SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Nazem Kadri scored two goals and the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night in the first game back from the Olympic break for both teams.
Connor Zary broke a tie early in the third period when he beat Yaroslav Askarov with a shot for the slot on the rush. Kadri provided some needed insurance when he converted after a defensive-zone turnover by Timothy Liljegren for his second goal of the game.
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Calgary Flames right wing Adam Klapka (43) skates with the puck against San Jose Sharks center Alexander Wennberg (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Calgary Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud, right, skates with the puck against San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks right wing Ryan Reaves (75) hits Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (11) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Alexander Wennberg (21) reaches for the puck against Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri, middle, is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Mikael Backlund added an empty-net goal to seal the win.
Dustin Wolf, a native of nearby Gilroy, made 34 saves to improve to 10-2 in his career against San Jose.
Tyler Toffoli scored the lone goal for the Sharks, who lost the opener of a crucial six-game homestand as they try to make a playoff run. San Jose began the night five points out of a playoff spot.
Askarov made 25 saves.
The first game back from the Olympic break was played in front of a rare weeknight sellout in San Jose. The Sharks honored their four Olympians with star Macklin Celebrini getting the loudest ovation after leading the Olympics with five goals as he helped Canada win the silver medal.
Celebrini was kept off the scoresheet as the Sharks fell to 1-12-2 when he doesn't record a point this season.
San Jose controlled the play early with 17 shots on goal in the first period but couldn't get anything past Wolf until Toffoli redirected a shot from Mario Ferraro for a goal in the opening minutes of the second period.
Kadri tied it when he beat Askarov from the slot later in the period off a pass from Joel Farabee.
Flames: At Los Angeles on Saturday.
Sharks: Host Edmonton on Saturday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhla
Calgary Flames right wing Adam Klapka (43) skates with the puck against San Jose Sharks center Alexander Wennberg (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Calgary Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud, right, skates with the puck against San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks right wing Ryan Reaves (75) hits Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (11) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Alexander Wennberg (21) reaches for the puck against Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri, middle, is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.
He certainly looked ready, delivering an RBI double off Baltimore's Kyle Bradish in his first at-bat to help the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.
The Pirates are betting more big moments are on the way after making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it with Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.
On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when he smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening-day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.
“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”
That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.
Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.
Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.
Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.
“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.
The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.
“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”
Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.
“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin celebrates after hitting an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin (6) is introduced for his major league debut before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin sprints for home to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin hits an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
