SAN JOSE – Once the suspense related to Patrick Marleau’s two-goals per game streak was dispensed with, the San Jose Sharks put away the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 Saturday afternoon to solidify their hold on first place in the Pacific Division.
Marleau netted two power-play goals in the game’s first 17:27, leaving the veteran with eight goals in four games as the Sharks moved to 4-0.
San Jose continues its six-game homestand by playing the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday at 5 p.m. Anaheim comes to HP Pavilion on Tuesday, followed by Edmonton on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday.
Marleau added an assist on a Joe Thornton power-play goal in the second period, leaving the two tied atop the team scoring list with 11 points each.
After converting each of the first three power-play opportunities, the Sharks were denied a fourth extra-man goal when the hooking call on John Mitchell at 14:54 went the full 2 minutes. San Jose came up with a fourth goal 11 seconds later, however, when rookie defenseman Matthew Irwin one-timed a shot from the left boards that found the top left corner of the net past goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Thomas Greiss, in his first appearance of the season between the pipes for San Jose, recorded his first career shutout in his 39th NHL game. Greiss, who will turn 27 years old on Tuesday, improved to 3-0-0 lifetime against Colorado with a 24-save effort.
San Jose went on a 4-minute power play at 15:40 of the first period when the Avalanche’s Ryan O’Byrne earned an extra 2 minutes apiece for instigating and fighting while wearing a face shield.
The first power play unit needed 29 seconds to take the 1-0 lead. Marleau pulled the puck to the left side before moving around the Colorado net into position at the left post. Dan Boyle’s crisp shot from the high slot left a short rebound that Marleau jammed into the net at 16:09.
The same unit created a 2-0 lead at 17:27. Boyle began the tic-tac-toe play by finding Thornton unmarked in the left circle. Thornton immediately sent the puck to Marleau at the bottom of the right circle for the uncontested wrist shot into the net.
Thornton showed patience with the puck at the edge of the Colorado crease to score the team’s third goal at 2:32 of the second period. A Marleau shot was turned back by Varlamov, but Thornton was in place to secure the rebound and lift the puck past Varlamov for his second goal of the season.
As the scoreless third period came to a close, Scott Gomez, in his first game for San Jose, retrieved the puck and gave it to Greiss in honor of the shutout.
