Pavelski leads Sharks in rout of Blackhawks

[March 02, 2018]  Joe Pavelski scored two goals and Dylan DeMelo had three assists Thursday night as the San Jose Sharks routed the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 at SAP Pavilion in San Jose.

Logan Couture, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Barclay Goodrow also scored goals for the Sharks, which improved to 79 points and maintained their hold on second place in the Pacific Division. Goalie Martin Jones made 32 saves for the win.

Chicago actually scored first, with Artem Anisimov netting his 18th goal of the season just 2:12 into the game. Given time and space to set up a shot in the right circle, Anisimov wired a wrister past Jones' stick side and off the left post before it settled into the net.

That lead didn't last long. Pavelski tied it with his 17th goal at 10:22, taking Brent Burns' pass at the left post and roofing a wrister over helpless goalie Jean-Francois Berube.

Couture potted his 27th marker at 14:14, collecting a Mikkel Boedker feed in the slot and chipping a shot over Berube to give San Jose the lead for good.

Four second-period goals settled the issue. Labanc bagged his eighth tally at 2:13 from the slot, thanks to a no-look pass from Chris Tierney at the right post. Meier upped the lead to 4-1 at 5:21 with his 17th goal, redirecting a wrister from the left point by Brenden Dillon.

Pavelski notched his second marker of the night at 12:14, finishing off a 2-on-1 rush as Joonas Donskoi slid a pass by defenseman Duncan Keith. Pavelski only had to chip the puck into a half-open net.

 

Sharks left wing Evander Kane (9) warms up before the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Vlasic capped the period with his 10th goal at 19:58, banking the puck off Berube's backside from behind the goal line. That was it for Berube, who allowed six goals on 28 shots in his second start of the season.

Anton Forsberg relieved Berube for the third period and was touched for the Sharks' final goal. Goodrow picked up his sixth tally when his centering pass went off Keith's stick and fluttered into the net at 2:32.

Nick Schmaltz closed the scoring for Chicago with his 18th goal at 19:27.

--Field Level Media

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