Flames beat NHL-worst Sharks 5-1 in the season finale for the non-playoff teams

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Blake Coleman scored his 30th goal and MacKenzie Weegar netted his 20th as the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 5-1 on Thursday night in the season-ending game for both teams.

Weegar had never had more than eight goals in a season. The jump to 20 tied the 30-year-old for third among blueliners behind only Roman Josi (23) and Cale Makar (21).

“After I scored, just the sincerity of the congratulations from everybody. When they come up to you after and they say how proud they are of you and the little things like that, it goes a long way for me,” Weegar said.

More impressive for Calgary coach Ryan Huska, Weegar became the first NHL player to score 20 goals while also blocking 200 shots.

“That’s the hard part of the game,” Huska said. “Where over and over you’re doing it again and again and you’re not feeling good, and you put yourself in those positions and you continually play through it.

“When you look at MacKenzie, you’d have to say he was one of our more consistent players this year. So I thought he did a really good job leadership wise, offence from the back end for us. But then you have the intangibles that he brings. He’s a competitor.”

Adam Klapka posted his first NHL goal and Oliver Kylington, and Kevin Rooney also scored for Calgary (38-39-5). The Flames missed the postseason for the second straight season.

Dustin Wolf had 16 saves and lost his shutout bid with nine seconds left in the game. The 23-year-old rookie closed the season with four straight wins and a record of 7-7-1.

Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose (19-54-9), which finished with the worst record in the NHL. The Sharks have missed the playoffs the last five seasons. Mikael Granlund had an assist and finished the season with a 13-game point streak (two goals, 13 assists).

Sharks starting goaltender Devin Cooley was pulled for the second straight game. After giving up eight goals on 22 shots on Monday in Edmonton, Cooley (2-3-1) allowed five goals on 23 shots before being replaced by Georgi Romanov (14 saves).

“It’s just tough to end like that. It’s just not the way we wanted to go out,” Sharks defenseman Kyle Burroughs said.

Calgary jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period, scoring twice in a three-minute span.

Klapka opened the scoring at 12:13. Coleman’s goal was an easy tap-in at the side of the net after he was set up on a perfect pass from Connor Zary.

Coleman, who reached 30 goals for the first time, had missed the previous four games with an upper-body injury. Coleman’s previous career best was 22 goals with New Jersey in 2018-19.

Calgary blew the game open early in the second with three more goals in a span of just over three minutes.

Kylington whipped a point shot into the top corner at 3:53, Rooney picked the top corner at 5:59, and Weegar’s rising shot from the blue line found the back of the net at 6:56.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

San Jose Sharks forward Givani Smith (54) and Calgary Flames forward Adam Klapka (43) jostle for position during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

San Jose Sharks defenseman Calen Addison (33) checks Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil (76) as goalie Devin Cooley (1) follows the play during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) kicks away a shot during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley (1) blocks the net on Calgary Flames forward Matthew Coronato (27) as forward Danil Gushchin (75) checks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Friday rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to weigh a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Whitten said the wording the legislative council suggested is “packed with emotion and partisan meaning” and asked for what he called more “neutral” language. The measure aims to expand abortion access from 15 weeks to 24 weeks – the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb.

It would allow exemptions to save the woman’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would also prevent the state from adopting or enforcing laws that would forbid access to the procedure.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, who is a co-chair of the legislative council, said the group will appeal the court’s decision to the state Supreme Court.

“The ruling is just plain wrong and clearly partisan,” said Toma, a Republican.

The State Supreme Court has until Aug. 27 to rule on the appeal for the language to be changed.

Aaron Thacker, communications director for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, noted that the final decision on the ballot itself remains in the air.

“There’s still a lot of scenarios at play," he said. "Even after the secretary certifies the signatures, the courts have to decide if counties can put it on the ballot or not."

Arizona for Abortion Access, the organization leading the ballot measure campaign, sued the council earlier this month over the suggested language and advocated for the term “fetus,” which the council rejected.

Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in a motion to submit an amicus brief that “fetus" and “pregnancy” are both neutral terms that the council could adopt.

“It’s incredibly important to us that Arizona voters get to learn more about and weigh our measure in objective and accurate terminology,” said Dawn Penich, communications director for the abortion access group.

Democrats have centered abortion rights in their campaigns in this year’s elections. Organizers in five other states have also proposed similar measures that would codify abortion access in their state constitutions: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota.

Arizona organizers submitted more than double the amount of signatures needed for the measure to appear on the ballot.

FILE - Arizona abortion-rights supporters deliver over 800,000 petition signatures to the capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot July 3, 2024, in Phoenix. A judge on Friday, July 26, rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to decide on a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)