Two Pacific Division rivals collide Saturday as San Jose visits Calgary in a Saturday afternoon matchup in the NHL. San Jose arrives in better overall shape after a strong January run, while Calgary has had a horrible start to the new year. Here, I break down this Western Conference matchup on the ice and bring you my Sharks vs Flames prediction in the NHL.
Our Sharks vs Flames Pick
Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: San Jose Sharks vs Calgary Flames
- Date & Time: Saturday, January 31, 2026, 4:00 PM ET
- Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
- San Jose has won 3 of its last 5 games, including road victories at Florida and Vancouver. The Sharks’ January surge has them back in the Pacific Division’s top five and sitting above .500 away from home over their last 10 road dates.
- Calgary has dropped 5 straight games since a win over the Islanders, with scoring drying up to 2 or fewer goals in 4 of those 5 games. The Flames are 13-9-4 at home on the season and they will try to get a much-needed win here.
Goaltending
- San Jose has alternated between Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic in net. Askarov’s recent road form includes a quality start at Vancouver and a tough assignment in Tampa Bay. Both Sharks goaltenders have save percentages under .900 on the season and that could be a problem for them on Saturday afternoon.
- Calgary has rotated between Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley between the pipes. Wolf has handled most of the better opponents, but Cooley has the better numbers so far this season and he could end up getting the start in this matchup.
Key skaters
- San Jose: Macklin Celebrini leads the club with 79 points and leads their top power‑play unit. Tyler Toffoli is the best pure finisher on the roster, and William Eklund’s playmaking has trended up through January.
- Calgary: Nazem Kadri leads the Flames in points in the mid-30s, while Matt Coronato leads them in goals at 14. Jonathan Huberdeau continues to be the primary distributor at even strength and on the man advantage.
Betting Trends & H2H
- These teams are 1-1 against each other this season, with the home team going 2-0 in their season series thus far.
- The Sharks are 35-17 in the puckline market going into this game.
- The Flames are 29-24 on the puckline and the over is 29-24 in Flames games this season.
Sharks vs Flames Model Projection
Final Thoughts
