A Sharks team that has become accustomed to winning games away from home might have picked up their most impressive road victory of the season on Tuesday.
Martin Jones made 33 saves and Patrick Marleau scored for just the second time in 17 games as the Sharks finished off their four-game trip with a systematic 2-0 win over the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks.
The Sharks went 2-2 on the trip and are a Western Conference best 18-8-2 on the road this season. But their victory against Chicago was just their second in nine trips to the United Center over the past four-plus years.
“Guys have done a good job of focusing, playing games as they come,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. “We didn’t cheat, we didn’t turn over any pucks. You could feel it.”
With another bounce in Anaheim or an early goal in Nashville, the Sharks probably could have picked up more than four points in four games.
As it is, the Sharks sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 60 points, seven back of first-place Los Angeles and one point up on Anaheim.
“We would have liked more points, but I like how we played in all four games on the road,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “We probably could be walking out at the end of the trip with at least another point or two based on how we played.
“If we keep our game in the place it’s in right now, I know the points will follow.”
The Sharks’ formula for winning away from home hasn’t changed a whole lot from the start of the season. Win the battle on special teams, take care of the puck and get excellent goaltending.
Jones had 22 saves through two periods and 11 more in the third for his fifth shutout of the season, Marleau’s goal came on the power play in the second period and the Sharks killed all three penalties they took to finish the road trip 11-for-11 on the penalty kill.
Marleau’s goal came with 10:51 left in the second, as he took a pass from Logan Couture at the point and fired a quick slap shot that glanced off Jonathan Toews and beat Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford for a 1-0 Sharks lead.
It was Marleau’s first goal on a manned net since Dec. 28 against Colorado. His other goal in that span was an empty-netter Jan. 21 against Arizona.
“This is a big win to make it a pretty good road trip,” Marleau said. “If you can get that lead and put the other team back on their heels, they’ll take more chances and we’ll be able to capitalise on them.”
Joe Thornton added an empty netter with 1:42 left in the third period to help seal the win.
The Sharks played with just five defensemen for the final 55 minutes as Brenden Dillon suffered an upper-body injury, possibly when he collided with Blackhawks winger Jiri Sekac 5:10 into the first period. DeBoer said Dillon will be evaluated Wednesday.
The Sharks were outshot by the Blackhawks 10-8 in the first period but were the beneficiaries of a reversed goal call with 2:37 left in the opening frame.
Brandon Mashinter directed the puck into the Sharks net after getting a pass from Dennis Rasmussen, but after a Sharks challenge initiated by video coach Dan Darrow, it was ruled that Rasmussen interfered with Jones before the puck crossed the goal line.
“Great call by (Darrow),” DeBoer said, “key call at that time in the game, and really chanced the game for us.”
It was the third time this season the Sharks found a way to finish off an extended trip on a positive note.
They closed out a perfect six-game trip in November with a win in Columbus, Ohio. A month later, they beat Los Angeles in Staples Center to finish a five-game trip at 3-1-1.
“I think we just like having a happy plane on the way home,” Marleau said. “Don’t know what it is, but to continue to do it would be nice.”