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Sharks open season with win over Coyotes

Oct 9, 2011 - 5:47 AM San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Joe Pavelski and Andrew Desjardins each scored two goals as San Jose kicked off its season on the right track with a 6-3 win over Phoenix.

Last season saw the Sharks finish with 105 points and the team made it to the Western Conference Finals, but fell to the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday's opener saw the team also get goals from Michal Handzus and Ryane Clowe while Thomas Greiss made 26 saves for San Jose, which has finished with at least 100 points in five straight seasons.

"We concentrated on shooting the puck and getting it on net, that went well for us," said Desjardins. "It's a good start to the season and this is a great atmosphere we have here."

Phoenix made the playoffs for a second straight year lasts season, but were swept in the first round by Detroit.

Due to the ongoing financial problems that the team still faces, the Coyotes lost several key members to free agency, including goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and defenseman Ed Jovanovski.

Shane Doan scored two goals while Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored the other goal for Phoenix, which got 44 saves from Mike Smith.

Pavelski scored 4:01 into the game on the power play while Handzus made it a 2-0 game at the 8:23 mark of the frame.

In the second period on the power play, the Sharks made it a 3-0 game when Logan Couture sent a nifty backhand pass from the low right boards to the left circle where Clowe got the puck, shifted to the front and lifted a backhander into the net.

Exactly one minute later, Desjardins caused a turnover in the neutral zone and skated in on the breakaway that he finished with a snapshot into the right corner.

Doan's goal on the power play at the 12:16 mark of the second got Phoenix on the board, but Pavelski notched a power-play marker of his own with 3:06 left in the second and it was a 6-1 game with 1:18 left in the middle frame on Desjardins' second of the game.

Phoenix got power-play goals from Ekman-Larsson at the 4:56 mark and Doan at 10:25 of the third period.

Game Notes

San Jose won five of the six games with Phoenix last season...The Sharks have off until Friday when they will play in Anaheim...Phoenix plays in Dallas on Monday...Phoenix was 3-for-7 on the power play while San Jose was 3-for-6.