San Jose Sharks: Marleau Nets Four to Push Sharks’ Streak to Five
Patrick Marleau tied a franchise record with four goals to lead the San Jose Sharks to their season-high fifth streak victory.
In his 1,459th game with the San Jose Sharks, centre Patrick Marleau had maybe his best game. He tied a Sharks’ franchise record by scoring four goals, and became the first Shark to score four goals in a single period.
Playing their fifth game in eight days, the Sharks entered the final period locked in a 1-1 tie with the Colorado Avalanche. Brent Burns‘ first-period goal was matched by Jarome Iginla‘s in the second, but Marleau took care of business in the final 20 minutes.
After being held without a goal over the past seven games, Marleau broke his drought, and the tie, less than three minutes into the final frame. Mikkel Boedker cleared the puck from behind the opposing net out to Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Marleau cleaned up the latter’s shot at the net.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Just over three minutes later, Marleau hit for the second time. He took Burns’ pass behind the net before sneaking it past Avalanche goalie Spencer Martin. He didn’t wait long to complete the hat trick, scoring for the third time less than five minutes after that. Marleau and Joe Pavelski played a little two-man game, with Pavelski hitting Marleau in stride to allow the scorer to beat Martin up high.
Colorado countered with a goal of their own as Andreas Martinsen beat Martin Jones, but Marleau put the finishing touches on his huge night with three minutes and 37 seconds to play. Marleau took an outlet pass from Vlasic and beat his defenders down the ice before hitting the back of the net for the fourth time. That made it a 5-2 lead for the Sharks, and that would be the final.
For Marleau, this marks the first time in his career he has scored four goals, and the fifth time he has scored at least three goals. The last time he hit three came on November 20th, 2011, coincidentally also against the Avalanche.
More from San Jose Sharks
- San Jose Sharks have reportedly ‘checked in’ on free agent RW Bobby Ryan
- San Jose Sharks reportedly plan to move on from Aaron Dell
- San Jose Sharks not expected to buyout goalie Martin Jones
- San Jose Sharks officially name Bob Boughner head coach
- San Jose Sharks: Doug Wilson needs to step up with Bob Boughner
Marleau becomes the third Shark player to score four times in a single game, joining Tomas Hertl and Owen Nolan. Nolan beat the Mighty Ducks four times on December 19th, 1995, less than a month into his tenure with San Jose. Hertl scored four times in his third NHL games on October 8th, 2013 against the New York Rangers, scoring twice in both the second and third periods.
He is the first player to score four goal in the third period since 1997. Pittsburgh Penguins’ centre Mario Lemieux, now a Hockey Hall of Famer, scored four times against the Montreal Canadiens on January 26th that year.
Marleau is now within shouting distance of a career milestone, as his 497 career goals leave him just shy of becoming the first Shark to reach 500 goals scored.
The Sharks have won five in a row, marking their longest winning streak of the season. Their 62 points are one point behind the Ducks in the Pacific Division, although the Ducks have played two more games this year. Their 30 wins are tied for the most in the Western Conference, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild.
Next: Boedker Critical to Sharks' Second-Half Success
San Jose will try to keep this streak going on Tuesday, with their six game in nine days. They face the Winnipeg Jets, whom they beat, 5-2, on January 16th to begin this winning streak. They will play at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.