Martin Jones, Sharks blank Devils

SAN JOSE -- Martin Jones made 26 saves, and four San Jose Sharks scored in a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center on Monday.
Chris Tierney, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Brent Burns each scored for San Jose (10-8-1), which ended a three-game losing streak in the first of a five-game homestand.
The shutout was Jones' second of the season, 15th of his NHL career.

WATCH: All Devils vs. Sharks highlights
"I thought we played well the whole night," Jones said. "I thought we were smart with the puck. We didn't turn a lot of pucks over. When we play like that, we're tough to beat."
New Jersey (9-6-3) ended its four-game road trip with a third straight loss.
"We had a big opportunity to have a good road trip, and to come with the lack of effort, I guess you can say, it was disheartening," Devils defenseman Andy Greene said.
New Jersey backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid made 37 saves in his fourth start of the season. He had a 30-save shutout in a 3-0 Devils win at SAP Center on March 10 in his only other career start against the Sharks.
The Devils went 0-for-3 on the power play and are 0-for-29 over their past nine games.

Tierney gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 1:59 of the first period when he scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal.
"That was a big start for us," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "I thought we had good jump all night, and it started there."
Marleau knocked in a rebound from close range at 6:43 of the first to make it 2-0. It was his fifth goal of the season.
Couture increased San Jose's lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal at 10:33 of the second period. Joe Thornton's pass deflected off Greene's skate, and the puck went into the left faceoff circle for Couture, who shot it into the top left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Burns was credited with his seventh goal of the season at 7:38 of the third period when Devils defenseman Kyle Quincey put a loose puck into the New Jersey net.

Goal of the game

The Devils went on the game's first power play at 1:44 of the first period, but Tierney scored for the Sharks 15 seconds later. Tierney tracked down a long rebound and headed the other way on a 2-on-1 rush with forward Joel Ward. Tierney scored from the left faceoff circle, sending the puck off Kinkaid's right shoulder and into the net.

Save of the game

Jones didn't face too many tough tests, but with his shutout on the line, he got his left arm on a shot by Devils forward Sergey Kalinin from the left faceoff dot for his final save with 1:19 remaining in the third period. "I thought we were really good in front of the net," Jones said. "I saw a lot of pucks. I wasn't asked to do too much tonight."

Unsung moment of the game

Thornton, one of the best passers in the League, made history with a pass that bounced off Greene's right skate but turned into an assist when Couture scored. It was Thornton's 900th point with the Sharks, the 1,354th of his NHL career. He is tied with Brendan Shanahan for 25th on the League's all-time points list.

Highlight of the game

It took him a couple tries from in front of the net, but Marleau finally got the puck past Kinkaid to give San Jose a 2-0 lead in the first period. Marleau has spent most of the season on the third line, but he was moved up to the top line with Thornton and Joe Pavelski in the third period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday and stayed there Monday. "Hopefully, he sticks with me and Pav because he played great again tonight," Thornton said.

They said it

"I liked our game. I was concerned coming back off a two-week road trip and the first game back. I know how I felt and wondered how our energy levels would be like, and we were good right from the drop of the puck." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer
"Our special teams haven't nearly been special enough the last couple of weeks. We got outworked, and that's what threw us off." -- Devils defenseman Ben Lovejoy

Need to know

Greene played his 329th consecutive game, moving past Sergei Brylin into third place in Devils history. ... Sharks center Danny O'Regan made his NHL debut, skating on the fourth line. ... Devils forward Kyle Palmieri (upper-body soreness) did not play. ... Sharks forward Tomas Hertl (sprained right knee) was placed on injured reserve Monday and is out indefinitely. He is scheduled for "minor" surgery Tuesday, general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement.

What's next

Devils: Home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, WGN, NHL.TV)