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Flames-Sharks Preview

Nov 28, 2015 - 6:14 AM Suffering a defeat in their first home game after a perfect road trip wasn't enough to get the San Jose Sharks panicking about what they basically wrote off as an off night.

What they haven't explained, though, is why winning at the SAP Center has been so difficult.

The Calgary Flames won all three times they've visited San Jose last season, and they'll try to extend that streak Saturday night after dropping the first two on their trip.

The Sharks (13-9-0) swept a six-game trip before losing 5-2 to defending champion Chicago on Wednesday, when it took more than 13 minutes to put their first shot on goal.

Brent Burns got San Jose on the board later in the first period, and Patrick Marleau scored in the third before Chicago added two goals to ice it.

''We were sloppy and a little soft in the first period and they made us pay,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''The story of the game was the first period and how we started. We've got to go back to the drawing board and find a way."

Joe Pavelski, who assisted on Burns' goal, didn't seem too concerned. The Sharks ended up outshooting the Blackhawks 29-26, with 15 of those shots coming on five power plays.

"We're (22) games in," Pavelski said. "At the end of the day we just weren't good enough with the puck. We just didn't get the flow going. We'll regroup and come back and hopefully play a faster game next time."

Wednesday's loss, though, marked San Jose's third straight at home, where they are 3-6-0 on the season. The Sharks' 22 home losses last season were their most since dropping 23 in 1996-97.

Calgary (8-13-2) outscored San Jose 10-4 while winning the three road matchups last season, with Jiri Hudler scoring in each.

Hudler returned Friday after missing the previous two with an illness and assisted on Mark Giordano's goal, but the Flames fell 2-1 to Arizona in overtime. They dropped to 3-8-2 on the road and 0-1-1 on a three-game trip.

Calgary led 2-0 and had a one-goal advantage heading into the third period Tuesday, but it allowed three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes of a 5-3 loss at Anaheim.

''(Friday) was a good road game,'' coach Bob Hartley said. ''We played smart, we played hard, it's just the result, we wish we could change it.''

Giordano's goal came on the power play after the Flames went 0 for 12 in their previous five with the man advantage. They came up empty on five other chances, though, and have converted just 14.1 percent of their opportunities on the season.

''Obviously, we'd like to score on those power plays and grab some momentum, but we did some good things,'' defenseman Kris Russell said. ''I thought we played a good game throughout, but at the end of the day, on special teams, we get one there, that's the difference in the game.''

Karri Ramo is 6-5-1 with a 2.74 goals-against average while starting the Flames' last 12. That stretch includes one back-to-back set, but it's unclear if he'll get the nod in San Jose despite his 1.23 GAA in his last four against the Sharks.

Martin Jones had a 1.56 GAA while winning his previous five starts before losing to Chicago. He won his only career start against the Flames 3-2 on March 10 while with Los Angeles.