SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Aaron Dell might be giving Sharks coach Pete DeBoer something to think about.
The backup goalie followed up his 30-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues last week by blanking the Vancouver Canucks with 19 saves Friday as the Sharks cruised to a 4-0 win at SAP Center. The Sharks (12-7-4, 28 points) helped Dell's cause by going 3-for-5 on the power play.
Dell pitched back-to-back shutouts at time when the Sharks are struggling to keep the puck out of their own net, entering Saturday's action ranked 30th in even strength save percentage (89.67 percent). At the center of the problem has been the Sharks team defense, which has surrendered an uncharacteristically high number of odd-man rushes and quality scoring chances this season. But Martin Jones is also struggling to make the big save, ranking 40th in the NHL in save percentage (.891), numbers that won't cut it if the Sharks are going to make a run at the Stanley Cup this season.
That said, in both of Dell's last two starts, the Sharks have played quality defense in front of him. He's only needed to make one save on an odd-man rush. On Friday, most of the shots that Dell faced were low-danger chances from the perimeter. He made a pad save on Brendan Leipsic's breakaway chance early in the second.
As Jones struggles, Dell could see an increase in his workload as the season progresses if he continues to deliver when his number is called.
Dell spent most of the night playing with the lead after the Sharks scored a pair of power-play goals in the first. Logan Couture scored his eighth just six seconds into the Sharks second power play and Timo Meier recorded his 13th with 10 seconds left in the frame, capitalizing on Derrick Pouliot's double minor for high sticking.
Joe Thornton earned the primary assist on Meier's goal, allowing him to pass Mario Lemieux for 11th place on the NHL's all-time assists list with his 1,034th career helper. In the third, he picked up his 750th assist with the Sharks on Erik Karlsson's power play goal.
Melker Karlsson made it 4-0 at 9:35 of the third, redirecting a shot from Erik Karlsson, who also earned the primary assist on Couture's goal in the first, giving him three points on the night and eight points in his last four games.
By handing the Canucks their seventh straight loss, the Sharks completed their season-long six-game homestand with a 4-1-1 record. They open a five-game road trip in Las Vegas Saturday.
