Sharks stroll past Stars
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joe Pavelski scored two goals and Aaron Dell continued his backup goaltending mastery as the San Jose Sharks beat the woeful Dallas Stars 5-1 Sunday night.
Dell not only improved his record to 10-3-1, but he also won for the sixth time in seven tries when San Jose was playing on the back end of consecutive nights. He made 29 saves in all.
Pavelski was rewarded for his display of energy, something the hosts sorely lacked during a 3-1 loss to Nashville the day before. San Jose has won two of the first three on a season-high, six-game homestand.
Logan Couture and Paul Martin each had two assists for San Jose, which also got goals from Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward and Chris Tierney.
The Sharks took control of the game by scoring twice in the second period.
Ward rewarded the decision to promote the veteran winger to the second line by scoring his eighth goal at 2:46 on a wrist shot from the slot set up by a Couture pass.
Dallas waited one more stoppage before making a mid-game goalie change for a league-high 12th time as ex-Shark Antti Niemi replaced starter Kari Lehtonen, who allowed three goals on eight shots.
San Jose scored short-handed at 12:26 as Pavelski stripped Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell at the Sharks' blue line, and broke in alone to beat Niemi high. It marked a league-worst 11th short-handed goal allowed by the Stars.
The Sharks escaped the first period with a 2-1 lead despite getting outshot 15-6 and laboring through a 10:26 stretch of mid-period without putting any rubber on net.
Marleau scored his 23rd goal of the season at 3:56 to break a scoreless tie after Couture stripped Dallas defenseman Dan Hamhuis behind the net.
Marleau moved into 42nd place on the all-time list with his 504th career goal.
The Stars tied the game at 12:54 when rookie left winger Remi Elie collected his first career goal in his fourth NHL game. Brent Burns ran into puck-carrying teammate Joonas Donskoi to create a turnover, and Burns drifted to the boards where defense partner Paul Martin was, too, leaving Elie the opportunity to walk in front and beat Dell in close.
The Sharks went back on top with only their fourth shot of the period, and second in more than 13 minutes, when Pavelski capped a 2-on-1 break by using Jannik Hansen as a decoy and shooting to beat Lehtonen for his 25th goal at 17:14.
Niemi finished with 16 saves for Dallas, which lost its second game in a row.
NOTES: San Jose rookie LW Marcus Sorensen replaced Melker Karlsson, who sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday's game against Nashville. Karlsson is day-to-day. ... Recent acquisition D Greg Pateryn made his second appearance for Dallas since coming over from Montreal. ... San Jose D David Schlemko missed a fifth straight game with a lower-body injury, but he is close to returning. ... Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic appeared in his 800th career game. ... San Jose's season-high, six-game homestand continues Tuesday with a visit by Buffalo. ... Stop No. 2 for Dallas on its four-game trip comes Tuesday in Edmonton. ... D Patrik Nemeth and RW Jiri Hudler were healthy scratches for the Stars, while C Ryan Carpenter and D Tim Heed, both promoted from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, did not dress for the Sharks.