SAN JOSE, Calif. _ San Jose Sharks franchise icon Patrick Marleau was the star attraction coming into Monday night's game at SAP Center.
Leave it to someone playing in his 10th career NHL game to steal some of the spotlight.
Defenseman Tim Heed's goal on a bullet of a slap shot in the third period helped the Sharks top the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 as they moved above .500 for the first time this season.
Joel Ward's empty-net goal with 2:13 to go in the third period proved to be the winner as Toronto's Nazem Kadri scored with 1:10 left in regulation time to cut San Jose's lead to one.
Heed's goal, the second of his career, came on a Sharks power play as he took a Brent Burns pass and ripped a shot past Leafs goalie Frederick Andersen.
Heed also assisted on Joe Pavelski's goal at the 7:58 mark of what was a dominant second period for the Sharks, who have now beaten Toronto 10 straight times dating back to 2011. Pavelski tipped Heed's shot from the blue line for his third of the season.
Joe Thornton fed Heed and picked up a secondary assist, giving him 1,399 career points and moving him past Jari Kurri for sole possession of 20th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
The Sharks outshot the Leafs 11-2 in the second period and held a 35-11 advantage in shots by the midway point of the third.
It was part of a quiet night offensively for the Leafs, including Marleau.
Marleau, the player most synonymous with the Sharks franchise over the past two decades, arrived at the arena at roughly 4:30 p.m., his typical custom throughout his time in San Jose.
Marleau received a huge cheer once he came out for pregame warm-ups, and another roar went throughout the downtown arena after it was announced he would be in the Maple Leafs' starting lineup.
But the most emotional moment was saved for right before the game, as he received an ovation for well over a minute from the Sharks faithful, several of whom were wearing teal No. 12 jerseys.
"He should get a nice response. He's Mr. Shark. He always will be. Nobody will ever pass him," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said Monday morning. "I always thought they'll be one number retired in the organization and it'll be No. 12."
The Leafs did open the scoring.
William Nylander collected a loose puck in the corner and found Nikita Zaitsev at the blue line, whose shot hit a body in front of the Sharks net. Auston Matthews collected the loose puck, made a stride to his left and beat Sharks goalie Martin Jones up high for his ninth goal of the season at the 12:14 mark of the first period.
The Sharks outshot the Leafs 13-7 in the first period. With less than a minute left in the first and the Leafs on a 2 on 1, Jones stopped two shot attempts by Mitch Marner to keep it a one-goal game.
Regardless of whether a franchise icon was on the other side of the ice, the Sharks knew they would be in for a great test as they began their five-game homestand.
The Maple Leafs had lost three of their past four but came into Monday tied for the NHL lead in goals for with 45.
Matthews was tied for fourth in the league in goals with Logan Couture and two other players and Nazem Kadri, who centered the line with Marleau and Leo Komarov, has averaged a point per game.
The biggest issue for the Leafs so far this season was their goals against with 40, something the Sharks were looking to exploit. Andersen came into Monday with a 2-7-1 career record against the Sharks, and had allowed 17 goals in the last four games.
"Great test. All kinds offense, high octane. A great goalie," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Monday morning. "... I think there's going to be chances for us offensively that are going to be there with how they play. We've got to capitalize on those."
The Brent Burns-Joakim Ryan defense pair was matched up mainly against the Marleau line, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun had the responsibility of slowing down the Matthews' line.
"You stop him with one guy. You do it collectively," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said of Matthews on Monday morning. "It's making smart decisions when he's on the ice, not turning pucks over. ... You've (got) to make him earn it."
The Sharks had won nine straight against Toronto coming into Monday, with their last loss coming Jan. 11, 2011, a 4-2 result at SAP Center in which Marleau scored both of San Jose's goals.
Also, Jones came into Monday with a 6-0-0 lifetime record and a 1.31 goals against average vs. Toronto.
