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The San Jose Sharks know they need to be better than the team that just completed a winless road trip.Opening a six-game homestand www.officialcanadiensprostore.com , the Sharks look to continue their dominance over the surging Calgary Flames on Sunday night at SAP Center.San Jose (8-6-3), which has won five in a row overall and four straight at home against Calgary, is back in Northern California a pair of poor outings.Article continues below ...Martin Jones gave up the game-winner with less than six minutes to play in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday before the Sharks failed to generate any offense in a 4-0 defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Friday.“We’re a better team than what we’ve shown the last two games,” San Jose captain Joe Pavelski said Friday.Coach Peter DeBoer admitted the club has a lot to fix after these two games.“Some other nights it looks like we got it figured out,” he said after the loss to the Blues. “It’s consistency. Consistency in our game and having that composure to not beat ourselves. We’re not there yet.”One slumping Shark who may get a spark from facing the Flames is Evander Kane. The winger scored six goals in two games against Calgary last season after being acquired in late February from the Buffalo Sabres. That included a career-high four markers in San Jose’s 7-4 win on March 16.Kane has one goal in his last seven games overall.Jones (4-1-1, 2.49 goals-against average at home in 2018-19) will likely be between the pipes after Aaron Dell faced St. Louis. While with the Sharks, Jones is 7-3-0 with a 2.74 GAA in 10 career starts versus the Flames.Looking for its sixth win in seven games, Calgary (10-6-1) wraps up a swing through California after defeating the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Saturday behind 21 saves from backup David Rittich and Travis Hamonic’s first-period goal.“Good victory, obviously. We had contributions throughout and it’s good for David Rittich to get his first career shutout,” Flames coach Bill Peters said.In spite of Rittich’s success, Mike Smith will face the Sharks, associate coach Geoff Ward told the team’s official website. Among the 23 goaltenders with at least 10 starts this season, Smith ranks 21st with a 3.66 GAA.Smith told the Calgary Herald on Friday that he will improve.“I know I haven’t played my best yet. There’s more to give. It’s about finding it and getting the confidence. And it starts in practice, I’m a big believer in that,” said the 36-year-old, who’s yielded two goals or less in each of his last five road starts against the Sharks Montreal Canadiens T-Shirts Authentic , posting a 2-2-1 record.A key to the Flames’ success this season is balanced scoring up front. Wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk are tied for the team lead with 19 points each, while winger Elias Lindholm and center Sean Monahan are right behind with 18 apiece.Lindholm, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in June, already has a team-leading nine goals in 17 games after notching a career-best 16 in 81 contests last season. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in four career games in San Jose.Several Sharks are in position for career milestones.Joe Thornton needs one goal for 400 in his career and one assist to tie Mario Lemieux for 11th?on the all-time list with 1,033. “Jumbo Joe” has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his last 11 games versus the Flames.Center Logan Couture, who is tied for second on the club with 17 points, is scheduled to play in his 600th NHL game, while defenseman Erik Karlsson (seven assists in 17 games) is one helper shy of 400 for his career. BOSTON (AP) This is where the Toronto Maple Leafs try to change the ending.After beating the Bruins in back-to-back elimination games to force their first-round playoff series to the limit – just like they did in 2013 – the Maple Leafs are hoping to finish the job on Wednesday in Game 7 in Boston.That’s something they couldn’t do five years ago, when they became the first team in NHL history to blow a three-goal, third-period deficit and lose a Stanley Cup playoff game.”We’ve got some more work to do,” said goalie Frederik Andersen, who stopped 32 of 33 shots in Game 6 on Monday to help Toronto win 3-1 and prolong its season.”It’s the same kind of pressure we’ve felt these last two games, where we’ve been facing elimination,” he said. ”Game 7 should be the same. It’s something that you all dream of – those big moments – and you also want to perform.”So do the Bruins Montreal Canadiens Hoodies Authentic , who have struggled to put away Toronto for the second consecutive time. In ’13, the Maple Leafs won two straight and then opened a 4-1 lead in the third period of Game 7, but Boston scored a pair of goals 31 seconds apart in the final 2 minutes of regulation before winning in overtime.Patrice Bergeron, who scored the game-winner, is one of seven Bruins remaining from that team, compared with four players wearing Toronto jerseys.”It’s nice to have those guys,” said Boston forward David Pastrnak, who had four goals and five assists in the first two games of the series this year but only two assists since. ”They’ve been here a bunch, so they know what to expect. It’s good for our young guys to have them around.”The winner of Wednesday night’s game will play Tampa Bay, which eliminated New Jersey in five games. The Lightning will host the first two games, regardless of which opponent advances.”I don’t think there’s any panic at all in this group,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.Toronto feels the same way.”We think we’re going to win,” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. ”We’ve thought that all along, and we’ve crawled our way back and now we have the opportunity of a lifetime. This is where you want to be.”PRESSUREBoth teams paid their respects to the victims of the rental van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people and injured 15 more. There was a moment of silence before Monday night’s game, and Babcock opened his postgame remarks by sending support to those affected. Asked on Tuesday about the pressure his team faces heading into a winner-take-all game, Cassidy said he has tried to keep things in perspective.”Listen Montreal Canadiens Hats Authentic , yesterday in Toronto, the first-responders, they were under pressure. That’s pressure to me, that’s real-life pressure,” he said. ”This is a game that players dream about being in this situation, Game 7, playing road hockey in a small town in Canada or a big city in the United States or somewhere in between. That’s what it’s all about. … Now you’ve got to go out and embrace it.”GAME 7 HISTORYThe Bruins are 13-12 in Game 7s, with a 12-8 record at home. Toronto is 12-10 and 5-9 on the road. Boston is 2-1 in Game 7s against Toronto, including 2013. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will be playing in his 12th career Game 7 – the most for any active player, and just one shy of the record held by Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens.ROUND TWOThe Capitals and Penguins await the start of the second round, when they will play each other for the third straight postseason. Pittsburgh is 9-1 all-time in playoff series against Washington.In the West, the pairings are Vegas against San Jose and Winnipeg against Nashville.—