The Sharks earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
The Flames fired 30 shots against 26 for San Jose—and still lost 6-3. The gap wasn't volume; it was conversion. The Sharks generated 0.083 expected goals per shot to Calgary's 0.042, a lopsided quality advantage that the final margin reflected.
The underlying numbers vindicated the rout. San Jose controlled 63% of 5v5 expected goals (4.72–2.80) and dominated high-danger chances 7–4. Firing more shots only underscored Calgary's disadvantage where it mattered.
Goaltending had little to do with it. Y. Askarov stopped 27 of 30 for a 0.900 save percentage while D. Wolf posted 20 of 25 (0.800)—a gap, but not enormous. San Jose simply created the looks that end up in the net. They were 3-for-7 on high-danger chances (43%), then added two goals from spots no goalie should surrender. That's clinical finishing.
Calgary couldn't convert in the danger areas. San Jose finished two of three rebound chances; Calgary finished zero of four. Throw in the Sharks' three rush goals against Calgary's three, and the picture is clear: San Jose created more in every zone that matters.
Macklin Celebrini's wrist shot from the slot (P3, 18:50) was the turning point. M. Celebrini finished with 2G and 2A across 21:25 of ice time; B. Goodrow added 2G and 1A in just 12:59. Those two did enough for a convincing win on their own. M. Weegar's lone assist was a consolation for a Calgary defense overrun.