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Sharks ruin Brodeur-less home opener for Devils

Oct 19, 2014 - 5:19 AM Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski each had a goal and two assists to help the San Jose Sharks spoil a very different home opener for the New Jersey Devils by posting a 4-2 victory.

Patrick Marleau recorded a goal and an assist and Antii Niemi came up with 35 saves for the Sharks in the first home lid-lifter for the Devils not started by Martin Brodeur since 1993.

Cory Schneider handled Brodeur's usual duties between the pipes and finished with 29 saves on 32 shots.

Joe Thornton added an empty-net score in the win, which improved San Jose to 4-0-1 on the young season.

"They made a good push, but we were lucky enough to hang on," said Thornton. "They were very strong after we scored that third goal."

Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique had New Jersey's goals in the loss, the Devils' second straight following a 3-0-0 season start.

"I thought we had some good looks, but in the end we didn't get it done," said Schneider.

San Jose scored on the power play in each of the first two periods to build a 2-0 advantage that held up, though the Devils put the outcome in doubt with a strong late surge.

The first of those goals came with 2:07 left in a tightly played opening period. A rebound of Couture's initial attempt came right to an uncontested Pavelski, who promptly deposited the puck past Schneider to send the Sharks in front.

It was virtually deja vu for San Jose in the second period. Cammalleri was sent off for slashing late in the frame, and the Sharks capitalized a mere 18 seconds later when Couture collected a feed from Marleau and beat Schneider to the glove side -- this time with 2:08 to go before the intermission.

Niemi did his part by coming up with 15 saves in the second period, which helped kill off a pair of San Jose penalties during the stanza.

Marleau made it a 3-0 game with a quick shot that got under Schneider's left arm and went in 1:36 into the third, but New Jersey scored just over four minutes apart later in the period to get back in it.

Cammalleri one-timed a cross-ice pass from Niemi past Niemi during an odd-man rush to get the Devils on the board at the eight-minute mark. Not long afterward, a San Jose turnover in the neutral zone led to a counterattack in which Michael Ryder's shot from the left wing caromed off Henrique and into the net with 7:50 remaining.

The Sharks had a chance to put the game away when Tommy Wingels was taken down by Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas on a breakaway and received a penalty shot, which Schneider got a piece of to keep it a 3-2 score with 3:44 left.

Niemi stoned Damien Brunner in close just seconds afterward, and Thornton sealed the win with 1:44 to play with his empty-netter off a neutral-zone takeaway.

Game Notes

Cammalleri now has a five-game point streak, while Sharks defenseman Brent Burns has also notched a point in five straight after assisting on Pavelski's goal ... The Sharks finished 2-for-4 on the power play compared to an 0-for-3 showing for New Jersey ... Devils forward Martin Havlat, who spent the previous three seasons with San Jose, sat out the game after sustaining facial injuries in Thursday's loss at Washington ... The Sharks moved to 2-0-1 on a five-game East Coast road trip that continues Sunday against the New York Rangers.