STATE-MENT GAME

SAN JOSE - That went swimmingly.
The Flames beat the Sharks 4-2 Thursday night at the SAP Center, sweeping their three-game set in California after earlier wins over the Kings and Ducks.
Moreover, they snapped a season-long funk against the Sharks, who had beat them in all three previous meetings this campaign.

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Calgary improved to 22-11-2 away from the Scotiabanbk Saddledome, and sits first in the Pacific Division at 43-19-9.
The Flames will wrap up this four-game roadie with a stop in Seattle to face the expansion Kraken on Saturday night.
Matthew Tkachuk scored his 34th of the season to match the career high he set in 2018-19.
Trevor Lewis, playing in his 801st career game, also tallied, as did Elias Lindholm with his 37th and team-leading 38th strike - the last into an empty net.
Johnny Gaudreau collected a pair of assists and now has 99 points on the year, tying his career mark set in 2018-19 season.
Dan Vladar got the start for the Flames, his first since making 23 saves in a 5-2 win over the Canucks on March 19 in Vancouver and 15th of the season.
He made 31 saves with both goals that got past him being bank shots - one off a skate, the other off a leg.
Juuso Valimaki and Connor Mackey drew into the lineup for the tilt, while Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson didn't play.
Valimaki started the night alongside Michael Stone, while Mackey played with Chris Tanev.
Brett Ritchie played up front while Adam Ruzicka did not dress.
The Flames got an early powerplay 1:12 in, the best chance coming on a Tkachuk tip on the doorstep of a shot by Tyler Toffoli.
Vladar, though, made the biggest stop of the man-up when he denied Sharks captain Logan Couture on a shorthanded breakaway.
Tkachuk opened the scoring at 7:19, the last man over the boards on a full Calgary change. He took advantage of a bobbled pass reception by Timo Meier, grabbing the puck and skating in to snap a wrist shot high gloveside on James Reimer.

The Sharks tied it up with 5:31 left to play in the period when Jaycob Megna's pass went off the skate of Nick Bonino and past Vladar.
Reimer came up huge when Gaudreau intercepted a pass deep in the Sharks zone, making an off-balance save and falling onto his back after.
Lewis made it a 2-1 game with his fifth of the year with 55 seconds left, skating down the left wing and driving to the net, tucking the puck home between Reimer and the post. Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin both got helpers.

The top line combined to make it a 3-1 game at 13:28 of the second, with Gaudreau passinng to Tkachuk who made a nifty drop feed to Lindholm who went top shelf.
According to Sportsnet Stats, it was the 18th time they have combined for a goal, most by any trio in the NHL.

The Sharks got back within one in the third period just as Calgary penalty to Lewis expired, Meier throwing the puck at the net from a tight angle that went off Couture and in.
Blake Coleman had a great crack at doubling the lead again when he corralled a puck behind the net and skated out trying to stuff a couple backhands past Reimer, who ended up down in the net after colliding with Couture and had to be helped off the ice by trainer. Kaapo Kahkonen came in to finish out the game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Shots: CGY 41, SJS 33
Powerplay:CGY 0-3, SJS 0-3
Hits:CGY 24, SJS 33
Face-offs: CGY 52%, SJS 48%
\Scoring chances: CGY 28, SJS 23
\High-danger scoring chances:CGY 7, SJS 9
\According of Natural Stat Trick (5-on-5)*

ONE-TIMERS:

The Flames are now 12-7-2 against their Pacific Division rivals this season and 22-12-4 against Western Conference opponents ... This was the Flames 14th back-to-back set this season. They are now 9-4-1 in the second game of a BTB, winning the second game in their last three back-to-back sets ... Johnny Gaudreau is only seven points away from 600 in his career ... Tyler Toffoli is three assists away from 200, and eight goals away from the same mark.

THEY SAID IT:

JOHNNY GAUDREAU ON TYING A CAREER HIGH WITH 99 POINTS:
"Yeah, it's cool, but it's just a number. I'm super excited about where our team's at this year. A lot of players are playing really well this season. It's been a lot of fun to be a part of this group and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."
'IS 100 JUST A NUMBER?'
"Nah, it would be a little different (laughs). Obviously, just came shy there a couple years ago. As long as I don't have the worst 12 games of my career, it will be nice to do that, for once."
MATTHEW TKACHUK ON SUCCESS OF THE TOP LINE:
"We know that our line has to produce, play well at both ends. We've talked about it a million times. But at the end of the day, there's still a ton of motivation and more motivation than we've ever had. Edmonton's right on our tails here and we want home ice and we want it as long as we can. We made the mistake of not playing our best going into the playoffs in years past and we don't want to make that same mistake this time."
DARRYL SUTTER ON GAUDREAU-LINDHOLM-TKACHUK:
"They play in a lot of important situations. There's lots of guys that score or get points, but they don't do it in... They're not big ones, they're not situational goals. Those guys, as a line - I've said it lots - their goals for and against are significant. If he was a 100-point guy and was a minus player, that wouldn't carry much weight and we wouldn't be in a playoff spot. That's what we're trying to do. That's what I said at the start. We're trying to be a playoff team. Those guys are trying to do that, too."
ON GAUDREAU AT 99 POINTS:
"Awesome.
"Still got 10 or 11 games, as long as they're big points - game-winners."

THE LINEUP:

The trios and d-pairs to start the tilt:
Lines
Johnny Gaudreau - Elias Lindholm - Matthew Tkachuk
Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube - Trevor Lewis - Blake Coleman
Milan Lucic - Ryan Carpenter - Brett Ritchie
Pairings
Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson
Connor Mackey - Chris Tanev
Michael Stone - Juuso Valimaki
Goaltender
Dan Vladar - starter
Jacob Markstrom

UP NEXT:

The Flames head to Seattle to face the Kraken Saturday night in the first tilt of a home-and-home series, welcoming the expansion team to the Scotiabank Saddledome on April 12.
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