Toffoli scores twice as Flames defeat Sharks to continue playoff push

Tyler Toffoli scored two goals and the Calgary Flames kept their playoff hopes alive with a big 5-3 win over the visiting San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

MacKenzie Weegar, Walker Duehr and Nazem Kadri added the others for Calgary (33-26-15), which won for just the second time in its last nine games at the Saddledome (2-5-2).

With the victory, the Flames climbed back to within four points of the Winnipeg Jets, who occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Logan Couture, Nico Sturm and Martin Kaut replied for San Jose (19-39-15), which had its winless skid extended to nine games (0-6-3). Kaapo Kahkonen had 25 stops.

Erik Karlsson's two assists helped him reach 68 on the year to surpass his previous career-high of 66 in 2015-16 and break the Sharks record for helpers by a defenceman. Brent Burns previously held it with 67 in 2018-19.

Tied at 3-3, Kadri scored the go-ahead goal 5:45 into the third period. He banged in a rebound from the side of the net after Kahkonen stopped Milan Lucic and Duehr. It was Kadri's second goal in as many games after a 16-game goal drought.

It's him. <a href="https://t.co/ISyhGGUJoB">pic.twitter.com/ISyhGGUJoB</a>

Toffoli put the game away scoring his team-leading 31st of the season into an empty-net with 1:10 remaining.

The Flames saw their 2-1 lead entering the second period disappear after surrendering two goals from the visitors.

Sturm drove hard to the net, got his outstretched stick on the end of a hard centring pass from Noah Gregor and neatly deflected it in at 4:52.

Twenty-two seconds later, Steven Lorentz ripped a shot off the goalpost and Kaut knocked in the rebound, getting just enough on the puck to get it under the sliding Markstrom.

The Flames opened the game with a