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Long time no see Sharks not very hospitable in Devils return to San Jose 11/23/13 - By Mike Lee - The last time the New Jersey Devils skated on San Jose ice, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Chris Christie were still relevant. OK, maybe it hasn't been that long, but three years is an eternity in NHL years. Back on October 27, 2010, the Devils and Martin Brodeur were peppered by three guys named Thornton, Marleau and Heatley 5-2 at what was then the HP Pavilion. Fast forward to Saturday night and the overall outcome was the same. The Sharks dispatched the Devils 2-1at what's now the SAP Center, beating Brodeur for the 11th time in his career. * San Jose scored a pair of 1st period goals, dictating play for the first 40 minutes of the game before hanging on in the 3rd period. * Scott Hannan scored his 3rd goal of the season to kick off the game's scoring at 4:25 of the 1st period. Hannan received a long pass form Joe Thornton out of the right corner then ripped a shot from the left point that fooled Brodeur and everyone in the building except referee Brad Watson. Hannan's shot caught the netting under the crossbar and kicked back out of the goal. It appeared to everyone except Watson that the puck caught the crossbar, but upon review it was confirmed that Watson's call was correct. * Tyler Kennedy pushed the Sharks lead to 2-0 with 5:!5 remaining in the opening period, one-timing a pretty feed from Martin Havlat past Brodeur. Tyler circled back from the right corner just as Havlat sent a no-look feed from behind the Devils net as Patrick Elias came barreling down on him. Kennedy's shot slipped between Brodeur's right leg pad and his elbow. * Kennedy's goal turned out to be the game winner, which gives the Sharks 11 different game-winning goal scorers this season. Only the Colorado Avalanche have more (12). * The Devils struggled to get their legs under them, only generating 3 shots on Antti Niemi through the first 20 minutes of the game. The Sharks controlled the flow into the 2nd period, outshooting New Jersey 12-7. * Logan Couture may have tough time sleeping after he fell victim to Brodeur's glove hand late in the 2nd period. Couture found himself all alone with the puck in front of the Devils net after a turnover, but his 12 foot wrist-shot was snatched out of the air by Brodeur's waving glove. * The Sharks misfired on three power play opportunities, which allowed the Devils to keep the game close. New Jersey only had one opportunity on the man advantage, which they used to pull the Sharks into their sights. Patrick Elias used a Steve Bernier screen to push his 4th goal of the season past Niemi. * If this was Brodeur's last visit to San Jose, he'll want to soon forget the Brent Burns shot he took off the back of his neck in the 3rd period. The Sharks were buzzing the Devils net, throwing shot after shot on the New Jersey net. Brodeur was forced to go down to make a save, which left him exposed to Burns shot from the opposite side of the goal. The puck caught him under his helmet, immediately dropping him in the crease. Watson blew his whistle automatically, halting the Sharks push. Brodeur lay on his back with his arms stretched over his head for a good minute before making any movement. When he did get back on his feet, the sellout crowd cheered his recovery. He commented on soreness after the game, but suggested that he was OK. *The Devils pulled Brodeur with 1:20 to play in the game in attempt to get an extra attacker on the ice. They made a big run at potting the tying goal, but Niemi stood tall. New Jersey would have tied the game, had Niemi not made a big save on Peter Harrold with 30 seconds left in regulation. Elias tapped Niemi's pad after the whistle, recognizing the importance of the save. Game Quotes: Head Coach Todd McLellan: "A lot of good things for about two-thirds of the game, maybe not quite two-thirds. And then we took our foot off the gas, went from a shoot to a cute game is the way I put it. We had some rushes, some 2-on-1's, some 3-on-2's, where we wanted to get pretty and didn't shoot the puck and they countered and came back." Logan Couture: "We're just trying to jump on teams, especially in this building. Come out strong, forecheck hard in the first. It's good to get a lead. We like playing with a lead, we feel more confident, so hopefully we can continue that." Zajac (on the road trip): "It's probably three of the best teams in the League. For us to get two wins on the road is big for us. Now we get to go home, play some game, and hopefully we can take care of business here." Martin Brodeur: "We battled hard. They're a tough team. We knew they were going to come strong in the first, and they got themselves two goals. That made a big difference at the end of the day, but we battled hard." SHARE THIS STORY: What did you think of this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums

What did you think of this story? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums Scoring 1 2 3 T NJ 0 0 1 1 SJ 2 0 0 1 1st period - 1, SJ, Hannan 3 (Thornton, Burns), 4:25. 2, SJ, Kennedy 3 (Havlat, Demers), 14:47. 2nd period - None. 3rd period - 3, NJ, Elias 4 (Greene, Gelinas), 8:10. Penalties 1st period - Greene, NJ (hooking), 18:39. 2nd period - Zidlicky, NJ (tripping), 12:29. 3rd period - Team, NJ (too many men), 3:04; Demers, SJ (hooking), 6:11. Goaltending Shots Saves NJ - Brodeur 30 28 SJ - Niemi 19 18 Shots On Goal 1 2 3 T NJ 3 7 9 19 SJ 9 12 9 30 Power Play Conversion NJ 1 of 1 SJ 0 of 3 3 Stars of the Game Brent Burns Antti Niemi Matrin Brodeur Attendence 17,562 Officials Referees: Kozari, Watson. Linesmen: Cemeron, Rody.

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