Sharks Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

Dany Heatley(notes) didn’t score against his former team Tuesday night, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The talented forward who came to San Jose via a blockbuster late offseason trade put a season-high eight shots on goal against the Senators but couldn’t find the back of the net.

“I felt good tonight. Our line was really skating, creating a lot of chances and Patty (Marleau) had two big goals for us,” Heatley said. “I only talked to a couple of guys during the TV timeouts, but mostly it was just focusing on the game.”

Heatley left Ottawa on bad terms, having first requested a trade that went public, then rejecting a deal that would have sent him to Edmonton before finally agreeing on a trade to the Sharks. He has faced a lot of scrutiny from the Canadian-based media since the end of last season, and he was met by a number of north-of-the-border outlets on Tuesday.

“I thought he handled it just the way we knew he would,” coach Todd McLellan said. “He was very mature. He faced everybody he needed to face. And then he went out and let his play do the rest of the talking.

“I thought he was very good tonight. He put himself in situations to score a lot of goals, had a number of shooting opportunities and again he worked hard on both sides of the puck for us.”

Heatley finished the night with two assists and watched Marleau pass him for the team goal-scoring lead (19-18).

“It was an interesting week, a couple games that were good to get them over with,” said Heatley, who played in a hostile Edmonton arena last week. “It’s good to be back here and get on with things.”

Sharks 5, Senators 2:   Patrick Marleau(notes) scored two goals and the Sharks opened an extended stretch of home games with a victory over the Senators, who featured the return of ex-Sharks Milan Michalek(notes) and Jonathan Cheechoo(notes).

Jamie McGinn(notes), Ryane Clowe(notes) and Manny Malhotra(notes) also scored while NHL assist-leader Joe Thornton(notes) added two more to his total and backup goalie Thomas Greiss(notes) made 25 stops to lead the hosts. Michalek scored both of Ottawa’s goals.

NOTES, QUOTES

• C Joe Thornton was named the league’s No. 2 star for the month of November, finishing behind Calgary’s Jarome Iginla(notes) and ahead of Marian Gaborik(notes) of the N.Y. Rangers. Thornton accumulated 20 points in November, including a league-leading 16 assists, as the Sharks posted a 9-2-3 record and ended the month first in the NHL overall standings. Thornton concluded the month with an active eight-game point streak (three goals, 15 points) and has tallied points in each of his past 14 road games (six goals, 21 points).

• The Sharks are 4-0 against the Senators since a 4-1 road loss on Oct. 18, 2003.

• D Douglas Murray’s(notes) grandfather, legendary Swedish defenseman Lars Bjorn, was at HP Pavilion on Tuesday night, watching his grandson play in the NHL for the first time. Bjorn, who played on Sweden’s national teams in the 1950s and 1960s, is 77 and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Hall of Fame.

Quote To Note:   “I don’t know how many shots he had; he’s just one of the best players in the world. We’re just glad he’s on our side now.”—C Joe Thornton on Dany Heatley, who logged a season-high eight shots on net Tuesday.

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Evgeni Nabokov(notes), Thomas Greiss.

Defensemen:   Rob Blake(notes), Dan Boyle(notes), Marc-Edouard Vlasic(notes), Douglas Murray, Kent Huskins(notes), Derek Joslin(notes).

First Line:   Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau.

Second Line:   Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski(notes), Manny Malhotra.

Third Line:   Jed Ortmeyer(notes), Scott Nichol(notes), Jamie McGinn.

Fourth Line:   Frazer McLaren(notes), Torrey Mitchell(notes), Devin Setoguchi(notes).

Player Notes:  

• C Patrick Marleau celebrated his 900th career game on Tuesday by scoring two more goals to take the team lead with 19. Marleau has eight goals and 10 points in his last nine games.

• LW Ryane Clowe scored his sixth goal in the last 17 games, and he has 17 points during that span.

• C Joe Thornton had two assists to increase his league-leading total to 32 points. Thornton also extended his scoring streak to nine straight games (17 points).

Medical Watch:  

• F Brad Staubitz(notes) (facial injury) has returned to the practice ice, but his return is undetermined.

• LW Jody Shelley(notes) (general soreness) has resumed skating with his teammates but is not sure when he’ll return.