San Jose continues hot streak, bests Dallas 6-2 for sixth
straight win
DALLAS
Dan Boyle scored two goals, Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves and the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks beating the Dallas Stars 6-2 on Friday night.
San Jose (19-3-1) added to its best start in franchise history by winning for the sixth time in a row. The Sharks have a league-best 39 points – 10 more than second-place Anaheim in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks played for the first time in Dallas since losing to the Stars in four overtimes last season in the Western Conference semifinals.
Boyle’s power-play goal gave San Jose the lead for good, and he scored again a few minutes later to put the Sharks ahead 3-1 in first period. San Jose’s Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist, and Ryane Clowe added three assists.
Nabokov won his second straight game after missing seven because of a lower-body injury. The goalie has won seven straight starts dating to Oct. 28.
Loui Eriksson and James Neal had goals for the last-place Stars.
Marty Turco, who helped Dallas get within two games of a conference championship last season, stopped 14 of 19 shots and was pulled after the second period in favor of Tobias Stephan. Turco, 1-4-3 at home, came into the game with the worst goals-against average in the NHL.
Boyle broke a 1-1 tie when he drove a slap shot past Turco from the right point 11 seconds into a power play.
With 1:15 left in the first, Boyle took Joe Thornton’s pass and scored from the slot to give San Jose a 3-1 lead.
The Stars trailed by two goals despite taking five more shots on goal (12-7) than the Sharks in the first.
San Jose quickly built its lead. Milan Michalek scored on a power play 3:15 into the second, and Rob Blake added another goal to make it 5-1.
Dallas has allowed at least five goals nine times in 22 games, which is one more than it yielded all of last season.
The Sharks are 21 points ahead of the Stars (7-11-4), who have the fewest points in the West and missed out on their chance to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Pavelski redirected Clowe’s shot past Turco, who hasn’t won at home since Oct. 15, at 11:45 of the first to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead.
Dallas tied it 91 seconds later when Eriksson bounced the puck off Blake and into the net for his 11th goal of the season.
Notes:
Stars C Mike Modano is two points away from 1,300 in his career. He would be the 31st NHL player to accomplish that feat. … Stephan stopped 10 of 11 shots, allowing Tomas Plihal’s goal at 9:33 of the third. … Thornton, who had two assists, has four goals and nine assists his past seven games.
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Story by David Jimenez, Associated Press Writer
