Stromgren's first NHL goal helps Flames edge Sharks

SAN JOSE · William Stromgren scored his first NHL goal and Dustin Wolf made 26 saves as the Calgary Flames edged the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Monday night. Adam Klapka had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who improved to 7-8-0 with their second win in three games. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 20 shots for the Sharks, who fell to 7-8-1 and have lost four of their past five contests. The victory extended Calgary's recent dominance over San Jose, as the Flames have now won 15 of the last 17 meetings between the teams.

Klapka opened the scoring at 14:36 of the first period, intercepting a Nolan Allan pass at the blue line and beating Askarov with a wrist shot. "It was awesome," Klapka said. "I think we just kept it simple. Play below the goal line and good things happen when you do the right thing." The second period passed without a goal, but Calgary added insurance early in the third when Stromgren, playing in his fourth career NHL game, batted in a rebound at 9:14.

"First goal is just kinda my dream," Stromgren said. "Not much (feelings), I kinda blacked out. It is definitely a nice feeling, but (I) kinda blacked out for a second." Flames coach Ryan Huska praised the rookie and his linemates. "You're always happy for a young guy when he gets his first one. I thought that line was arguably our best one," Huska said. "Any road win is a big win. Finding a way to limit their opportunities until later in the game was important to us."

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San Jose answered just over two minutes later when Sam Dickinson found a loose puck in front and chipped it past Wolf at 11:57 to cut the deficit to 2-1. "I didn't actually see the puck go in; I just saw the ref," Dickinson said. "It was pretty sweet. I think it was probably a lot of relief. I don't think I've ever gone that long in my life without scoring a goal." The goal was Dickinson's second of his career and his first since Nov. 2, 2025. The Flames shut down the Sharks' attack the rest of the way, with Wolf securing his second consecutive victory. Wolf, who hails from nearby Gilroy, California, improved his career record against San Jose to 11-2-0. Calgary also did a good job limiting Sharks rookie star Macklin Celebrini, who entered the game with eight points in eight career games against the Flames but was held off the scoresheet and has now gone six games without a goal.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky acknowledged his team's offensive struggles. "We're trying to generate. We're struggling to generate some scoring opportunities. There's no doubt about it," Warsofsky said. "We had a decent push there in the third, just couldn't get one in." San Jose has managed only five goals in its past four games. Stromgren, a 23-year-old recalled from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers, had recorded 11 points in 11 games with the farm club this season before making his season debut for the Flames.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Sports and The Hockey News