hit in the face by a Burns wrist shot. Gulutzan did not have an update.

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Goal of the game

Donskoi's goal in the third round of the shootout.

Save of the game

Jones stopping Monahan at 3:19 of overtime.

Highlight of the game

Meier's goal at 12:00 of the third period.

They said it

"I don't know if I can be happy with just one point. The shootout was bad luck for us. I have to be better in shootouts. This was only the second one I had in North America, and I've been here for two years. I felt pretty good, but again we just got one point." -- Flames goaltender David Rittich
"You've got to put some streaks together. To win three in a row, you can't be satisfied. You've got to go for four or five. When you do lose, you've got to get back in the win column. I don't know if this is the time or not. Hopefully, you can start creating a little separation." -- Sharks captain Joe Pavelski

Need to know

Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon played his 400th NHL game. ... Hathaway led the Flames with six hits and had two blocked shots.

What's next

Flames: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (10 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNW, NHL.TV)
Sharks: At the Dallas Stars on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; FS-SW+, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)