CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Defenseman Nikita Zadorov had his first career hat trick and the Calgary Flames ended a disappointing season with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Calgary finished fifth in the Pacific at 38-27-17 and 93 points, a year after winning the division with 111. The Flames have missed the playoffs in nine of their last 14 seasons and made the postseason in consecutive years just once in that span.
Dustin Wolf made 23 saves for the Flames in his NHL debut. From Gilroy, California, the 21-year-old Wolf was recalled from the Calgary Wranglers, where he leads the American Hockey League with 41 victories.
Noah Gregor scored for San Jose and Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 46 shots. The Sharks will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Zadorov gave the Flames the lead at 4:01 of the third, taking a pass from defense partner MacKenzie Weegar and snapping a shot from the blue line into the top corner. Zadorov’s third goal came into an empty net with a minute left.
Forward Matt Coronato also made his NHL debut for the Flames. The 20-year-old selected in the first round of the 2021 draft signed with Calgary on March 26 after his college season with Harvard ended.
Coronato played on a line with fellow rookie Jakob Pelletier and Nazem Kadri, and showed his offensive instincts throughout the night, generating a few scoring chances and finishing with four shots on goal.
UP NEXT
Sharks: At Edmonton on Thursday night in season finale.
Flames: End of season.
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The Associated Press
