McElhinney gets first shutout for Lightning in win against Sharks

SAN JOSE -- Curtis McElhinney made 30 saves for his first shutout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, a 3-0 win against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday.

McElhinney, who signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on July 1, has 11 shutouts in the NHL. It was his first shutout since Feb. 23, 2019 for the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's great," McElhinney said. "Obviously it's been kind of up and down for me personally, but it was nice to get in there and solidify this trip with two points."
WATCH: [All Lightning vs. Sharks highlights]
Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist for the Lightning (32-15-5), who are 15-2-1 in the past 18 games.
Aaron Dell made 32 saves for the Sharks (22-27-4), who have lost five of six.
"We played a hard game, and I'd like to see us get off to a better start," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "But the penalty kill gave us a chance. Dell gave us a chance, he was great all night. We just couldn't find that goal."
Stamkos made it 1-0 with his 23rd goal of the season at 4:04 of the second period on a shot from the left circle off a cross-ice pass from Kevin Shattenkirk. Stamkos has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in a seven-game point streak.

"It was tough to leave the [first] period without a goal after some of the chances we had," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "That's why it was pivotal that we had to get the lead in the second because we were throwing everything at them."
Nikita Kucherov extended the lead to 2-0 at 17:57 of the third period with his 24th goal, a backhand over Dell's shoulder from the right circle. Kucherov has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in a seven-game point streak.
"That's just part of the skill set that Kuch has," Stamkos said. "Not too many players can make that play on their backhand like that. … He's had two big goals for us the last couple of games, just tremendous plays by obviously a very elite player."

Ondrej Palat scored into an empty net at 19:43 for the 3-0 final.
"They have a lot of skill, they're a good team, there's no doubt," Sharks forward Timo Meier said. "I thought we were definitely right there, just not enough little details to win this game."
The Sharks, who were shut out for the third time this season -- all in the past 13 games -- were swept in the season series and outscored 10-1 by Tampa Bay.
"That's the nature of the NHL," Sharks forward Evander Kane said of the Lightning's stingy defense. "There's not a lot of time and space out there. You've got to make plays and decisions quickly. We just have to continue to try and do better."

They said it

"It was weird. Usually these Western Conference games, you don't see these teams that often. It was a physical game, the boys were competing." -- Lightning coach Jon Cooper
"We're not creating a lot offensively. We haven't since before the [All-Star] break. We've got to find a way to create more offense and score more goals. We can't have the mindset that one goal is enough to win." -- Sharks forward Evander Kane

Need to know

The Lightning are 8-0-0 against Pacific Division teams this season and have won 11 straight against the Pacific dating to Feb. 12, 2019. … The Lightning swept a back to back. They won 4-3 at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. … Sharks forward Joel Kellman did not play after taking one shift in the second period. He limped off late in the first period after getting pushed into the boards by Shattenkirk. … Sharks center Tomas Hertl is scheduled to have knee surgery on Monday to repair a torn MCL and ACL, a season-ending injury sustained Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

What's next

Lightning:Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, TVAS, SUN, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)
Sharks:At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)