Sharks Grind Out Victory Over Devils

Behind a gritty effort by backup goaltender Alex Stalock, the San Jose Sharks grinded out a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on the road on Sunday afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Behind a gritty effort by backup goaltender Alex Stalock, the San Jose Sharks grinded out a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on the road on Sunday afternoon.

Stalock made 21 saves, stopping several Grade-A chances by the Devils. He outdueled Cory Schneider, who made 18 stops on 22 Sharks’ shots.

Stalock’s efforts even sparked the go-ahead goal for the Sharks in the third period. After he made several big stops on a Devils’ rush, the Sharks went on the counter-attack, where Nieto slapped home a one-timer off a Joe Pavelski feed past Schneider to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

While the Sharks did not necessarily play a strong defensive game, they were stellar on the penalty kill, killing off all four Devils’ power plays. They used momentum off of the final penalty kill in the third period to generate a much-needed insurance goal, with Patrick Marleau lighting the lamp on a wicked wrist shot.

After a scoreless first period, the Sharks drew first blood early into the second period when Logan Couture scored off a scramble in front of the net, using his uncanny ability to read the play, get in front of the net, and be in the right place at the right time. The Devils responded with a couple of goals by Adam Henrique and Patrick Elias, but then Raffi Torres scored on a two-on-one break with Pavelski, who passed it to Torres at just the right time. For Torres, it was his third goal in two games since coming back from injury.

Tale of the Tape

Sharks:

• Shots on goal: 22
• Power play: 0-for-1
• Hits: 12
• Giveaways: 4
• Takeaways: 3
• Faceoffs won: 24

Devils:

• Shots on goal: 23
• Power play: 0-for-4
• Hits: 19
• Giveaways: 3
• Takeaways: 8
• Faceoffs won: 24

Good to Know

What’s on Tap

The Sharks will return home to take on the Hurricanes on Tuesday.