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  Wednesday, Dec. 8 10:30pm ET
Nolan scores for 6th straight game
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The San Jose Sharks are getting back to the fast-paced, offensive style that marked their strong start. And once again, Owen Nolan is helping them get there.

Peter Forsberg,
San Jose's Gary Suter, right, knocks Colorado's Peter Forsberg, left, over top goalie Mike Vernon and to the ice.

Nolan scored a pair of goals to extend his goal-scoring streak to a team-record sixth game and assisted on another as the Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 Wednesday night.

It was only the Sharks' fifth win in 15 games after getting off to a franchise-best 11-6-1 start. But it came in the teams' first meeting since Colorado ousted San Jose from the playoffs last season.

"It's a good feeling right now," said Nolan, who leads the league with 22 goals. "We haven't played this well in a while. For some reason, we got away from it.

"The way we played tonight was the way we started the season," Nolan said. "We outworked them. We outplayed them. We outhit them."

Nolan's empty-net score with 1:09 remaining gave him his 42nd career multigoal game and second in a row and sealed the win for San Jose which pulled within a point of first-place Phoenix in the Pacific Division.

"Right now, everything that he touches is going in the net," said Colorado coach Bob Hartley. "Nolan is having a great season and look where the Sharks are. You get a couple guys on a team having a great season, you are going to have a great hockey club."

Nolan, who has already exceeded the 19 goals he scored last season, said he's just happy his scoring is making a difference for the Sharks.

"It's fun to score but you want to be part of a winning team," he said. "We battled. We got our points out there and now we've got to continue to make use of this homestand."

The Sharks also got power-play goals from Brad Stuart and Mike Ricci, converting two of five opportunities with the man advantage after going a season-worst 0-8 in a 3-3 tie to Tampa Bay on Monday. Goaltender Mike Vernon stopped 30 of 32 shots, and twice smothered point-blank shots by Adam Deadmarsh in the final two minutes of play.

"They look good. That's a very good team and they play aggressively," said Colorado defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, the former Shark who was dealt to the Avalanche four years ago in the trade for Nolan. "They can go a long way.

"Nolan is playing very well, shooting the puck and scoring a lot of goals. You have to be aware of him at all times."

Stephane Yelle and Adam Foote scored for Colorado but the Avalanche went 0-for-5 on the power play. The Avalanche entered the game leading the league in power-play efficiency with a 27.2 percent conversion rate and had at least one power-play score in six of their previous eight games.

Goaltender Patrick Roy, who came in with a 15-3-1 career record against the Sharks, was denied in his bid for his 423rd career victory. He remains one win shy of tying Tony Esposito for third place on the NHL's all-time list.

Nolan, who has 20 points in his last 15 games and five game-winning goals on the year, broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second period.

Jeff Friesen set up the play with his defense, hounding Martin Skoula into a bad pass that Nolan intercepted before winding up and unleashing a slap shot that sent the puck whizzing into the net past the startled Roy.

San Jose added to its lead with 1:39 left in the second on Stuart's fifth goal of the season. Nolan sent a pass to Vincent Damphousse, whose shot was turned away by Roy. But the rebound came out to Stuart, positioned near the net, and he put it in for the score.

For just the fourth time in the last 16 games, San Jose scored first, taking the lead on Ricci's sixth goal of the season at 16:11 of the first period.

Colorado tied it at 5:38 of the second when Shjon Podein sent a pass across the crease to Yelle, who wristed a shot past Vernon.

Foote narrowed the deficit when he scored his second goal of the season with 4:35 remaining, taking a cross-ice pass from Chris Drury and sending a shot rocketing past Vernon.
 


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AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Owen Nolan glides in for the score.
avi: 995 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Stephane Yelle scores for Colorado.
avi: 943 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1