(Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Pearl Allison Lo

ANAHEIM– In a game that featured numerous fights, San Jose broke Anaheim’s seven-game win streak along with their four-game losing streak in a 4-1 win Sunday.

Sharks’ coach Todd McLellan remarked, “It was a big win for us…The fact it comes against a rival who’s probably the best team in the league right now, we’ll take that…I’m proud of the way the group responded. We didn’t have an easy day today.”

Fights and goals marked each period as the former escalated in the third period, with 24 penalties in the final stanza. Sharks’ goalie Antti Niemi, who stopped 33 shots, had a shutout until 14:53 of the third, when Anaheim had a power play.

San Jose’s Tommy Wingels said it was the “first time we’ve shown passion this year.” “It was a solid 60-minute effort. Everyone stood up for one another,” commented Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

It was the Ducks’ second loss of the season as the Sharks moved a game above .500. Four different players scored for San Jose, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau each had a pair of assists and Tomas Hertl had his first assist. The Sharks killed five of six power plays and scored two power play goals. Joe Pavelski said, “[Niemi] was great on the penalty kill early. That’s where we’ve struggled lately…That gave us confidence early.”

The game winner was Brent Burns’ first of the season and his second goal in as many games. Burns shot it from the point towards the line of defenders in front of goalie Frederik Andersen.  He was aided by Marleau at 8:25 of the first period.

Anaheim’s Corey Perry had a one-on-one opportunity but Niemi saved the puck.

Tim Jackman’s hooking penalty at 18:38 ended in a crash at the net and gave the Sharks their first power play. Pavelski redirected Joe Thornton’s shot from the right circle to give San Jose a 2-0 lead.

Two penalties were called for both teams 12 seconds apart in the second period. The Sharks’ Scott Hannan was called for high-sticking and the Ducks’ Sami Vatanen called for embellishment at 9:40, then San Jose’s Mirco Mueller and Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Ducks’ coach Bruce Boudreau replied to when frustration set in, “We got wound up when we got the embellishment penalty. There were some things going on, but it was just two teams that competed hard against one another….We were frustrated. When you’re frustrated, stuff happens.”

Eleven seconds after the second penalty, Vlasic scored through the legs of Andersen, helped by Marleau and Couture.

At 15:23, San Jose was called for a bench minor, a faceoff violation.

Near 18:21, the Ducks’ Ryan Kesler narrowly missed with a diagonal shot right in between Niemi and the net.

The Sharks got another power play at 10:18 of the third period. They capitalized again at 11:40, when Wingels scored, assisted by Matt Nieto and Hertl.

The majority of the penalties were called at 13:56.

Anaheim’s Matt Beleskey spoiled the shutout when the man advantage was almost over, scoring top shelf, aided by Kesler and Cam Fowler at 14:53.

Game notes: San Jose’s Justin Braun took a puck to the mouth during the game and left the ice. The team will try to build on their win and put together a streak when facing the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday at 6pm.