Sharks 4, Avalanche 1
Patrick Marleau recorded his fourth career hat trick as the San Jose Sharks continued their mastery of the Colorado Avalanche with a 4-1 road victory on Sunday.
Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and captain Joe Thornton collected three assists apiece, Joe Pavelski also scored and Thomas Greiss made 36 saves for San Jose, which improved to 8-0-2 in its last 10 meetings with Colorado.
Vlasic has registered seven points in his last three games for the Sharks, who have won seven of eight on the road and are 6-1-1 in their last eight overall.
After Matt Duchene opened the scoring for Colorado less than 7 1/2 minutes into the game, Marleau tallied with 7:44 remaining in the opening period to tie it.
The former Sharks captain deflected a left-point shot by Vlasic past Jean-Sebastien Giguere 7 1/2 minutes into the second and sealed the win with an empty-netter during a power play in the final minute of the contest.
Giguere stopped 14 shots for the Avalanche, who are 1-1-0 on their season-high eight-game homestand.