The San Jose Sharks picked up their 42nd win and points 90 and 91 in a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at the SAP Center on Tuesday night.
Don't let that score fool you. It was closer than it should have been.
The Sharks put up 20 shots in the opening period and found themselves down 1-0 heading into the first intermission. It seemed like goals would be at a premium going forward, thanks to the play of Sabres goalie Robin Lehner. The Buffalo netminder was so sharp it felt as though the Sharks could throw 100 pucks at the net and not get one by him.
Then it all fell apart for the visitors.
The struggling Sharks power play buzzed to life off the stick of a white-hot Joe Pavelski. San Jose used the ensuing momentum to pour on the pressure. The offense came in waves and ended the night with 42 shots on goal.
A puck-handling gaff in front of Lehner in the second led to a Jack Eichel own goal. The miscue gift-wrapped a lead the Sharks would never relinquish. Michael Haley was given credit for the goal. It's only his second goal of the season. I guess you have to take it any way you can. Pavelski tallied again in the third period and Logan Couture finished off the scoring with a fluky goal of his own.
It was San Jose's first win at home vs. Buffalo since 2010 and it extended the Sharks lead in the Pacific to a season-high nine points over Calgary and Anaheim.
Some thoughts from the game...
The captain is a machine right now.
Joe Pavleski is making the two-goal game the norm these days. It's his fourth multi-goal game in the last month and third in the past six. The captain has seven goals in his past five games and 28 this season. The 32-year-old seems like a lock to reach 30 goals for the fourth consecutive season.
Pavelski has really come alive in the last two weeks. In the first game after being named the NHL first star he scores two more goals? I mean, are you serious? If he can stay warm and Brent Burns can start finding the back of the net again the Sharks could be in great shape heading into the playoffs.
Jumbo Joe the magician...
Joe Thornton had a painfully slow start to this season, but man has he come around lately. Jumbo has nine points during his current six-game point streak. Get this, 21 of his 46 points have come since Feb. 1.
Thornton may not skate like he once did but the hands are still there and so are the points.
The power play strikes...
When Pavelski buried a Joe Thornton pass behind Robin Lehner in the second period, it snapped a double-digit scoring drought with the man advantage. That PPG was only the Sharks third power play goal since Feb. 25. They finished the night 1 for 3.
that's all I got.
thanks for reading, Steve