They may not catch the Vegas Golden Knights, but the San Jose Sharks are making sure they are not caught from behind either.
On Tuesday night, the Sharks got six goals from six different skaters in a 6-2 thrashing of the visiting New Jersey Devils.
“It’s a critical time,” San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer said. “I think we talked going into the month that we wanted to put our foot on the gas and make sure that we’re in a
Sharks’ goalie Martin Jones made 26 saves in win over Devils – File Photo by Jack Lima
[Stanley Cup] Playoff spot. I think the guys have responded to that.
“You always find out what your group is made of when they’re pushed up against the wall. We were in a group a couple weeks ago of five or six teams that were all pretty much in the same spot, and we found a way to separate ourselves.”
Martin Jones made 26 saves to pick up the win for the Sharks who improved to 41-23-9.
Logan Couture, Eric Fehr, Barclay Goodrow, Jannik Hansen. Joe Pavelski, and Mikkel Boedker all scored for San Jose.
“I thought our fourth line (three goals) tonight was great. They scored two of our first three goals. They’ve done a real good job on the penalty kill, giving us the ability to roll four lines and not have to worry. It’s a nice feeling as a coach to have a line like that,” DeBoer said.
Taylor Hall scored for New Jersey and Blake Coleman added a late cosmetic goal for the Devils.
It was the second straight loss for the Devils on the west coast.
“We’ve got to take the lessons [from] the two beatings we took and we have to learn quick because you continue to play teams that are in the playoff race, who are in the hunt,” Devils head coach John Hynes said. “These last two teams we played on this road trip were teams that are really fighting for something, and there was a different level of intensity and execution out of those teams, and we’ve got to get to that level.”
[WATCH:Â All Devils vs. Sharks highlights]
Cory Schneider made 10 saves through the middle of the second period and yielded four goals before being given the hook.
“To me, it’s not on the goaltender, or either goaltender that was in,” Hynes said. “Our team has to be better in lots of aspects.”
Keith Kinkaid relieved Schneider and made nine saves.
“They (San Jose) played well, they played structured, they forced us into some turnovers, but that’s what this time of year’s about, sticking with it,” the Devils’ Andy Greene said. “We knew going into [a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday] and Anaheim and here, there wasn’t going to be much free ice. That’s the way they play. They’re very structured and very tight, and they wear you out. It’s almost like who’s going to blink first and unfortunately the other night and tonight we did.” —Â
Schneider is 0-9-2 in his last 11 starts.
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