SAN JOSE, Calif. _ The Sharks got another steady game from goalie Aaron Dell and a big lift from their special teams to earn an impressive victory against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
Dell made 31 saves and Tomas Hertl scored the winning goal on the power play just 1:53 into the third period as the Sharks topped the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1, on Saturday before a lively sellout crowd at SAP Center.
On the winner, Hertl collected a rebound in front of the Penguins net after a Joe Pavelski shot on goal and calmly dragged the puck around Pittsburgh goalie Casey DeSmith to score 13th of the season.
Pavelski and Brent Burns each had two assists as the Sharks moved back into second place in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks have now scored power-play goals in 10 straight home games. Their penalty kill also impressed, as it killed off three minors against a league-best Penguins' power play. Dell did his part with seven saves when Pittsburgh had the man advantage.
Dell and DeSmith helped keep it a 1-1 game through two periods.
Dell had 23 saves after 40 minutes, including four saves on Sidney Crosby and five on Kris Letang. DeSmith, playing in just his fourth NHL game, had 24 saves, 18 of which came at even strength.
Pittsburgh's Conor Sheary opened the scoring at the 3:18 mark of the first period, finding an open spot in the slot as he took a pass from behind the net from Dominik Simon and squeezed a shot through Dell for his 12th of the season.
The Sharks responded with 2:16 to go in the first as Meier took a cross-ice pass from Joe Pavelski and beat DeSmith low to the glove side for his 10th of the season.
In any case, this is Dell's team for the time being.
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said before Saturday's game that Martin Jones is day-to-day with what he described as a minor lower-body injury. With Jones unavailable, Troy Grosenick was recalled from the Barracuda.
DeBoer said Jones was hurt during the Sharks' 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, and that it wasn't related to the unspecified malady he had in November. At that time, Jones sat out for two games as Antoine Bibeau was recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis.
Jones was enjoying an all-star caliber season in late-November a 10-5-1 record, a 2.05 goals against average, a .930 save percentage and two shutouts. Jones had not, up until that point, been unavailable for a game due to injury since he was acquired by the Sharks from Boston prior to the 2015-16 season.
Bay Area News Group reported Thursday that Jones walked out of the Sharks' locker room in Colorado with a noticeable limp. Jones' weight was predominantly on his left leg, perhaps indicating that he's nursing a lower-body ailment on his right side.
After Thursday's loss, Jones owned a 14-11-4 record with a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
Asked if Jones would be able to play again by the NHL's all-star break, which begins next Friday, DeBoer said he hoped so, but that "you never know."
The Sharks are still in the midst of a busy stretch, with Saturday's game being their sixth in eight days.
They flew to Anaheim right after their game with the Penguins to play the Ducks on Sunday. Dell will get the start in that game as well, and likely any other starts until Jones is healthy again. The Sharks host Winnipeg on Tuesday and the New York Rangers on Thursday before the break begins.
