Marleau (four goals) helps Sharks jolt Avalanche
DENVER -- Patrick Marleau scored four goals in the third period, Brent Burns had a goal and two assists, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Monday night.
Marleau snapped a tie with the first of his three straight goals in the third period and notch his fifth career hat trick. It was the first multi-goal performance of the season for Marleau, who added another at 16:23 for the first four-goal game of his career.
Martin Jones had 26 saves and Logan Couture and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic had two assists apiece to lead the Sharks (30-16-2) to their fifth straight win.
Nikita Zadorov had a goal and an assist and Jarome Iginla also scored for Colorado. Spencer Martin stopped 21 shots for the Avalanche, who are 1-13-1 in their last 15 home games.
Colorado (13-30-2) played without leading goal scorer Matt Duchene, who was a late scratch due to illness, according to the team. Duchene has been mentioned in trade rumors for the scuffling Avalanche, who are last in the league with 28 points.
They were tied 1-1 with the reigning Western Conference champions after two periods but the Sharks found a way to win behind Marleau.
The veteran broke the tie at 2:53 of the third when he tipped a shot by Vlasic from the point past Martin. He scored again 3:04 later and completed his hat trick at 10:35.
His fourth goal came soon after San Jose failed to score on a 5-on-3. Marleau now has 16 goals on the season and 497 for his career.
Zadorov's first goal of the season at 11:57 got the Avalanche closer but the Sharks held on.
Burns gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at the 19-minute mark of the first period with his team-leading 20th goal, which is also tops among NHL defensemen.
Iginla tied it on the power play midway through the second period with his sixth of the season and first in 11 games.
The Sharks played most of the game without forward Joonas Donskoi. He was on the ice for only three shifts in the first period and one more in the second and didn't play in the third.
NOTES: Colorado F Matt Duchene was a late scratch due to illness. Avalanche D Tyson Barrie and F Rene Bourque didn't play for the second straight game due to lower-body injuries. Without them in the lineup the Avalanche had just 17 skaters available. ... San Jose C Tomas Hertl, who has been out since Nov. 17 with a right knee sprain, is on the two-game road trip but did not suit up against Colorado. ... Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov has been shut down until after the All-Star break because of a right groin strain. The injury has bothered Varlamov throughout the season. ... F Ryan Carpenter, D Tim Heed and F Barclay Goodrow were healthy scratches for San Jose.