Hertl’s Hat Trick Leads Sharks Past Flames 5-3

AN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Tomas Hertl scored his 4th vocation chapeau instrumentality and the San Jose Sharks utilized a three-goal barrage successful the 2nd play to bushed the Calgary Flames 5-3 connected Tuesday night.

The Pacific Division-leading Flames went up 3-1 aboriginal successful the 2nd earlier the Sharks responded with goals from Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture and Hertl to instrumentality the pb successful the opener of a seven-game homestand, San Jose’s longest of the season.

READ MORE: Longtime Friend Remembers Veteran, Retired Correctional Officer Killed In Road Rage Shooting

“It was immense due to the fact that erstwhile you travel backmost from agelong trips the archetypal crippled is the hardest,” Hertl said. “This homestand is truly important and I deliberation a truly large effort from tonight.”

Hertl sealed it with an empty-netter for his archetypal chapeau instrumentality since Jan. 22, 2019, against Washington. Hertl, who snapped a five-game constituent drought with a extremity Sunday, besides scored connected the powerfulness play successful the first.

“Every subordinate successful this league goes done ups and downs, and erstwhile helium gets blistery helium is truthful good,” Couture said. “It’s truthful important to our team.”

Adin Hill made 40 saves for the Sharks.

Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Ruzicka scored for the Flames, who dropped the last 2 games of a four-game travel that started with 2 wins. Dan Vladar made 22 saves.

“I deliberation astir apt our defence had a truly unsmooth night,” manager Darryl Sutter said. “The goaltender had occupation successful postulation and with rebounds. … I’d accidental the six defensemen played similar it was an accumulation game. Disappointing.”

Ruzicka scored his archetypal vocation extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd erstwhile helium knocked successful his ain rebound earlier the Sharks got going successful the 2nd fractional of the period.

Karlsson started it soon aft returning to the crystal pursuing his hold of crippled penalty, scoring his seventh of the play connected a breakaway disconnected a walk from Couture.

The 2 past flipped roles connected the powerfulness play erstwhile Couture redirected Karlsson’s constituent changeable for the equalizer.

Hertl scored connected a rebound from the broadside of the nett connected a powerfulness play with 1:50 near successful the 2nd to enactment San Jose up for the archetypal time.

The Flames came up bare connected 3 powerfulness plays.

READ MORE: Suspects In Caldor Fire Deny Any Wrongdoing; Claim They Called 911 After Seeing Flames

“We had a ton of opportunities to marque it a 4-1 crippled determination astatine 1 point,” Gaudreau said. “We didn’t and we fto them bent around. I thought we were playing well, 5 connected 5, but our powerfulness play, we person to find a mode to enactment the puck successful the net.”

FAST START

The Flames entered arsenic the NHL’s champion squad successful the archetypal play with a plus-16 extremity differential and added to it against the Sharks.

After a turnover by Brent Burns successful the neutral zone, Dube redirected a centering walk from Milan Lucic to unfastened the scoring 1:37 into the game.

After Hertl tied it connected the powerfulness play, Matthew Tkachuk won a puck conflict down the nett and recovered Gaudreau with a no-look walk unsocial successful beforehand to marque it 2-1.

The assistance gave Tkachuk his 300th vocation constituent successful his 375th game. He joins Auston Matthews arsenic the lone players from the 2016 draught people to grounds 300 points truthful acold successful the NHL.

LINEUP SHUFFLE

The Sharks benched guardant Kevin Labanc, who has nary points successful the past six games and conscionable 2 even-strength points successful 19 games this season. San Jose besides placed guardant Rudolfs Balcers connected injured reserve with a lower-body wounded and said helium is week-to-week.

The Sharks recalled goalie Alexei Melnichuk from the AHL to backmost up Hill. James Reimer missed his 4th consecutive crippled with a non-COVID-19 illness.

UP NEXT

Flames: Host the Carolina Hurricanes connected Thursday.

MORE NEWS: Mugshot Released Of Michael Kelley, The Man Accused Of Driving Drunk, Killing 4 People On I-80

Sharks: Host the streaking Minnesota Wild connected Thursday.