Sharks beat Flames 2-1 to win division, keep ahead of Chicago in race for home ice

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Sharks beat Flames 2-1 to win division

CALGARY, Alberta — Evgeni Nabokov made 38 saves to give the San Jose Sharks their third straight division title with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

The Sharks also stayed two points ahead of Chicago for best record in the Western Conference.

The Flames, on the other hand, missedthe playoffs for the first time since 2003, after Colorado beat Vancouver later Tuesday night.

Rob Blake and Jamie McGinn scored for San Jose, 6-1-1 since a six-game winless streak dropped them to second in the Pacific Division behind Phoenix.

Rene Bourque scored for Calgary, the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL, ahead of only the Boston Bruins. The Flames have been either shut out or held to one goal 25 times.

Trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Calgary got on the scoreboard at 4:20 on the power play.

Jay Bouwmeester corralled a loose puck, spun and zipped a pass through a crowd that landed right on the stick of Bourque at the side of the net. Bourque easily slid his 26th goal into the open net.

Calgary desperately pressed for the tying goal in the late going but could not beat Nabokov a second time, despite outshooting San Jose 17-2 in the third period.

Leading 1-0 after the first period, San Jose surged ahead 2-0 at 5:47 of the second when Miikka Kiprusoff made a stop off Logan Couture but unintentionally cleared the rebound off of McGinn’s legs, and the Sharks forward easily slid the puck into the open side.

San Jose opened the scoring at 10:15 of the first period, converting its only power play of the first 40 minutes.

With Couture screening Kiprusoff, Blake ripped a slap shot from the blue line past the Flames goaltender.

Notes: San Jose finished with a road record of 24-14-3, second best in the league behind Washington. … Calgary RW Jarome Iginla hasn’t scored in his last nine games. … The Sharks have won the Pacific Division five of the last eight seasons.