ANAHEIM — Eetu Makiniemi made 23 saves in his first NHL start, and the San Jose Sharks ended a four-game skid with a 6-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday.
Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Hertl and Matt Benning each had two assists for the Sharks (9-16-5).
“I really liked the way we defended, we defended hard tonight,” San Jose coach David Quinn said. “So, you know that’s the recipe for success, and you get six goals. It feels pretty good.”
Trevor Zegras scored for the Ducks (7-18-3), who have lost seven of eight (1-5-2). John Gibson allowed four goals on 19 shots before an illness caused him to be replaced at the start of the third period by Anthony Stolarzwho made seven saves.
“We were trying to do a lot of things individually,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “You can’t win by yourself in this League.”
Video: SJS@ANA: Karlsson, Sturm score 8 seconds apart
Meier gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the first, redirecting a centering pass from Karlsson.
“When someone gets open, it’s usually easy for me to locate them,” Karlsson said. “Timo did a good job at getting lost, and it wasn’t that difficult of a pass.”
Makiniemi made a save on Frank Vatrano on a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Adam Henrique at 11:57 of the first.
“This game might take on a whole new complexion on that 2-on-1 shorthanded on the first power play if they score,” Quinn said. “It’s amazing what one play can do early in the game when a goalie makes a big save.”
Ducks forward Brett Leason hit the post at 4:34 of the second, eight seconds after Makiniemi turned away a backhand from close by Troy Terry.
Scott Harrington then made it 2-0 at 6:19 of the second, scoring on a slap shot from the left circle that snapped the stick of an Anaheim defenseman. Cam Fowler. Kevin Labanc had an assist on the play for his 200th NHL point.
“The power-play goal was an absolute fluke,” Eakins said. “It breaks our stick in half up in the upper slot and finds its way into the net.”
Video: SJS@ANA: Makiniemi boosts Sharks in first NHL start
Karlsson made it 3-0 at 7:53 with a slap shot on the power play. Nico Sturm scored from the slot eight seconds later to extend the lead to 4-0.
“It’s a little bit easier to play when you have the lead early, so that definitely helped,” Karlsson said. “Hopefully we can string a few [wins] together and not just have one here and there.”
Zegras made it 4-1 at 9:37 of the second on a wrist shot from the left circle, but Nick Bonino shot into an empty net with 3:42 left to make it 5-1.
With Stolarz back in goal, Steven Lorentz scored with 3:17 remaining for the 6-1 final.
“The only way we’re going to get out of it is together,” Ducks forward Sam Carrick said. “You can’t really feel sorry for yourself, this League is too relentless.”
NOTES: Makiniemi made his NHL debut in relief of Kaapo Kahkonen in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. … San Jose goalie James Reimer is expected to return on Tuesday against the visiting Coyotes. He sustained a lower body injury in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 25. … Fowler had an assist on Zegras’ goal and has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past 13 games. … Gibson has not finished six of his 21 starts this season. … Ducks defenseman John Klingberg returned after missing the previous seven games with a lower-body injury. He had three hits in 20:52. … Anaheim forward Jason Megna played 9:27 in his Ducks debut after he was claimed off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Megna was also playing his first NHL game against his younger brother, Jaycob, a defenseman for the Sharks.
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