Marleau scores twice, Sharks top Ducks to end losing streak

SAN JOSE -- Patrick Marleau scored twice to tie Mike Modano for 25th in goals in NHL history and help the San Jose Sharks to a 4-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center on Monday.

Stefan Noesen also scored two goals for San Jose (22-25-4), which ended a three-game losing streak in its first game since Jan. 18.
"We needed that coming off of the last three games," said Sharks goalie Aaron Dell, who made 26 saves. "We got a little bit of physical and mental rest over the break. That's the way we need to play, and hopefully we can keep doing that every night."
WATCH: [All Ducks vs. Sharks highlights]
John Gibson made 27 saves for the Ducks (19-25-5), who lost for the first time in three games. It was Anaheim's first game since Jan. 17.
"They came out playing, and we just wanted to tip our toe in the water and see how cold or warm it was," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "We certainly looked like a team that had been on a break, which was inexcusable since they were on the break too."

Marleau scored his second goal of the game and 10th of the season at 15:32 of the second period on a breakaway to give San Jose a 3-1 lead.
"We were in our zone for a while, so we did a pretty good job defending," he said. "We finally got the puck out. I think they were more tired than us, so I was able to get in on the breakaway."
Marleau passed Guy Lafleur and tied Modano with his 561st goal. He is three goals from tying Mats Sundin and Joe Nieuwendyk for 23rd in NHL history.
"What can't you say about Patty Marleau?" Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon said. "Whether it's every practice or every game, he's had those tough situations where you've had a bit of time off and the legs might be a little heavy or your stick is a little rusty, but he finds a way."
Noesen scored his second of the night and fourth of the season to give San Jose a 4-1 lead at 2:28 of the third period. Defenseman Erik Karlsson had an assist for his 600th NHL point.

Nick Ritchie scored on the power play for the Ducks at 18:07 to make it 4-2.
Noesen gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 1:55 of the first period when he redirected a Joel Kellman wrist shot, and Marleau scored at 4:35 to make it 2-0.
"We were a little bit slow on all aspects of the game and we were trying to get our feet underneath us," Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler said. "And they jumped on us early."

San Jose coach Bob Boughner said, "We came out ready to play and that was a good sign. I was happy that we had all four lines rolling tonight; there really wasn't a line that I could say was off."
Ondrej Kase scored shorthanded at 9:04 of the second period to cut the Sharks lead to 2-1.

They said it

"Obviously, a lot of rust showed. I had some decent shifts. ... I think it takes more than just the first period or even the whole game, it's going to take a little bit of time. You can't make up for the time that I missed, so it's just time to keep practicing hard and get my leg strong, and then it's good to go."-- Ducks forward Nick Ritchie on playing his first game since Dec. 6 because of a knee injury
"He tied my idol, Mike Modano, for goals. So I don't know if he's my idol now. ... He's all-world. ... Someone that a lot of the guys in the League look up to, maybe in a quieter way. It's an honor to play with somebody of that caliber." -- Sharks forward Stefan Noesen on Patrick Marleau

Need to know

Marleau is the fourth player in NHL history to score at least 10 goals in 22 straight seasons, joining Gordie Howe (24) and Mark Messier and Alex Delvecchio (22 each). Marleau has done so each season of his career. ... Marleau passed Rod Brind'Amour for 50th in NHL history with 1,185 points, 1,101 of which have come with the Sharks. He is 15 points behind Dino Ciccarelli for 49th. ... Karlsson has one goal and eight assists in the past nine games. ... Kase's goal was Anaheim's eighth while shorthanded this season, tied for third in the NHL with the New York Rangers behind the Ottawa Senators (10) and Carolina Hurricanes (nine).

What's next

Ducks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSCA, SNP, NHL.TV)