Hertl scores twice as Sharks top Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Tomas Hertl scored twice in the first period to snap a 16-game goal drought as the Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 Sunday.
The win came at a price as San Jose center Joe Thornton left the game late in the first period with an apparent knee injury.
Patrick Marleau scored into an empty net for the Sharks with 2.6 seconds remaining.
Sven Baertschi scored Vancouver's goal late in the third period.
The victory was just the second in 10 games for the Sharks (44-28-7), who clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday. San Jose has 11 straight wins in Vancouver dating back five years. San Joe is clinging to third-placed in the Pacific Division, one point up on idle Calgary, which plays later Sunday.
It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Canucks (30-39-9), who are out of the playoff hunt. Vancouver is 2-9-2 in the last 13 games and has lost 11 straight at home (0-8-3). It's last win at Rogers Arena was on Feb. 18.
Vancouver goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 22 shots while San Jose's Martin Jones made 29 saves.
A turnover by Canuck defenseman Drew Shore led to San Jose's first goal at 11:00 of the opening period. Mikkel Boedker took a backhand that Miller stopped but Hertl shoveled in the rebound for his first goal since Feb. 28.
Hertl made it 2-0 just 1:51 later. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a shot that deflected off Vancouver's Alex Edler. Hertl picked up the puck and beat Miller with a shot from the faceoff circle.
The second period was scoreless.
Baertschi scored at 16:07 of the third with a shot that went under Jones's harm.
NOTES: D Troy Stecher practiced as a forward on Vancouver's top line Saturday before being told it was an April Fool's joke. ... LW Loui Eriksson practiced Saturday but missed his 13th game with a knee injury. .... The Canucks have signed C Jayson Megna to a one-year contract extension for $675,000. ... C RW Nikolay Goldobin and D Philip Larsen were healthy scratches. ... The Canucks play in San Jose on Tuesday. ... San Jose RW Jannik Hansen returned to Vancouver for the first time since being traded to the Sharks on Feb. 28 after 10 years with the Canucks. ... D Marc-Edouard Vlasic's assist left him one short of 200 in his career. ... RW Timo Meier, C Michael Haley and D Dylan DeMelo were scratches. ... The Sharks last lost in Vancouver on Jan. 21, 2012.