Couture, Tierney Score 2 Each, Sharks Beat Canucks 5-0
SAN JOSE (AP) -- Aaron Dell helped the San Jose Sharks keep up their dominance of the Vancouver Canucks.
Dell stopped 41 shots for his second career shutout as the Sharks beat the Canucks for the sixth straight time, 5-0 on Saturday night.
"You continue to believe in yourself and never give up," Dell said. "It takes a lot of hard work."
Logan Couture and Chris Tierney each scored twice, and Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist as San Jose won for the fifth time in six games. The Sharks swept all five games of last year's series from the Canucks and picked up where they left off.
With San Jose leading 2-0, Dell delivered a highlight-reel save with just over five minutes remaining. The Sharks turned the puck over in their own zone, with the Canucks getting two clear shots before Dell's glove save kept the puck out of the net.
"Their goalie played well. We didn't deserve to be shut out but that's how it goes sometimes. You run into a hot goalie," Canucks defenseman Derrick Poulet said. "Short-handed goals are momentum killers for sure. And on the power plays you have to find a way to put a couple in the net. It's a big thing."
Couture and Tierney added empty-net goals in the final two minutes, and Tierney converted his first penalty try in three attempts with 12.2 seconds left.
Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 of 29 shots for Vancouver, which has lost three of four.
For the second game in a row, the Sharks scored within the first minute. Hertl had a shot by Justin Braun glance off his skate and into the net off Markstrom's pads. He has seven points in his last six games against Vancouver.
"It's a lucky goal but I'll take it," Hertl said. "It was really a hard game. It was 2-0 until the final two minutes."
Unlike the last game, when the Sharks were shut out the rest of the way, Couture added a goal late in the second period. Hertl won the puck along the board during a Canucks power play and floated a pass to the streaking Couture, who beat Markstrom 1-on-1 for the Sharks' first short-handed goal of the season.
"It's always nice to contribute offensively," Couture said. "I thought everybody played great."
Despite the lop-sided score, the Canucks were happy with their overall performance.
"We played a great hockey game, a really good hockey game," Canucks coach Travis Green said. "It was 2-0 until late. We outshot them 37-14, I think, over the last 50 minutes, minus the two empty-net shots. We played a good road game but didn't get the results we wanted."
NOTES: Canucks F Loui Eriksson returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a knee injury. ... Sharks C Melker Karlsson played in his 200th NHL game. ... Hertl recorded a multiple-point game for just the second time. ... Couture ended a five-game goalless streak. ... The Canucks killed off four penalties after allowing five power-play goals in their previous 10 chances. ... The Sharks allowed a season-high in shots.
UP NEXT
Sharks: At Los Angeles on Sunday.
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