Calgary won the game against the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Sunday night at SAP Center, clinching not only the Pacific Division but also the Western Conference as well. That’s the team’s first divisional championship in more than a decade, as their last title was won back in 2006.
Sean Monahan, Mark Jankowski, Dalton Prout, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik were on the scoresheet for the Flames, who recorded their second straight victory, winning seven times in their last 10 games.
This will give the Flames home advantage throughout the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, which are scheduled to start on April 10.
Timo Meier, Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc scored for the Sharks, who lost eight out of their nine last games. The home team managed a total of 15 shots throughout the entire match, with only 9 shots in the first two periods.
Calgary Flames jersey in an ice block in front the Molson center of Montreal Canadians for the 57e All stars game on January 24 2009 in Montreal Canada – meunierd / Shutterstock.com
It looked like the Sharks were too tired after the Saturday’s match against the Golden Knights. Nevertheless, they still managed to clinch second place in the Pacific Division. The two teams will meet again in the first round of the playoffs
Sharks Took the Lead, Flames Won the Match
But it was the Sharks who took the lead after Meir scored his 30th goal of the season. Monahan made it 1-1 at 14:45, with Janikowski hitting the net only half a minute later to give the Flames the lead. The Flames increased their lead to two after Prout scored his first goal of the season, 3:47 before the end of the first period.
The result could have been quite different if it hadn’t been for Aaron Dell. The Sharks goaltender, who is playing his third season with the team, had 23 saves.
Backlund scored the only goal in the second period, making it 4-1, while the spectators at SAP Centre saw three goals in the third quarter – two from the home team (Couture, Labanc), while Frolik scored the fifth one for the Flames.
The newly-crowned winners of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference will have the chance to win their third game in a row on Monday when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Kings at Staples Centre.
The Flames and the Kings played three games this season, with the Canadian team winning two of them. However, the last time these two met, on March 26, the Kings easily won the game in Calgary 3-0.
The Flames will play against the Ducks on Thursday, while they’ll end the regular season on Sunday when they face the Edmonton Oilers at home.