They call it the Shark Tank for a reason.
The home of the San Jose Sharks is a very tough place to play. After last night’s 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks are an NHL best 16-1-5 at home this season.
San Jose’s only home loss in regulation came way back on February 5 to the Chicago Blackhawks — the best team in the league.
Martin Havlat, formerly of the Wild, led the Sharks with a pair of goals, including the game’s first at 7:42 of the first period.
Pierre Marc-Bouchard scored Minnesota’s only goal, which came at a key time, trailing 2-0 in the second period. Bouchard had a few other chances but like everyone else on the Wild, couldn’t get the puck past Sharks’ goaltender, Anti Niemi, who finished with 25 saves.
Minnesota’s back was broken in the third period when San Jose scored two goals in 22 seconds. Raffe Torres tallied the first and was quickly followed by Joe Pavelski.
Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom was pulled after allowing the fifth goal. He was replaced by Darcy Kuemper, who gave up one goal of his own.
With four games to play, the Wild is in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, four points ahead of Dallas, which sits just outside of the top eight.
1. Chicago – 70
2. Anaheim – 60
3. Vancouver – 55
4. Los Angeles – 55
5. San Jose – 55
6. St. Louis – 52
7. Minnesota – 51
8. Columbus – 49
9. Dallas – 47
10. Detroit – 47
