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Toffoli scores twice as Flames defeat Sharks to continue playoff push

Toffoli scores twice as Flames defeat Sharks to continue playoff push

Led offensively by two guys with Stanley Cup rings, the Calgary Flames kept their faint playoff hopes alive on Saturday.

Tyler Toffoli scored two goals and Nazem Kadri notched the game-winner as the Flames won 5-3 over the visiting San Jose Sharks to climb two points closer to a playoff berth.

“They’re a desperate team, they have some skill. And obviously with [Erik] Karlsson on the back end, he can take over games, and I thought we did a good job sticking together and finding a way to win,” said Toffoli, whose 31 goals equals a career high.

Combined with Winnipeg’s 4-1 loss to Los Angeles, the Flames moved to within four points of the Jets, who occupy the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have eight games remaining including one head-to-head.

“We can’t really worry about what other people are thinking,” Toffoli added. “We just have to win every game we can, and every game we win keeps us in it and gives us a chance.”

WATCH | Toffoli pots pair in win over Sharks:

Flames gain in wild-card race with victory over Sharks

Tyler Toffoli scores twice in Calgary’s 5-3 win over San Jose. The Flames move within four points of the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Toffoli played for Darryl Sutter in 2014 when he was the coach of the Stanley Cup-winning Los Angeles Kings.

“He’s a winner,” said Sutter. “Can’t teach it, thankful to have him.”

Kadri won his Stanley Cup last season with Colorado.

“Ideally you want to find yourself to not be in this position this late in the season,” Kadri said. “But it’s hard to win in months like these leading up to the playoffs and we’ve given ourselves a chance so that’s really all that matters.”

Tied at 3-3, Kadri scored the go-ahead goal 5:45 into the third period. On his first shift moved onto a line with veteran Milan Lucic and rookie Walker Duehr, he banged in a rebound from the side of the net after Kaapo Kahkonen had stopped shots from both of his linemates.

“Great work ethic by them,” said Kadri, who has goals in consecutive games after a 16-game goal drought. “That’s what Walks and Looch are good at, staying on pucks and being tenacious and I just tried to get simple and go to the net as that’s where most of the pucks are going.”

Toffoli put the game away scoring into an empty net with 1:10 remaining.

“It was a real gut-check game. We had nine games in 15-and-a-half days for everybody…

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