Sharks 4, Canucks 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The San Jose Sharks got goals from four different players as they topped the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Thursday night.
Matt Pelech netted the winner after being called up from Worchester of the American Hockey League earlier in the day.
The Sharks (4-0-0) remained unbeaten in the young season while posting their second victory in a week over the Canucks. Vancouver (3-2-0) saw its win streak end at three games. The Canucks' two losses to date have come against the Sharks.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns, into an empty net in the final three minutes, also scored for the Sharks.
Mike Santorelli scored the lone goal for the Canucks.
Vlasic opened the scoring as he put a shot high over Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo at 12:16 of the first period. Pelech gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead at just before the first period ended as he put in James Sheppard's pass from behind the net. The Canucks wound up outshooting the Sharks 12-10 in the opening frame.
Santorelli cut Vancouver's deficit in half as he deflected in a Ryan Stanton shot midway through the second period. But Marleau gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead less than two minutes later as he one-timed Tyler Kennedy's pass from the corner.
The Sharks could have built a bigger advantage before and after that goal, but Luongo made a number of timely saves to prevent the Canucks from getting blown out.
Tempers flared moments before the end of the second period as Edler's shoulder connected with Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl's head, knocking his helmet off in front of the San Jose bench. A scuffle ensued in Luongo's crease, but nothing came of it.
NOTES: Canucks RW Zack Kassian served the fifth and final game of his suspension for a preseason slashing incident and will be eligible to play Saturday against Montreal. ... Santorelli has been officially credited with the winning goal against New Jersey in overtime Tuesday night. It originally went to Jason Garrison, but a review showed that his shot hit Santorelli on the way into the net. He became the first Canucks player in franchise history to register back-to-back overtime winners. ... The Sharks took exception to the Vancouver Province publishing off-color jibes Thursday from Sharks captain Joe Thornton. He waded into a scrum as Marleau was answering a TV reporter's questions on rookie Hertl's four-goal night on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. "I don't think it would be a surprise to anyone in the industry that 'locker room talk' exists," Sharks director of media relations Scott Emmert said in a prepared statement. "Professional reporters understand that concept and respect it." One of Hertl's goals came on a shot through his legs, prompting continual discussion around the league. ... The Sharks played their first road game of the season.
