Coming off a triumphant 4-0 road trip the Sharks wasted no time at all coming out firing with a three-goal first period inciting an offensive clinic and crushing the New Jersey Devils, 6-2, Tuesday.
Just over five-and-a-half minutes into the game, San Jose (41-23-9) took an early lead when Eric Fehr received the puck at the side of the New Jersey net after Paul Martin sent a shot that ricocheted off the boards. Fehr managed to lift the puck in between Devils’ net-mider Cory Schneider‘s left shoulder and the post.
Fehr said San Jose’s came out aggressively in the first:
“We’re just playing the same game every night. Some games it works for us, some games it doesn’t. … I thought we had a great first period. (We) came out with a killer instinct and kind of continued it from there.”
New Jersey (37-28-8) had a chance to even the score minutes later as back-to-back minor penalties by Melker Karlsson and Dylan DeMelo gave the Devils a two-man advantage. But four saves by Martin Jones and San Jose’s third-ranked penalty kill unit — 83.9 percent — denied the Devils any chance despite the disadvantage.
Though the Devils were unable to even the score with a two-man advantage, winger Taylor Hall would with 8:41 left in the first period after he beat Justin Braun and sent a writer over Jones’ left shoulder.
Despite being outshot 12-9 in the opening period take the Sharks tore Schneider apart early. After Fehr’s opening score, Jannik Hansen and Logan Couture managed to tally two more tallies.
Barclay Goodrow forced Schneider to make an early exit after beating the net-minder five-hole on a breakaway. The goal marked Goodrow’s career high with seven on the year.
Not even one minute later, Couture took advantage of Schneider’s back-up Keith Kinkaid zipping a writster over the right shoulder of the cold net-minder for his second goal on the night. It was Couture’s 30th on the year, and his third season reaching that mark.
About the current win streak, Couture said:
“It’s been going on for a while now. One of the reasons why we’re winning consistently (is) each night there’s a different line that steps up. … The fourth line tonight with three goals tonight is huge.”
The Sharks will return to SAP Center to take on the first-place Vegas Golden Knights (46-21-5) Thursday.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup Tuesday after being struck in the neck by the puck in Saturday’s 5-3 win against over Vancouver Canucks.
Last modified March 20, 2018 11:26 pm
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