San Jose Sharks Control Canadiens in 4-0 Rout

Mar 8, 2014; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing Matt Nieto (83) celebrates with center Logan Couture (39) and center Patrick Marleau (12) after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Tommy Wingels netted two goals and Antti Niemi recorded his third shutout of the season as the San Jose Sharks routed the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 at SAP Center on Saturday night.

It was an all-around good game for the Sharks, as reflected by the secondary scoring shown on the stat sheet. San Jose outshot the Canadiens 33-27 and kept the pressure on all night long.

Of course, it helped to get off to an auspicious start. Just two minutes into the game, the Sharks got lucky when Logan Couture’s clear attempt was awkwardly handled by Canadiens goaltender Peter Budaj, allowing Wingels to rush in and knock the puck into the net. That goal is probably one that Budaj would like to have back.

Wingels, however, wasn’t finished. Less than two minutes into the second, he deflected a shot by Matt Irwin past Budaj, who was pulled after allowing two goals. His replacement, Dustin Tokarski, didn’t fare much better. He too allowed two goals, one each to Matt Nieto and Logan Couture. Both came on fabulous feeds; Patrick Marleau to Nieto in the middle, and Nieto to Couture right in front of the net to make it 4-0 Sharks.

Meanwhile, Niemi held his ground in net, stopping all 27 shots he faced and keeping Montreal from scoring on all five of its power plays.

Tale of the Tape

Sharks:

• Shots on goal: 33
• Power play: o-for-6
• Hits: 18
• Giveaways: 11
• Takeaways: 18
• Faceoffs won: 35

Canadiens:

• Shots on goal: 27
• Power play: 0-for-5
• Hits: 14
• Giveaways: 17
• Takeaways: 7
• Faceoffs won: 29

Good to Know

Tommy Wingels is an underrated clutch performer:

What’s on Tap

The Sharks welcome in another Canadian team, the Maple Leafs, on Tuesday night.