SAN JOSE – Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson reached another career milestone Sunday night in what has so far been a record-setting season for the two-time Norris Trophy winner.
But outside of Karlsson’s assist on a Timo Meier first-period power-play goal, the Sharks weren’t able to generate much offense in what degenerated into a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames at SAP Center.
The Sharks allowed goals to Tyler Toffoli and Milan Lucic to fall behind 2-1 after two periods, then allowed three goals on four shots in the first 2:10 of the third as they had their modest four-game point streak snapped.
Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 15 of 17 shots through two periods but Elias Lindholm scored two goals 19 seconds apart in the third period as the Flames took a 4-1 lead.
Dillon Dube then gave the Flames a 5-1 lead after Kahkonen misplayed a dump-in.
Nazem Kadri lofted the puck toward Kahkonen from outside the blue line and it appeared the Sharks goalie thought he had trapped it just outside his crease. But instead, the puck had squirted over to Kahkonen’s right, where Dube collected it and fired into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
Sharks winger Jonah Gadjovich and Flames defenseman Dennis Gilbert dropped the gloves for a spirited fight at the 11:09 mark of the second period. Gadjovich landed a right hand on Gilbert that kept him out the rest of the game.
Tomas Hertl added a power-play goal at the 7:56 mark of the third period, but the result was an obvious regression for a Sharks team that believed it was starting to turn a corner.
The Sharks had gone 2-0-2 with a pair of wins over Anaheim and Arizona, an overtime loss to Vancouver and a shootout loss Saturday night to Los Angeles. But Sunday marked the fourth time in seven games the Sharks have allowed five goals or more.
The Sharks and Flames play again Tuesday in San Jose.
Karlsson scored his 700th career NHL point in the first period.
Five seconds after forward Adam Ruzicka was called for tripping, Hertl won a faceoff in the Flames end back to Karlsson. He quickly found Meier near the side of the Flames net, and Meier fired the puck past goalie Jacob Markstrom at the 11:11 mark to tie the game 1-1.
The assist was Karlsson’s 28th of the season as he became the 27th defenseman in the 105-year history of the NHL to reach 700 points. He also assisted on Hertl’s goal, giving him 41 points through 33 games, the fastest he’s reached 41 points in his 13-year NHL career.
San Jose Sharks’ Noah Gregor (73) tries to get a shot off against Calgary Flames’ Nikita Zadorov (16) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Nico Sturm (7) reaches for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Nikita Zadorov (16) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Matt Benning (5) skates on the ice after a goal by Calgary Flames’ Elias Lindholm (28) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) blocks a shot against the Calgary Flames in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Jonah Gadjovich (42) fights against Calgary Flames’ Dennis Gilbert (48) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier (28) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Nikita Zadorov (16) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Matt Nieto (83) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Dennis Gilbert (48) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Alexander Barabanov (94) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Noah Hanifin (55) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) can’t stop a goal by Calgary Flames’ Milan Lucic (17), not shown, in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture (39) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Dillon Dube (29) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture (39) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Rasmus Andersson (4) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Nico Sturm (7) takes a shot against Calgary Flames’ Tyler Toffoli (73) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Kevin Labanc (62) tries to take a shot against Calgary Flames’ Elias Lindholm (28) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Matt Nieto (83) fights for the puck against Calgary Flames’ Michael Stone (26) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Playing in his 871st career game Sunday, Karlsson became the 12th fastest defenceman to hit 700 points. With his assists, Karlsson extended his point streak to seven games, in which he has one goal and eight helpers.
Kahkonen entered Sunday with a 3-6-2 record and a .877 save percentage in 12 games. His last two games have been forgettable at best, as he stopped a combined 49 of 58 shots in recent Sharks losses to Ottawa and Vancouver.
Against the Canucks on Dec. 7, Kahkonen stopped 15 of 19 shots through two periods before he was pulled in favor of rookie Eetu Makiniemi. The Sharks would go on to lose 6-5 in overtime.
“He’s done a really good job in the last week in practice, getting better,” Sharks coach David Quinn said before Sunday’s game. “He’s had some good nights and it’s consistency with him. We’ve seen him play some really good games and he’s going to get there. We’ve got a lot of faith in him.”
Toffoli’s goal at the 7:13 mark of the first period came after defenseman Jaycob Megna fanned on an attempted pass to Nico Sturm. Toffoli picked off the pass and went in alone on Kahkonen, beating him to the glove side.
It was the type of turnover reminiscent of earlier in the Sharks season when costly miscues were a near-nightly occurrence. The Sharks felt they had taken steps to eradicate that from their game.
“The last three games, it’s a much different approach from a turnover standpoint, which I think allowed us to hang around in (Saturday’s) game,” Quinn said of the shootout loss to Los Angeles. “Whereas maybe a week and a half ago, the turnovers, on top of doing the things we weren’t doing, that game can get away from us.”