CALGARY — No one was quite sure what to make of the post-game fish tale being offered up by Jonathan Huberdeau, explaining how the man they call Sharky became the team’s latest hero.

Asked about Yegor Sharangovich’s recent scoring binge, Huberdeau suggested the key to scoring three games in a row could be explained by his teammate’s dietary change.

“He changed his pre-game meal,” said Huberdeau, cracking a tiny smile that had listeners unsure if the joke was on them. 

“He’s been eating salmon, so it’s been helping him.

Risotto and salmon. So that’s what he’s going to eat until the end of the year.”

In the latest in a series of must-win games, it was Sharangovich who broke a 2-2 tie 90 seconds into the third period Sunday, before burying an empty netter in a 5-2 win over San Jose. 

It kept their playoff hopes alive. 

It has been a shocking, and timely, turnaround for the Belarusian winger, whose 17 goals are far from the 31 that made him the team leader a year earlier.

But then, on a team that has counted on an endless list of lads to step up when needed most down the stretch, he was probably due to join the fun.

“My wife told me I should try something different,” smiled the third Belarusian player to score 100 NHL goals of his pre-game meal swap from poultry to fish.

“I tried it once. It worked. I keep it.” 

The locker room laughter that followed the latest in a series of intense outings speaks to just how much these Flames are enjoying the ride. 

They’ve proven capable and comfortable while in the tightest of spots. 

Now just two points back of St. Louis and three back of Minnesota with two games left, lesser teams would have cracked under the pressure.

These Flames have continued to rise to it, using a MacKenzie Weegar goal in the first period to turn a slow start into yet another three-goal third period.

The win sets up a home game against Vegas Tuesday that will conclude an hour after the Wild and Blue wrap up their respective seasons. Both those clubs can clinch playoff berths with wins, meaning the Flames are at their mercy.

The Flames have to finish ahead of either team to grab the West’s final wild-card spot, as the tiebreaker doesn’t go in Calgary’s favour in either case.   

What the Flames can control is their games, which continue to produce endless heroics.

On this night Dustin Wolf’s 28-saves included a few big ones early, and one monster stop early in the third on former Flame Tyler Toffoli. A bad bounce off the glass behind the net had the Flames goalie going the other way, before noticing at the last second it had bounced straight to Toffoli in front for a shot Wolf recovered in time to save.

Adam Klapka continues to make an impact on the top line, converting a Nazem Kadri pass to put the Flames up 2-1 late in the first.

And then there was Matt Coronato, scoring an insurance marker midway through the third, for his fourth in his last five games.

In a season of tremendous growth for all three aforementioned youngsters, the Flames have waited patiently for Sharangovich to start living up to the five-year, $28.75 million contract extension that kicks in next season.   

“It’s the Yegor from last year that is getting timely goals,” said Weegar, crediting the nutritional switch for Sharangovich’s reawakening. 

“He’s confident right now and he seems like he’s having a lot more fun out there.” 

The whole city is, as the Flames continue to press for the unlikeliest of playoff spots. 

Who will step up next against the Golden Knights has made the Flames must-see TV.  

“I feel when he’s playing the way he is now, any time he has the puck on his stick he’s got the ability to score,” said Ryan Huska of the soft-spoken Sharangovich.  

“So if he went to salmon and risotto, he should stay with salmon and risotto.”