Sharks 6, Flames 3
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joe Pavelski scored two goals and San Jose's power play clicked three times to propel the Sharks past the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Saturday night.
Pavelski capped his 20th career multi-goal game at 9:38 of the third period after the Flames had cut a three-goal deficit after two periods to just 4-3 with two early goals in the third period.
Pavelski redirected Logan Couture's drive from the center of the blue line through the legs of Calgary goalie Karri Ramo. Couture scored into an empty net at 18:38.
At 7-0-1, the Sharks are the league's only team yet to lose in regulation.
The Flames (3-2-2) narrowed the margin when Mikael Backlund scored short-handed at 1:33 and Jiri Hudler extended his streak to scoring in all seven games with his fourth goal of the season at 3:56.
San Jose appeared to break the game open with a two-goal second period in which the Sharks outshot the Flames 16-5 in the process.
The hosts killed one of two early period Calgary power plays before the Flames started a march to the penalty box that would prove costly. San Jose converted on two of four consecutive power plays.
Pavelski scored his second goal of the season by tapping a feed from Patrick Marleau past Ramo at 8:57 for a 3-1 lead after Lee Stempniak held Marc-Edouard Vlasic 27 seconds earlier.
One minute into Shane O'Brien's high stick of Andrew Desjardins, the two San Jose forwards traded roles as Marleau snuck backdoor to deposit a cross-ice feed from Pavelski past Ramo at 17:59 for a three-goal lead.
Calgary 19-year-old rookie Sean Monahan scored his fifth goal of the season on a tip past Sharks goalie Antti Niemi at 3:01 of the second period. The power-play goal came 1:46 after San Jose's Tommy Wingels hooked Calgary's Lance Bouma.
The Sharks scored goals in the opening and closing minute of the first period, but without Ramo the score would have been more than 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes.
Pavelski stripped Flames defenseman Kris Russell in the left corner and fed Brent Burns for a tip-in goal in front just 59 seconds after the opening faceoff. It marked the fourth time in the season's first eight games that San Jose has scored in the opening minute.
Burns was hooked on a breakaway by Calgary defenseman TJ Brodie but missed a penalty shot on a backhand attempt at 4:21.
The Flames continued to struggle with the speed of the Sharks' forwards as defenseman Mark Giordano hooked Pavelski on a short-handed breakaway to cut short a visitors' power play. Ramo stopped Pavelski's attempt in addition to making a pad save on a Marleau drive during a San Jose power play shortly thereafter.
Defenseman Scott Hannan scored his first of the season when his drive from the left point hit off of ex-Shark T.J. Galiardi in front and past Ramo at 19:07.
NOTES: The Sharks assigned RW Bracken Kearns to Worcester of the AHL. Kearns appeared in Thursday's game at Dallas after a midweek recall from the minors. ... D Dan Boyle remained away from the rink and teammates as he continues to be monitored after getting knocked unconscious and carted from the ice on a stretcher on Tuesday in St. Louis. Boyle returned to the Bay Area on Wednesday after spending one night in a St. Louis area hospital. Coach Todd McLellan did not rule Boyle out of possibly playing at some point during the upcoming five-game road trip. ... Calgary's five-game trip continues with stops in Los Angeles (Monday), Phoenix (Tuesday) and Dallas (Thursday). ... Injured LW Mike Cammalleri (hand) is expected to rejoin the team during practice in Los Angeles on Sunday. He remains on injured reserve. ... Injured RW Martin Havlat (pelvic surgery) spent his first full practice with teammates on Friday, but it will be awhile before he plays for the first time since last postseason. RW Adam Burish underwent back surgery on Thursday and is out indefinitely. ... C Blair Jones and D Derek Smith were healthy scratches for the Flames.
