Erik Karlsson had an assist in his debut with the San Jose Sharks in a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames at SAP Center on Thursday.
Karlsson, who was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13, set up Antti Suomela, who gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 10:24 of the first period. Mark Giordano tied it 1-1 with a shorthanded goal at 11:30, and Elias Lindholm gave Calgary a 2-1 lead at 17:00. Travis Hamonic made it 3-1 at 3:31 of the second period before James Neal extended the lead to 4-1 at 13:35. Suomela scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the preseason at 18:00 to make it 4-2, and Timo Meier cut it to 4-3 with a shorthanded goal at 10:36 of the third period. Mikael Backlund had two assists, and Mike Smith made 23 saves for the Flames. Martin Jones made 18 saves for the Sharks.
