SAN JOSE, Calif. _ San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell might have been making just his fifth career NHL start on Friday. But he demonstrated once again that's he's perfectly comfortable in close situations.
Dell finished with 21 saves for his first career shutout and Patrick Marleau's first period power play goal stood up as the winner as the Sharks edged the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 at SAP Center.
Justin Braun scored in the third period for the Sharks, who won for the eighth time in nine games and now own a 9-3 record in December. The Sharks close out the month and 2016 on Saturday in Los Angeles with a game against the Kings.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic was injured in a scary moment late in the third period. Standing in front of the Sharks' crease, Vlasic took a slap shot from Shayne Gostisbehere in the face and had to be helped off the ice as he continued to bleed.
The win by Dell improved his record to 4-1 on the season, as every game he's started in his rookie season been decided by two goals or less.
It's a safe bet that Dell will see more action next month, the Sharks have games on back-to-back nights three times in January before the All-Star break.
It's part of a month that sees the Sharks play 13 times in 24 days starting with their Jan. 3 home game against the Kings.
Goalie Steve Mason started the game for the Flyers but was replaced at the start of the second period by Anthony Stolarz. Mason's left hand appeared to be injured late in the first period as he was turned sideways by Joe Thornton in the crease. A shot from Brent Burns caught Mason's hand that's normally protected by his blocker.
Mason finished the first period and made 11 saves. Stolarz came in and made nine saves in the second period to keep the Sharks at one goal.
With the Sharks cashing in on just one of 15 power play chances in their last four games before Friday, coach Pete DeBoer made the decision to tweak his power play units. Joel Ward was placed on the No. 1 unit, and Marleau was moved from the top unit to the second unit.
After Vlasic's shot from just above the circle was stopped by Mason, Marleau swooped in to knock in the loose puck for the 491st goal of his career.
Marleau's goal was the 95th game-winner of his career, as the Sharks now have a 15-6 record against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Sharks had won their last five games against the Flyers, and owned a 16-1 mark with two ties in 19 games since 2002.
Dell was making his first start in nearly three weeks, as his last appearance came at home against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 10 when he made 30 saves in the Sharks' 4-3 win. Martin Jones had made the last seven starts in net, going 6-1 in those games as the Sharks entered Friday with a Pacific Division-leading 22-12-1 record.
Dell's last start before he faced the Hurricanes earlier this month was Nov. 25 against the New York Islanders, a 3-2 Sharks win. Jones then started the next six games.
"I get used to it," said Dell, who came into Friday with a .926 save percentage, adding that, "I get a little more comfortable in the net. I get to see what I should work on to keep good habits during practice. Each time I learn something different that I can keep working on until my next start."
The game is a reunion of sorts for Dell, as he played for Flyers coach Dave Hakstol for three seasons at the University of North Dakota from 2009-2012 before he turned professional.
In three seasons, Dell compiled a record of 49-20-5 as North Dakota captured three straight WCHA conference tournament titles and advanced to one Frozen Four in 2011.
"His development has been steady and he's earned his way every step of the way," Hakstol said of Dell. "He's having success now at the NHL level."
"He gave me a chance there and he let me kind of grow as a player and as a person," Dell said of Hakstol. "That opportunity was huge in my career. I got to balance school with hockey and everything, with the travel. I think that helped me a lot to be ready to play pro."
_David Schlemko was back in the lineup after he was scratched for the last three Sharks' games, all victories. Dylan DeMelo played in Schlemko's place in wins over Calgary, Edmonton and Anaheim, collecting five shots on goal and averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time per game.
"It wasn't anything he did," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said of Schlemko's three consecutive scratches. "We put DeMelo in and he played excellent. It was more of what DeMelo did than what Schlemko couldn't do. We were winning and that's just how it works.
"You get out of the lineup for a night and someone comes in and does the job, you have to wait until another opportunity arises. We felt that it was important to get (Schlemko) back in tonight. I thought our whole game (against Anaheim) was a little bit off and we made some changes and see how that works tonight."
