The San Jose Sharks started off their current road trip in style, cruising to an easy 3-1 win against the slumping Philadelphia Flyers.
Aaron Dell made 22 stops while filling in for an injured Martin Jones. The Flyers scored on their first shot of the game, in the first minute of the game, but failed to build off the early momentum. The Sharks stormed back with goals from Chris Tierney and Joe Thornton to grab a 2-1 lead after one period. It was lead they would never relinquish.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic capped off the scoring, firing the puck past a screened Michal Neuvirth mid way through the second period.
When all was said and done the home town fans booed their team and San Jose skates away with two very big points. The win improved the Sharks record to 13-8-2 and moved them back into third place in the Pacific Division.
News worthy notes...
- Dell and the Sharks defense put in yeoman's work to secure the "W." San Jose gave the Flyers nothing to work with and when there was a breakdown, Dell made the stops he had to. Since there is no guarantee Jones will return on this trip, the play of Dell and the defense is promising and something the club can build on.
- The Sharks improved to 9-0 this season when leading after two periods.
- Jumbo Joe picked up his fourth goal of the season with a sneaky good shot on the power play in the first period. Thornton is starting to heat up with points in four straight games (2g 3a). The offense missed you Joe. Welcome back.
- Logan Couture snagged a pair of assists and increased his team-leading point total to 21 (13g 8a). Cooch has six points (3g 3a) in the last five games. He too is, dare I say, en fuego!
- Joonas Donskoi left in the second period with an injury. He did not return to the game. This comes just as Melker Karlsson got back in the lineup. No word on how serious it is yet. Let's say a little prayer before bed tonight just to be safe. Losing Donskoi just as the team is starting to get some of their skaters back is proof that it's #justoneofthoseseasons.
- San Jose has won two straight games following a 1-2-2 stretch. Yay!
- In 2016-17, the Sharks were 13-9-1 through 23 games. Believe it or not, the teal and black have one more point this season than they did at the exact same time last season. And... if you recall, SJ had a very good month of December, winning nine of 13 games that included two four-game win streaks.
The Sharks have a few days off to lick their wounds before playing again on Friday in the Sunshine State.
Thanks for reading, Steve