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Couture lifts San Jose over Phoenix

Jan 18, 2011 - 1:24 AM Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Logan Couture netted the game winner late in the second period as San Jose doubled up Phoenix, 4-2.

Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton both posted a goal and one assist for the Sharks, who have won two in a row to erase a six-game slide.

"Pucks are starting to go in the net," Heatley said. "I think we're playing better as a team. We did a lot of real good things tonight."

Patrick Marleau celebrated his 1,000th career game -- all for San Jose -- with a goal and Antti Niemi picked up the win by making 34 saves.

Derek Morris and Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied for the Coyotes, whose four-game win streak came to an end. Ilya Bryzgalov allowed three goals on 35 shots in defeat.

"We had some opportunities. I didn't think we were sharp around the net," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett.

Phoenix got within 3-2 as the clock ticked under eight minutes left in regulation when Ekman-Larsson notched his first NHL goal when he one-timed a shot home from the left circle.

Thornton hit the empty net with 49 seconds to play.

Marleau notched the game's first goal just 3:45 in, when his quick shot from the outer edge of the left circle slipped in on the far side.

Phoenix equalized at 12:09, when a slap pass by Morris from the right point changed direction in the slot off a San Jose skate and veered in.

Heatley's backhander from a Thornton feed just over four minutes into the second gave the Sharks a one-goal edge, and Couture redirected a Dan Boyle pass by Bryzgalov for a power-play score at 17:19 to make it 3-1 for San Jose.

Game Notes

Marleau became the 259th player in NHL history to reach the plateau and the sixth this season to reach the mark (Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Smyth, Mike Grier, Craig Conroy and Ed Jovanovski)...He is also the Sharks franchise leader in games played...San Jose has won both meetings this season and six in a row since December, 2009.