San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, left, protects the goal as Anaheim Ducks center Andy McDonald, center, is defended by San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau, right, in the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif.

Each of the San Jose Sharks' third-period scoring chances died in Ilya Bryzgalov's glove or deflected harmlessly off his pads.

Teemu Selanne got the Anaheim Ducks' only chance in the entire final frame -- and as Sharks fans have known for years, the Finnish Flash rarely wastes them.

Selanne scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, and the Ducks padded their Pacific Division lead with a 3-2 victory over the frustrated Sharks on Monday night.

Bryzgalov made 40 saves in his first start since Feb. 7 for the Ducks, who moved seven points ahead of San Jose and Dallas by surviving the Sharks, who had a prodigious 42-19 shot advantage -- including 18-2 in the third period -- and committed just one penalty all night.

Anaheim was tired after beating Colorado on Sunday night, but managed to hold off the Sharks by a whisker.

"The only chance those guys had in the last two periods, and they score," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said, shaking his head. "We played really well. Their goaltender played great, and that's the difference in the hockey game. To outshoot a team like that and dominate territorial play, and then we make a mistake, and it ends up in the net -- I don't know what to say."

Anaheim had plenty to say about Bryzgalov's heroics in his first victory since Jan. 11. Jean-Sebastien Giguere started the Ducks' last eight games, but Bryzgalov thrived in the surprise assignment from coach Randy Carlyle.

"It was the best game I've played all year," Bryzgalov said. "I was playing and laughing out there. I wasn't nervous. They kept trying to come down and pressure me, but we were able to defend it."

Dustin Penner scored two goals in the first period for Anaheim, and Milan Michalek replied with two goals in the second period for San Jose.

The Ducks survived nearly 4 minutes of short-handed play early in the third, including a two-man disadvantage for 17 seconds. San Jose had several additional chances in the final minutes, including an unobstructed look by captain Patrick Marleau -- but it hit Bryzgalov squarely in the chest.

"It's one game, but it's like in baseball: You ask a pitcher to go in and get you one, and the goaltender went in and got us one," Carlyle said.

And after San Jose missed several scoring chances in a flurry, Anaheim scored with a blistering counterattack. Chris Kunitz and Selanne traded the puck on an end-to-end rush before Selanne barely tucked home his 38th goal of the season with 11:41 left.

Selanne, a San Jose favorite during his 2 1/2 seasons in teal, scored his 82nd point in 54 career games against the Sharks with his fast-break goal.

"They were dominating most of the time," Selanne said. "In the third, they had all the chances. We were lucky to get this one at all. You always begin to think there's a chance that you're going to get a chance to score. You just wait for that opportunity."

The clubs, which meet again Friday in Anaheim, have split the first six meetings of this burgeoning rivalry.

Evgeni Nabokov stopped 16 shots for the weary Sharks, who returned early Sunday morning from a tough eight-game road trip. San Jose, which has lost four of six, must face NHL-leading Nashville before heading out on another three-game trip.

The Sharks also lost defenseman Scott Hannan in the first period when he couldn't play through an undisclosed injury from the road trip.

Joe Thornton had two assists for the Sharks, and Ryan Getzlaf had two for Anaheim. Penner's goals were the 20th and 21st of his first full NHL season, while Michalek matched his career high from last season with his 17th goal.

"We had a lot of chances, but we couldn't score," Michalek said. "They played last night, so we wanted to wear them down, but we couldn't put it in at the very end."

San Jose still hopes to have new defenseman Craig Rivet in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Nashville, if immigration issues can be resolved. The Sharks acquired the 11-year veteran from Montreal on Sunday for defenseman Josh Gorges and a first-round pick.

Marleau moves through center with the puck.
Credit: Don Smith and Rocky Widner

After watching his team's 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 deficit, Calgary captain Jarome Iginla took it upon himself to shift the momentum back toward the Flames.

Iginla had a hand in the next four Flames goals -- scoring two and assisting on the others -- to lead Calgary past the San Jose Sharks 7-4 on Saturday night.

"That was a really good game for us to win," Iginla said.

Daymond Langkow also scored twice for the Flames, who tied Minnesota for second place in the Northwest Division -- three points behind Vancouver. Dion Phaneuf, Matthew Lombardi and Marcus Nilson had the other goals for Calgary in a back-and-forth game.

The Flames improved the NHL's best home record to 25-6-1 by beating the top road team in the league. Calgary, which has lost seven straight away from home, is 11-1-1 in its last 13 games at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

"Obviously, we're not playing the way we'd like to on the road, so it's important that we keep playing strong at home where we've been a confident bunch all year," said Alex Tanguay, who had three assists.

Matt Carle, Joe Pavelski, Mike Grier and Kyle McLaren scored for San Jose, which finished 4-4 on its long road trip. The Sharks outshot Calgary 37-23.

Iginla put the Flames up 5-4 just 34 seconds into the third period. Craig Conroy flipped the puck high in the air and into the San Jose zone. Tanguay outraced Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray to the loose puck, stopped, and then fed a perfect pass to Iginla trailing in the slot. He one-timed his 30th of the season past Evgeni Nabokov.

The goal was Iginla's 315th, moving him past Joe Nieuwendyk into second place on the Flames' career list. The leader is Theoren Fleury (364).

Calgary led 2-0 after 20 minutes, but that lead evaporated in a wild second period in which the Flames allowed four goals in a period for the first time all season.

Carle got the Sharks going with a power-play goal at 4:36. Only 66 seconds later, Grier slid a backhand pass to the front of the net that was jammed in by Pavelski, tying it at 2.

San Jose took its first lead at 15:11 when Phaneuf mishandled the puck at the Sharks' blue line and Grier raced away on a breakaway to score his third short-handed goal with a nifty deke to his backhand.

The Flames, however, took just 8 seconds to answer back.

Off the ensuing faceoff, Langkow whacked the puck forward into the Sharks' corner. Rookie defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic's clearing attempt up the boards was kept in by Roman Hamrlik, whose shot was deflected by Iginla in front.

San Jose took its second lead of the period at 18:56 when McLaren gloved Hamrlik's clearing attempt and ripped a slap shot past Miikka Kiprusoff.

Again, Calgary answered right back -- this time waiting just 31 seconds. Iginla's pass sent Lombardi speeding down the wing and he whipped a shot inside the far post.

"Sometimes when things aren't going well and they get a couple quick ones, you kind of sink. But we stuck with it and we worked our way out of it," Iginla said. "It was pretty cool to see us score twice right after they scored. Those were huge momentum boosts."

Just more than two minutes after Phaneuf opened the scoring, Langkow put the Flames up 2-0 by neatly tucking the puck inside the post after Nabokov couldn't control a rebound on Lombardi's wrist shot.

"Nabby had a tough night, a couple of our defensemen did as well, and (Patrick Marleau's) line -- they were a total non-factor. They were struggling just to dump the puck in," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "We had a lot of people battling hard and to come back the way we did, we certainly deserved better."

Phaneuf gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 5:26 of the first when the Flames' surging power play converted its first opportunity of the night.

From the side boards, Kristian Huselius threaded a pass across the ice to Phaneuf breaking in on the other side. The defenseman snapped a shot into the top corner for his 16th goal of the season and team-leading 12th on the power play.

Calgary finished 2-for-4 with the extra man.

Ranked 24th in the NHL on the power play on Feb. 2, Calgary has gone 19-for-62 in 12 games since, a 30.6 percent efficiency that has moved the Flames into the league's top 10.

San Jose's top-ranked power play went 1-for-7.

"It's definitely a game that we felt like we should have at least got a point out of," Grier said. "We went up 3-2 and then again 4-3, but we gave up the goals within 10 seconds afterwards and then in the last minute of the period. Those situations shouldn't happen and even the go-ahead goal in the first minute of the third period, we've got to be smarter as a team."

San Jose Sharks' Joe Thornton, right, celebrates his goal with Patrick Marleau, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007, in Chicago.

Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves to post his fourth shutout this season, and Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist in the San Jose Sharks' 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Jonathan Cheechoo also scored for the Sharks, who won their second game in two nights following three straight losses. San Jose handed the Blackhawks their fifth consecutive defeat (0-3-2) and third straight in regulation.

Nabokov was not heavily tested by sluggish Chicago in earning his 31st career shutout.

For San Jose, Thursday's game was the seventh in an eight-game road trip. The Sharks are 4-3-0 so far on the trip.

Chicago's Patrick Lalime started in goal for the third time in the past four games and made 21 saves.

Lalime entered the game with a 0.98 goals-against average. However the Blackhawks, who have three goalies on their roster, may be showcasing Lalime prior to Tuesday's trade deadline.

The start was only Lalime's fourth overall this season. He missed the first half of the season following surgery to repair a herniated disc.

Thornton opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 9:58 of the first period. He beat Lalime under the arm on the stick side with a shot from the left circle.

The Sharks entered the game with the NHL's best power-play, converting at 23.3 percent.

Cheechoo extended San Jose's lead to 2-0 at 4:27 of the second. After Thornton centered the puck into the slot, Cheechoo turned and fired a shot past Lalime on the glove side.

Blackhawks forward Martin Lapointe inadvertently helped Nabokov preserve his shutout on an unusual play with 8:04 left in the second.

Chicago's Lasse Kukkonen beat Nabokov high on the glove side with a screened drive from the slot. But the shot hit Lapointe, who was behind Nabokov in the crease, on the shoulder. The puck then fell to the ice and Nabokov covered up with his glove.

Nabokov faced eight shots in the third, but only a couple were from close range.

Chicago Blackhawks' Martin LaPointe, right, covers his face as San Jose Sharks' Joe Pavelski, left, and Patrick Marleau chase the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007, in Chicago.

Marleau persues Keith up ice.
Credit: Chicago Blackhawks

Captain Patrick Marleau missed the game due to food poisoning. He left the ice early in pregame warm-ups after attempting to play through the illness.

Goalie Marty Turco #35 of the Dallas Stars minds the net in front of Patrick Marleau #12 of the San Jose Sharks on February 18, 2007 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The Dallas Stars keep gaining ground in the Pacific Division.

Mike Ribeiro and Jere Lehtinen each scored two goals, Darryl Sydor added three assists and Marty Turco made 17 saves as the Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Sunday.

The Stars have 72 points, one behind the second-place Sharks and six behind first-place Anaheim in the Pacific before the Ducks' game against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night.

On Jan. 15, the defending Pacific champion Stars trailed the Ducks by 15 points and the Sharks by seven.

"We're confident we can keep moving up," Ribeiro said. "We know where we stand. This was a four-point game for us."

Stu Barnes added a goal and Sergei Zubov had two assists for the Stars.

Lehtinen capped the scoring with 1:35 left on an empty-netter to help Dallas improve to 9-3-1 in its past 13 games, including a 6-1-1 run at home.

"(The Sharks) are a good team so we knew we had to come out and play hard," Sydor said. "We know what the standings look like. For us, this game meant a one-point deficit or a five-point deficit (behind San Jose)."

After consecutive shutouts, the Sharks ended their team-record scoreless streak at 190 minutes, 22 seconds on Mark Bell's power-play deflection at 1:52 of the third period. San Jose's previous record was 165 minutes, 38 seconds from Jan. 21-Feb. 1, 1999.

Mike Grier also scored and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 16 shots for the Sharks, who have lost their past three and were beginning the second half of a season-long eight-game road trip.

"It's a little late in the season for moral victories," Grier said. "We're not getting it done, not playing well enough to win games."

Turco was returning as Dallas' starter after backup Mike Smith played in the previous four games. Smith had started two of the previous four games and came on in relief of Turco in the other two, but coach Dave Tippett says there is no goalie controversy, that he was merely giving Turco a rest.

"He's looked good the last couple of days in practice," Tippett said. "You can tell he was fresh and rejuvenated out there."

Entering Sunday's game, Turco had allowed five goals in the previous 22 shots he had faced, but he was sharp in the first two periods against the Sharks despite flu-like symptoms.

"Marty's preparation was good and it was a good game to bounce back in," Dallas' Mike Modano said. "It was a big game for him and for all of us."

Dallas took a 1-0 lead at 6:41 of the first period when Barnes notched his 11th goal of the season, deflecting Zubov's pass from the right point past Nabokov.

At 15:05 of the second period, Ribeiro scored on a rebound for his ninth goal of the season and stretched Dallas' advantage to 2-0.

Lehtinen's team-high 18th goal of the season at 19:44 of the second period made it 3-0.

After Bell scored for the Sharks, Ribeiro's power-play deflection at 2:59 of the third period pushed the Stars' lead to 4-1.

Grier's 13th goal of the season at 13:15 pulled the Sharks within 4-2.

One of the few positives for the Sharks was ending their nagging scoreless streak.

"We've been in a slump but we're capable of scoring," San Jose's Joe Thornton said. "We hope this kick-starts something."

NOTE

Marleau was a minus-2 with one shot on net in 20:08 of ice time. He spent the first period centering the second line, but later joined Joe Thornton's line at left wing, in order to minimize his defensive responsibilities because he is not yet 100 percent. He'll have a few days off before Wednesday night's game against the Capitals.

Captain Patrick Marleau sustained an upper-body injury late Wednesday and, after testing his pain threshold during the morning skate, it was decided he couldn't play, and his consecutive-game streak of 173 was snapped.

Nashville Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun, of the Czech Republic, stretches to make a stop against San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007. Vokoun shut out the Sharks, 5-0.

Shea Weber scored two goals and Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots as the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 5-0 Wednesday night.

The Predators moved back on top of the NHL standings with 81 points, one ahead of idle Buffalo. Nashville came in having lost four of six games, which had allowed Detroit to pull within a point of the Predators in the Central Division and the Western Conference.

Vokoun, who has started six of seven, posted his fourth shutout this season and 20th of his career. He and Chris Mason have combined for 10 this season.

Martin Erat had a goal and an assist, J.P. Dumont and David Legwand also had a goal apiece.

The Predators bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Los Angeles last Saturday that snapped an eight-game, home-winning streak, and they did it by chasing Sharks goaltender Vesa Toskala midway through the first period.

Evgeni Nabokov replaced Toskala but couldn't do much better. San Jose, which beat St. Louis 6-5 on Tuesday night, missed a chance to pass Anaheim for the lead in the Pacific Division.

The home team has won 11 straight in this series. The Predators have beaten San Jose, the team that ousted them in the opening round of the playoffs last season, two of three games this season.

Maybe the Sharks were tired in the third of an eight-game road trip that is their longest of the season. Nashville outshot them and controlled most of the first 30 minutes, and the Sharks didn't get a chance to put the league's best power play unit to work until 10:41 of the second.

San Jose gave Nashville five power plays. Nabokov stopped the Predators from scoring with the man advantage, but he gave up three goals on 12 shots in the third period.

The Predators already had what they needed after scoring twice on their first four shots.

Dumont started the scoring when he chased down the puck off a faceoff and beat Toskala on a slap shot from the left circle at 6:22 when the goalie had come out of the crease. Weber scored his ninth of the season on a shot from near the blue line at 10:02.

Erat scored 73 seconds into the third, flipping a backhander as he skated across the slot past Nabokov's right leg. Weber, who had missed three games with a sore jaw, padded the lead with his second at 6:27.

Legwand sealed the victory by redirecting Erat's shot at 12:29.

Nashville Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun, of the Czech Republic, stretches to make a save on a shot by San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007.

Nashville Predators defenseman Greg Zanon (5) dives to knock the puck away from San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007

Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo each had a goal and three assists to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

Mike Grier and Patrick Marleau both had a goal and an assist for San Jose, which has won the first two games of its season-high, eight-game road trip. Ryane Clowe and Matt Carle also scored for the Sharks.

Bill Guerin had a hat trick for St. Louis, giving him 25 goals for the season. It was Guerin's seventh NHL hat trick and first since March 3, 2004, when he was with Dallas.

Guerin, who also had an assist, is the first Blues player to record a hat trick at home since Scott Mellanby scored four times against Phoenix on March 6, 2003. Keith Tkachuk and Christian Backman also scored for the Blues, who have dropped six of eight.

The Sharks nearly let a four-goal lead get away. San Jose led 5-1, and then carried a 6-3 advantage into the third period.

Backman cut the deficit to 6-5 when he scored off the rebound of Guerin's shot at 14:03 of the third.

San Jose did most of its damage against starting goalie Manny Legace.

Clowe beat him with a wrist shot from the left circle 39 seconds into the game on San Jose's first shot, The Sharks scored on three of their next 12 shots, and Legace was pulled for Curtis Sanford after allowing Thornton's power-play goal at 4:40 of the second period that made it 4-1. Legace went back in at the start of the third and stopped all five shots he faced.

With the Sharks leading 2-0, Guerin scored his first goal when Backman slid the puck to him in the left circle as Backman skated down the middle. Guerin's one-timer beat goalie Vesa Toskala at 13:15 of the first period to cut it to 2-1.

But just 33 seconds later, the Sharks had their two-goal lead back when Marleau broke in on left wing and slid a cross ice pass to a wide-open Grier coming down the right wing for a tap-in.

After Thornton's goal, Marleau took advantage of a Blues turnover to make it 5-1 at 6:13 of the second.

Guerin netted his second of the night at 8:53 of the middle period when he came in on right wing and scored off a wrist shot from the right circle. After Cheechoo scored at 11;30, Guerin completed the hat trick 35 seconds later when Matt Walker hit him with a pass in the left circle, and he put a wrist shot past Toskala.

When the Sharks acquired center Joe Thornton from the Bruins last year, he immediately became the toast of the town.

Thornton and forward Jonathan Cheechoo went on the thrive together, as Thornton lead the league in scoring with 29 goals and 96 assists for 125 points. That performance netted him the Hart Memorial Trophy while Cheechoo was the recipient of Thornton's playmaking ability and scored a career-high 56 goals, tops in the league.

But lost in the shuffle of San Jose's success was center Patrick Marleau. Pushed off spotlight centering duties, Marleau didn't have a poor season last year by any account. He tallied 34 goals and 52 assists for 86 points, all career highs. One drawback was his minus-12 rating.

But with the arrival of Thornton and the emergence of Cheechoo, Marleau was forced into the shadows of the Sharks' offense.

Not so this year. Marleau is leading the team in goals with 28 and with the addition of 34 assists, is second on the team with 62 points behind Thornton's 68. He has netted five of San Jose's last nine game-winning goals and the Sharks are 17-1-0 when he posts multiple-point games.

Thornton and Marleau are used to being 1-2 on lists. After all, Marleau was taken second overall in the 1997 draft, one pick after the Bruins nabbed Thornton.

Despite the powerful scoring punch, the Sharks (34-19-1) have dropped four of their last five games and trail the Anaheim Ducks by five points for the lead in Pacific Division.

Jonathan Cheechoo had two goals, and Milan Michalek scored on a power play with 3:46 remaining to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.

Ryane Clowe assisted on all three San Jose goals, and Joe Thornton had two assists.

The victory gave the second-place Sharks a split of their two-night, home-and-home series against Pacific Division-leading Anaheim. The Ducks beat them 7-4 the previous night in San Jose.

With Anaheim' Joe DiPenta off for hooking and 3 seconds remaining on the power play, Michalek, all alone in the slot, took a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a 40-foot slap shot that trickled between the goalie's pads.

Vesa Toskala made 20 saves for the Sharks, who outshot Anaheim 13-4 in the third period. Bryzgalov stopped 26 shots for Anaheim.

Teemu Selanne and Shawn Thornton scored for the Ducks.

Cheechoo, who led the NHL last season with 56 goals, pulled the Sharks even at 2 with his second goal of the game, midway through the third period. Thornton, skating down the crease, slid the puck to Cheechoo on the right side. Cheechoo waited for Bryzgalov to commit, then flipped the puck over the goalie's shoulder for his 20th goal.

Shawn Thornton scored 44 seconds into the third period, just his second goal of the season, to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

San Jose's Scott Hannan attempted a clearing pass from behind the net, but there was no one there to get it. Anaheim's Todd Marchant played the puck off the left boards and sent it into the slot, where Thornton scored at close range against Toskala.

Selanne had tied it 1-1 at 14:52 of the second period, beating Toskala on the stick side with a slap shot from the top of the right circle.

The goal was the 36-year-old Selanne's 32nd and he has 63 points.

Following a scoreless first period, Cheechoo put the Sharks ahead at 9:22 of the second. It took more than a minute and a half for the score to go on the board.

Cheechoo, in the slot on the left, one-timed Thornton's pass from behind the goal line and the puck sailed past Bryzgalov and into the net. But it bounced all the way back out, the red light didn't go on and referee Tim Peel immediately waved it off, even as Cheechoo raised his arms in celebration.

The Sharks' bench protested, but there was no whistle for another 1:36, and when the play finally was reviewed, it clearly was a goal.

The Sharks, the league's top team in power player percentage, wasted a two-man advantage during the second period, getting off just one shot during the 1:55 stretch when Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer was in the box for tripping and Samuel Pahlsson for slashing.

Marleau gets open on the edge of the Anaheim crease.
Credit: Don Smith and Rocky Widner

The Sharks hoped to sweep the two games to move into first place in the Pacific Division, but now need a win Wednesday night in Anaheim just to remain within three points of the Ducks.

There was a lot more distance between the teams in the first two periods as the Ducks scored two goals within 32 seconds in the opening period and used the four-goal barrage in the second to take a 6-1 lead.

Rob Niedermayer had a goal and two assists and Chris Pronger also assisted on two goals for the Ducks, who had their full roster healthy for the first time since December.

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere had a groin injury in Anaheim's last trip to the Shark Tank on Dec. 26, which helped San Jose close a 12-point gap in the division to three. The Ducks won just twice in the 11 games Giguere missed, but have won three of four since his return.

He had 34 saves against the Sharks, allowing a pair of third-period goals to Jonathan Cheechoo that helped make the final margin respectable for San Jose.

Mike Grier and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who allowed the most goals they had all season at home. San Jose has won just once in its last five games.

The Ducks got off to a fast start when Moen and Samuel Pahlsson teamed up midway through the first period to help Anaheim score twice in less than a minute. After Pahlsson won a faceoff in the defensive zone from Marcel Goc, Moen took the puck up ice and passed to himself off the boards to get past Marc-Edouard Vlasic and beat Vesa Toskala with a wrist shot.

Pahlsson beat Toskala just 32 seconds later, using a screen by Moen to beat Toskala with a wrist shot that made it 2-0 at the 13:48 mark.

Grier's goal late in the first period made it close for a while, but Anaheim broke it open in a dominating second period.

About the only positive for Sharks fans in the period came when Scott Parker landed a good shot during a fight with George Parros. But less than two minutes after the players were penalized for fighting, Andy McDonald one-timed a cross-ice pass from Chris Kunitz to make it 3-1.

A bad giveaway in the defensive zone by Matt Carle gave Rob Niedermayer the puck alone in front of the net and he converted to make it 4-1 at the 11:51 mark.

Jonathan Cheechoo tried to get the Sharks back in the game, but Pahlsson cleared his wraparound attempt off the goal line and the Ducks came right back and got a goal from Dustin Penner to make it 5-1.

Moen capped the big period when he drove home a pass from Scott Niedermayer while being pulled down by Rob Davison, giving him his second multigoal game in his career.

Patrick Marleau, right foreground, celebrates after scoring a goal past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nicolai Khabibulin, lower right, during the second period of a hockey game, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007, in San Jose, Calif. Blackhawks' Peter Bondra is at left. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

Vesa Toskala knows goalies can go years between assists, so he didn't attach too much significance to his two-point performance for the San Jose Sharks.

He was more pleased with his 20 saves in San Jose's revitalizing 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

Marcel Goc and Curtis Brown scored on plays initiated by Toskala, who backstopped San Jose to just its second victory in six games with the Sharks' first multipoint game by a goalie. Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek also scored for the Sharks, who still haven't fixed their once-vaunted power play but made enough hustle plays to win.

And though Toskala was one point away from tying the NHL record for points by a goalie, he wasn't about to take a shot at the Blackhawks' empty net in the final seconds.

That's already been done in teal by teammate Evgeni Nabokov -- and Toskala also found the net before.

"I got my goal in Europe," he said with a laugh. "I don't have to worry about that any more. ... (Assists) are just leaving the puck behind the net a couple of times. That doesn't happen very often."

After earning just one point from back-to-back home losses to Dallas earlier in the week, San Jose got back on track with what coach Ron Wilson described as a "workmanlike effort." Just in time, too: The Sharks have a home-and-home series with Anaheim starting Tuesday to kick off a season-high eight-game road trip.

"We're better when we're an aggressive, puck-pursuit team like that," Wilson said. "You have to put together a series of games before you can say you've fixed whatever problems you have, (but) I still don't know how we can go from playing great to awful so quickly."

Tuomo Ruutu had a goal and an assist, and Martin Havlat also scored for the Blackhawks, who had won two straight following a 10-game losing streak.

Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 27 shots, but lost for the 11th time in 14 appearances. Nothing gets easier for the struggling Blackhawks, whose next three games are in western Canada during a seven-game road trip stretching from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh.

"That's the best team we've played by far this year," Chicago coach Denis Savard said. "I know they came off a couple of losses, but great teams respond, and they responded. They have size, speed, and they're very aggressive. It's the style of play we want to play."

San Jose still has the NHL's most efficient power play despite a 1-for-38 slump that included six fruitless attempts against Chicago. The Sharks scored 15 power-play goals in three games several weeks ago, but the unit led by MVP Joe Thornton was been unable to restore that luster -- leaving the Blackhawks with their good penalty-killing as a positive in the loss.

"They don't need to score on the power play to win games," Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "They have a high-powered offense. We (killed penalties) well, but we have to cut down on mistakes and turnovers and not give them so many chances."

Toskala, who had just one point all season, picked up an assist on Goc's short-handed goal less than 2 minutes in. Patrick Rissmiller chased Toskala's cleared puck behind Chicago's net and fed Goc, who flipped a backhand over Khabibulin.

Ruutu evened it 7 minutes later with a tricky one-timer through a minuscule hole between Toskala and the post, but Brown put the Sharks back ahead with another speedy play and another opportune backhand after Toskala and Scott Hannan cleared the puck.

Havlat's 17th goal of the season tied it in the second period, but Marleau put San Jose back ahead with a snappy rebound goal. The San Jose captain has seven goals in the eight games surrounding his All-Star game appearance.

Jonathan Cheechoo ended a five-game scoreless streak with a clever pass to set up Michalek's quick breakaway goal with 8:06 to play.

Patrick Marleau, right, scores a goal past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nicolai Khabibulin, left, during the second period of a hockey game, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007 in San Jose, Calif. Blackhawks' Denis Arkhipov is at center. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

Marleau creates space with his speed.
Credit: Don Smith and Rocky Widner

Marleau takes over the League lead in game-winning goals.
Credit: Don Smith and Rocky Widner

Marleau celebrates after making it a 3-2 game.
Credit: Don Smith and Rocky Widner

Patrick Marleau, left, is congratulated by teammate Joe Thornton, right, after he scored a goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period of their NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007.
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Joel Lundqvist and Stu Barnes scored early goals, and the Stars played sterling defense in a 4-2 victory over San Jose on Thursday night -- their second road win over the Sharks in three days.

With four full days in one place during a trip, the Stars had time for good workouts, plenty of rest and a little San Francisco sightseeing. They also notched two gritty wins over the club just above them in the Pacific Division standings -- and they might have sent the Sharks into a bit of a tailspin.

"It was a good week for us," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "We got some team-building in, but we had to come in here with the intention of playing well. If we're going to get ourselves to the level in the standings that San Jose is, then these were very important games, and we gained three points on them."

Krys Barch scored his first NHL goal in the third period after sitting out most of the second for fighting, and Jere Lehtinen also scored as the Stars pulled within three points of the Sharks.

Marty Turco made 18 saves, and his teammates throttled San Jose's NHL-leading power play for the second straight game. The Stars needed a last-minute tying goal in Tuesday night's shootout victory, but they had less trouble in the rematch after holding the Sharks scoreless in six power plays for an 0-for-13 trip.

"Let's keep that quiet," Barnes said. "That's a dangerous group out there who can really put the puck in the net. Our PK guys did a great job. Marty played well, and the defense played well in front of him."

The Stars played without defenseman Philippe Boucher, their leading scorer with 14 goals and 22 assists. He scored the tying goal with 2.2 seconds left in Dallas' win Tuesday night, but was scratched with a lower-body injury. But Mike Modano had an assist in his second game back from a lengthy injury absence.

"Just having him in the lineup is a lift for our team," said Jeff Halpern, who had two assists.

While nearly everything went well for the Stars, San Jose could be in for a shake-up -- particularly on the back end, where coach Ron Wilson's young defensemen are showing their age with a series of blunders.

"We get down in a hurry, and we've got some people who look like they're trying to do the right things, and it's just awful," Wilson said. "Why, all of a sudden, we go from great to awful in 48 hours. It's unbelievable."

Mark Bell and captain Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, who are off to an embarrassing start on a four-game homestand before an eight-game road trip. San Jose has lost four of five for the second time this season, and even the normally placid Marleau is mad.

"You need everybody on the ice working together, and we haven't had that the last couple of games," Marleau said. "When you have three guys working together and two guys doing something else out there on the ice, it doesn't work."

After Evgeni Nabokov allowed two soft goals and tweaked his groin in the first period, Wilson replaced him with Vesa Toskala. Dallas managed only eight shots in the final two periods, but beat Toskala on a 5-on-3 power play and a 2-on-0 breakaway.

Lundqvist and Bell traded goals in the first 1:17, with Bell scoring just his second goal since Dec. 2. Barnes put Dallas ahead late in the period, and Lehtinen scored during a two-man advantage midway through the third.

Marleau then scored a remarkable goal on a needle-threading pass by Joe Thornton during 4-on-4 play, but San Jose had trouble even generating shots against Dallas' sturdy defense -- particularly the penalty killers. The Stars have the NHL's second-best road penalty-killing mark -- and the third worst at home.

San Jose's power play is in a 1-for-32 slump over the last six games.