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Sharks' Klim Kostin Calls Out Flames Forward

max miller
·3 min read

San Jose Sharks forward Klim Kostin went to protect his teammate Mikael Granlund in the third period of last night's game when Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil checked him hard along the boards. Only Pospisil didn't let Kostin stand up for his alternate captain.

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The hit looked like it was from behind, but the play was deemed clean, and when Kostin went up to Pospisil, Pospisil declined and skated off the ice for a change.

"Guys like that No. 76 guy or whatever, there's a lot of guys that are doing some dirty stuff to the best players, and then not ready to drop the gloves. That was a good reason to drop the gloves," Kostin said after the game.

Nico Sturm stood up for Carl Grundstrom earlier in the contest after he was injured by a clean, hard check from Flames defenseman Brayden Pachal.

Related: BREAKING: Physical Sharks Forward Injured Against Flames

There seems to have been a greater focus on the Sharks' standing up for their teammates in recent games, but to Kostin and head coach Ryan Warsofsky, it's always been there.

"I think we always [do] that. Every team in the NHL, I think, does that. If you don't step up for your teammates, that questions what kind of team you are," Kostin said. "I think that's pretty obvious that we have all four lines, [defense], and goalie. We're all warriors and we're always ready to step up for the brother next to us. I think it's just [as] simple as that. It always has to be like [that] in the NHL."

"No, that's just what the game is right now. I think every team does it," Warsofsky said. "We're a good group of guys in there that stick together that have each other's backs, and that's what we're all about."

Part of the reason Pospisil may not have dropped the gloves with Kostin is the situation of the game. Under five minutes remained in the third period, and the Flames were ahead 2-1. A fight would have meant Kostin and Pospisil's night was over unless the game went to overtime.

The San Jose Sharks have lost seven straight and are 1-9-1 in their last 11 games. The team is off today after back-to-back nights with a game but will get back to work with practice on Monday.

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