Nikita Zadorov hat-trick only goals Flames need in season-finale win over Sharks

I’ll admit I didn’t have Nikita Zadorov scoring a hat-trick — all three of the Calgary Flames’ goals, too — on my list for this game.

That’s what occurred in the team’s season finale at the Saddledome on Wednesday, however unlikely, resulting in a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

The performance was the first multi-goal NHL game by the 27-year-old Zadorov, a veteran of 564 games who was acquired by the Flames from the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2021.

Zadorov, who has also played for the Buffalo Sabres (the team that drafted him in 2013) and the Colorado Avalanche, netted his third goal of the game on an empty-netter shot the length of the ice with a minute left in the game, prompting a rain of hats from the Saddledome crowd.

Noah Gregor scored the lone goal for the Sharks on goalie Dustin Wolf, who made 23 saves in his NHL debut.

With the win, the Flames — who were officially eliminated from the NHL playoff race in their previous game — finished the regular season fifth in the Pacific Division with a 38-27-17 record for 93 points.