San Jose Sharks Martin Jones Stays Hot In Second Consecutive Shutout
By Coral Cannon
We couldn’t have asked for a better start to a four-game road trip, as the San Jose Sharks claimed a decisive 5-0 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Martin Jones came up big with 31 saves to become the first goaltender in the history of the franchise to record two consecutive shutouts in his first three starts. It was his ninth career shutout in just 37 games. Suffice to say, general manager Doug Wilson and Sharks fans everywhere have to be excited about what they’ve seen from Jones to this point.
Jones continues to exceed expectations and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. The confidence and poise makes it easy to mistake Jones for a seasoned veteran. He leads the league in save percentage (.987) and goals-against-average (0.33), while extending his shutout streak to 178 minutes and 11 seconds.
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The Sharks enjoyed consistency throughout the lineup with five different players finding the back of the net; three for the first time this season. Mike Brown, Matt Nieto and Chris Tierney all recorded their first of the year while Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl deposited their second goals. Nieto and Tierney’s goals came at the end of the third period when Washington pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.
Peter DeBoer used his first ever challenge to overturn a goal by Dmitry Orlov in the second period which helped keep Jones’ shutout streak intact. Officials took their time reviewing the play and determined goaltender interference occurred, overturning the original ruling on the ice. It was a questionable call, but one that went San Jose’s way.
Washington was without star forwards Alex Ovechkin for personal reasons and Nicklas Backstrom who continues to recover from hip surgery. The Sharks took full advantage as they controlled the game for extending periods of play.
Also of consequence, San Jose controlled the potent Washington power play, killing off all four attempts with the man advantage. The Capitals possessed the best power play in the league last year, and the Sharks remained perfect on the penalty kill this year.
It was the perfect start to an East Coast swing for San Jose as they have won all three games in decisive fashion. The Sharks currently own the best goal differential in the league with a plus-11 margin.
These two teams won’t square off again until March 12th and there’s no doubt the Capitals will be in mid-season form by then, hungry for a shot at redemption. Meanwhile, San Jose will look to continue their strong start as they pay a visit to DeBoer’s former employer, the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Next: Pacific Division Stock Report - Week One