SAN JOSE, Calif. _ It might've been a stretch to call it a playoff tune-up. But at least the San Jose Sharks can say they're heading into the postseason on a positive note.
Chris Tierney and Mikkel Boedker scored in the second period and goalie Aaron Dell finished with 19 saves as the Sharks _ who sat captain Joe Pavelski, among others _ beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Saturday, finishing with a record of 46-29-7.
Danny O'Regan scored an insurance goal on the power play for the Sharks with 8:35 to go in the third period, his first in the NHL.
Brent Burns assisted on the goal, giving him 76 points, breaking his own record he set last year for most points in a season for a defenseman. The goal also snapped the Sharks' 0-for-13 drought with the man advantage over five-plus games.
With one more day in the NHL's regular season, the Sharks, at the time their game ended Saturday, still didn't know where they'd finish in the Pacific Division or who they'll play in the first round of the playoffs.
Edmonton defeated the Canucks in Vancouver to keep alive their chances of winning the division and that would put the Sharks in third place.
The Sharks and Flames sat a handful of regulars, with the biggest one of note for San Jose being Pavelski.
The scratch for Pavelski ended his consecutive games played streak at 495, a streak that began Jan. 13, 2011.
Tomas Hertl and Joel Ward were also scratched from Saturday's game as the Sharks had a handful of AHL call-ups in the lineup. Pavelski finished the regular season with 29 goals and 39 assists, and in his last 495 games, led the Sharks with 203 goals and 426 points.
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer would not say Saturday morning what his lineup would look like, saying only that "if we sit anyone, it won't be a rest, it'll be everyone's dealing with a little something. Get some bodies here, we'll make some decisions at game time."
Patrick Marleau centered the first line with Barclay Goodrow and Joonas Donskoi on the wings and Tierney centered the second line with Jannik Hansen and Boedker.
O'Regan centered the third line with Melker Karlsson and Kevin Labanc and Micheal Haley was in the middle on the fourth line with Marcus Sorensen and Timo Meier.
Defenseman Justin Braun was also a scratch Saturday, with Dylan DeMelo taking his spot on the Sharks' top defense pair with Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
The Sharks' game Saturday gave them one last chance to iron out the kinks before the postseason begins next week.
"We're still working on our game," DeBoer said. "We want the details of our game in the right place heading into the playoffs next week. For me, the meeting this morning was all about the details of the game that are going to be critical whenever we start next week."
Burns was named the Sharks' Player of the Year in a vote among Bay Area media.
Burns had a team-leading 75 points going into Saturday's game, becoming the first defenseman with 75 or more points in consecutive seasons since Brian Leetch in 1995-96 and 1996-97 with the New York Rangers.
"I think his game's in a good place," DeBoer said. "I like how he's playing. Just got to continue to do that."
_Logan Couture skated again Saturday morning with a full facial cage, his fourth straight day on the ice, but said after the skate that it still hurts to eat, talk and breathe.
Joe Thornton did not skate with the team in the morning for the second straight day. DeBoer said, though, that just "because you guys don't see him skate, doesn't mean he's not skating."
So did Thornton skate at all Saturday?
"Day to day," DeBoer said.
_Labanc was named the Sharks' Rookie of the Year in a vote among local media. Labanc, the Sharks' sixth round draft pick in 2014, came into Saturday with eight goals and 20 points in 54 games.
