Sharks 5, Capitals 0
WASHINGTON -- Martin Jones stopped 31 shots for his second consecutive shutout, and the San Jose Sharks kicked off a four-game road trip by blanking the Alex Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals 5-0 Tuesday night.
Left winger Matt Nieto and center Chris Tierney each had an empty-net goal and an assist. Center Joe Thornton, right winger Mike Brown and center Tomas Hertl also scored for San Jose (3-0-0). Left winger Barclay Goodrow contributed two assists.
The only goal Jones has allowed this season came on the first shot he faced on opening night.
Ovechkin missed the game for personal reasons. The left winger also missed the Capitals' morning skate and did not take part in the pregame warmup. Washington was already without his linemate, center Nicklas Backstrom, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery.
The Capitals went 0-for-4 on the power play, and the Sharks are 11-for-11 on the penalty kill through three games.
Goalie Braden Holtby had 27 saves for Washington.
The game was a homecoming for Sharks right winger Joel Ward, who spent four seasons with Washington before signing a three-year deal with San Jose in the offseason.
Washington appeared to pull within 3-1 midway through the second period when defenseman Dmitry Orlov blasted a loose puck past Jones from high in the slot. San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer challenged the play, however, and after a review the ruling was that center Jay Beagle interfered with Jones and the goal was disallowed.
The Sharks outshot the Capitals 17-8 in the opening period thanks to a 3-0 advantage in power plays.
San Jose converted during their second man advantage when Thornton tipped in a Brent Burns shot from the point to make it 1-0.
The Sharks added two more in the second period.
Holtby made the initial save on a rush by Tierney, but Brown was all alone in front and banged the rebound home at 2:36 for a 2-0 lead.
Just under five minutes later, San Jose made it 3-0 on another second-chance goal, this time when Hertl swept home the rebound after Holtby made the initial save on center Tommy Wingels.
NOTES: In addition to LW Alex Ovechkin (personal reasons), the Capitals scratched D Taylor Chorney. ... RW Ben Smith and D Dylan Demelo were the San Jose scratches. ... The Sharks' four-game road trip continues Friday night at New Jersey, where San Jose coach Peter DeBoer coached for 3 1/2 seasons -- reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2012 -- before being let go last December. ... Washington hosts the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. ... San Jose D Paul Martin played his 700th NHL game. ... Washington D John Carlson played his 400th NHL game, including the last 380 in a row.