Sharks Suffer Another Late-Game Collapse, fall to Flames
The San Jose Sharks (27-22-4) continued to struggle with closing out games, falling to the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Saturday, January 31, 2026. This loss comes on the heels of a similar collapse against the Edmonton oilers, where the Sharks surrendered a 3-0 lead and lost in overtime. The defeat against Calgary,one of the Pacific Division’s bottom teams,was especially disheartening,as the Flames had lost 10 of their previous 13 games and five straight entering the contest.
Coaching Concerns
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky expressed his frustration with the team’s performance. “We just couldn’t get it going at all,” Warsofsky stated. “We couldn’t stop the puck.There were a lot of issues, but that was one of them.”
Playoff Implications
The loss further complicates the Sharks’ pursuit of a playoff berth. They remain one point behind the Los angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, and Anaheim Ducks for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Sharks haven’t reached the NHL playoffs since 2019.
Looking Ahead
San Jose has two games remaining before the NHL pauses for the Olympic Games in Milan. Goaltender Magnus Nedelkovic acknowledged the disappointing result but remained optimistic.”It’s a tough one to swallow, but we got two more games here,” Nedelkovic said. “We’re .500 through the first three games (of the road trip). It kind of stings, but we’ll take it. And we got a big one against Chicago to flip the script a little bit.”
Related reading