Sharks score 28 seconds apart in third, rally past Flames

CALGARY --The San Jose Sharks scored three straight goals, including two 28 seconds apart in the third period, to rally past the Calgary Flames 4-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.

Alexander Barabanov had a goal and an assist, Timo Meier and Logan Couture scored, and James Reimer made 28 saves for the Sharks (28-27-8), who have won two in a row.
"We're going to battle here and see what happens these last 19 games, but it's a good feeling in the locker room right now," Couture said. "We want to build off of it."
Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist, and Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves for the Flames (38-17-8), who have lost two of their past three.
"Four goals against at home. I thought we kept the chances down. You've got to stop all four," Markstrom said. "I wasn't good. I've got to be better. It [stinks] when we score three goals after two periods and we should be up 3-0 and we're not. It gave them a chance to stay in the game. You can't do that. It's frustrating. Not a good game from me."

Meier cut it to 3-2 at 17:30 of the second period with a spinning shot from the goal line.
Barabanov tied it 3-3 at 11:07 of the third period when he scored from the edge of the crease, and Couture put the Sharks up 4-3 at 11:35 when his shot bounced off Markstrom's left pad before trickling over the goal line.
"I just thought that we did a pretty terrible job in front of 'Marky' tonight, especially in the third," Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "We're up 3-2 going into the third at home, that's a great spot to be in. And then we allow a wide-open chance in front, somebody by himself, and you can't do that. You've got to make sure that doesn't happen. And then basically a 2-on-0 at the end. That's a goal on any goalie in the league. No excuse. He's been our MVP this year, and we did a terrible job, especially in the third, in front of him."
Reimer made a glove save on Gaudreau's penalty shot at 14:59 of the second period with the Flames up 3-1.
"That was a big turning point in the game," San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. "That's 4-1. It gave us a chance to come back and score that second goal and make it a one-goal game. 'Reims,' he made a couple of those saves tonight for us, especially at the end. He came up big and he's been solid for us all year. I thought he was our first star tonight."
Reimer also made a sprawling left-pad save on Tkachuk with 38 seconds remaining in the third period, and another save on Andrew Mangiapane in close with 21 seconds left.
"It took us a while to get going but once we did I thought we played a pretty responsible game," Boughner said. "That's a great team offensively, obviously. 'Reims' came up huge at the end with some stops. Coming into this building after a trade deadline, having guys injured and out of the lineup...I thought it was a great team effort."

Gaudreau put the Flames up 1-0 at 4:17 of the first period with a power-play goal when he shot over Reimer's glove and just under the crossbar after taking a cross-ice pass from Tkachuk.
Dillon Dube made it 2-0 at 8:16 with a slap shot from the high slot.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic cut the lead to 2-1 at 14:54 with a wrist shot from the point past a screened Markstrom.
Backlund pushed the lead to 3-1 at 4:08 of the second period when he slid a backhand five-hole on Reimer after taking a pass from Gaudreau on a 2-on-1.
NOTES:Meier sustained an apparent lower-body injury in the third period and did not return. Boughner did not have an update postgame. ... Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen backed up Reimer after being acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Monday. ... San Jose has won each of the first three meetings between the two teams this season, including 4-1 on Nov. 9 and 5-3 on Dec. 7. ... Calgary entered the game 31-0-2 when leading after two periods. … Tkachuk had two assists for his fourth multipoint game in his past six. … Markstrom is 4-1-1 in his past six starts and 6-1-2 in his past eight. His previous loss in regulation was 7-1 against the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 24.