Hockey’s back at the Shark Tank after a lockout-delayed season.
The Sharks after starting the first two games of the season on the road will bring their 2-0 record back home for the first home game of the season against the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday night at 700p.
It begins a 6-game home stand against the Avalanche, Canucks, Ducks, Oilers and Predators.
Coming off a 6-goal first period win over the Oilers and having scored 10 goals in the first two games, the Sharks have an early-season euphoria that will only be exponentially heightened with a home-ice crowd when they come out of the Shark’s mouth for the first time this season.
Most notably, the Sharks’ power play unit of Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, Couture and Boyle has scored five goals already. “It’s paying off right now,” head coach Todd McClellan said. “We’re where we want to be in January, so it’s good to stay with what’s familiar.”
Scoring a franchise-record six goals in the first period against the Oilers, three of which were power play goals, will serve notice to the Sharks’ opponents to stay out of the penalty box early in the season.
“We run pretty much the same options on the power play and the same personnel, so we are going to be familiar with each other. It’s going good. We’ve still got to work on some things, but tonight showed that teams will pay if they go in the penalty box against us.” Thornton said.
15-year veteran left-winger, Patrick Marleau, who now has four goals and an assist in two games this season, spoke to how important it is to get off to a good start, "It's only two games, but we've had a couple of nice wins and put some points in the bank, which is important in a season like this.”
The Sharks also announced that they signed Montreal’s Scott Gomez to a 1-year deal worth 700,000K . Gomez is expected to shore up the third line at center.
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