Sharks 7, Maple Leafs 0
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Left winger Tomas Hertl scored two goals, goaltender Martin Jones made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and the San Jose Sharks rolled to a 7-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at SAP Center.
Defenseman Brent Burns, left winger Matt Nieto, right winger Joe Pavelski, right winger Melker Karlsson and right winger Joonas Donskoi also scored for the Sharks (19-18-2), who set a season high for goals in a game.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier gave up seven goals on 31 shots for the Maple Leafs (16-17-7).
San Jose improved to 10-1-0 in its past 11 games against Toronto, which hasn't won at SAP Center since Jan. 11, 2011. The Sharks swept the two-game season series.
After a scoreless first period, the Sharks built a 4-0 lead in the second on goals by Burns, Nieto, Pavelski and Hertl. They tied their season high for goals in a period, matching a four-goal night in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 22.
Burns made it 1-0 at 4:18 of the second period with his 17th goal of the season. Burns took a pass at center ice, made a nifty move around Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri and bolted past Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf in the left circle. Burns darted toward the crease and beat Bernier with a wrist shot to the upper right corner.
Nieto increased San Jose's lead to 2-0 at 8:09 of the second with a short-handed goal as the Sharks made the Maple Leafs pay for a bad change. Burns cleared the puck along the right boards and Sharks left winger Tommy Wingels tracked it down, igniting a two-on-one rush. Wingels zipped a cross-ice pass to Nieto, who beat Bernier with a wrist shot.
The Sharks made it 3-0 at 15:33 when Pavelski scored his 21st goal of the season, taking a pass from Hertl in the slot and ripping a wrist shot past Bernier.
Hertl scored his fifth goal of the season with 2:31 left in the second period, hammering a rebound past Bernier to make it 4-0.
NOTES: Sharks C Chris Tierney, who was recalled Friday from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, was in the lineup, replacing injured F Dainius Zubrus (upper body). Tierney centered the fourth line. Zubrus is day to day. ... Sharks RW Ben Smith and D Matt Tennyson were healthy scratches. ... Toronto C Byron Froese returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury. ... Maple Leafs D Frank Corrado was in the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous six games. ... Maple Leafs D Martin Marincin, RW Mark Arcobello and G Antoine Bibeau were healthy scratches. ... Maple Leafs G Jonathan Bernier, who backed up James Reimer on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings, started for the 11th time in the past 12 games. ... Sharks G Martin Jones made his seventh straight start.