SAN JOSE
– Patrick Marleau’s unassisted goal with 28.3 seconds to play
earned the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at
sold-out HP Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – Patrick Marleau’s unassisted goal with 28.3 seconds to play earned the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at sold-out HP Pavilion.
Marleau was able to take advantage of a turnover by Dallas goalie Marty Turco. As Marleau approached the crease following a Brad Lukowich dump-in, Turco tried to control the puck but instead chipped it forward. The puck ricocheted off Marleau’s skate, then past Turco and off the left post. Marleau was in position to corral the puck and push it into the netting for his seventh goal of the year.
San Jose, atop the NHL with 26 points after 15 games, is 9-0 at home with a seven-game winning streak. The loss left the Stars with 12 points in a tie for third place in the division.
Only two teams have won more games at home to start the season, the Chicago Blackhawks with 11 in 1963 and the Ottawa Senators with 10 in 1925.
The Sharks come right back Sunday night by taking on Phoenix on the Coyotes’ ice.
Neither Evgeni Nabokov nor Jonathan Cheechoo will make the trip because of injuries.
The Nashville Predators play in San Jose Tuesday, the Calgary Flames Thursday.
Dan Boyle struck for the lone goal of the first two periods, a crisp slapshot from 25 feet out at 7:13 of the first period.
Joe Thornton collected his 11th assist of the season when his feed from the left dot allowed an advancing Boyle to get the shot off quickly from the top of the right circle. The blast made it 1-0 when the puck flew off the glove of goalie Marty Turco and into the top right corner of the net. Marleau gained the second assist.
The Sharks posted an 11-7 edge shots on net in a scoreless second period.
Brian Boucher’s shut-out streak as a backup goalie to Nabokov ended after 163 minutes of action this season. Loui Eriksson of Dallas stole the puck from Lukowich behind the Sharks net. Eriksson fed Steve Ott for a hard shot from the high slot. The puck bounded off the endboards toward the left post as Eriksson calmly regained the puck and stuffed it in for the equalizer.
NOTES: Marcel Goc was back in the line-up after sitting five games with an injury, while Brad Staubitz was called up from Worcester and made his fourth appearance of the season…Alexei Semenov was the lone healthy scratch for San Jose. Nabokov did not dress, allowing Thomas Greiss to back-up Boucher…Marc-Edouard Vlasic paced the Sharks with 25 minutes of ice time…Former Shark Matt Carle, traded from Tampa Bay to Philadelphia Friday, had a team-high 35 shifts for the Flyers in a 2-1 loss to the Lightning.
