SAN JOSE, Calif. — Evgeni Nabokov made 31 saves in his first shutout of the season, and captain Patrick Marleau had a goal and an assist in the Sharks’ 10th victory in 11 games, 2-0 over the Ducks on Thursday night.
Devin Setoguchi scored his team-high 14th goal for the NHL-leading Sharks, who opened a gaping 13-point advantage atop the Pacific Division standings over the second-place Ducks with Nabokov’s 41st career shutout. It was punctuated by a brilliant kick save on Corey Perry in the final minute.
Jonas Hiller stopped 25 shots for the Ducks, who lost for the third time in nine games. The longtime rivals’ third meeting of the season ended with a handful of scuffles and major penalties.
The Sharks survived with Nabokov, who has played seven consecutive games since returning from a three-week injury absence. The Vezina Trophy finalist hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 24 at Florida.
The Sharks had four days off before this showdown, following an overtime loss to Ed-monton last Saturday that snapped their nine-game winning streak. San Jose used the rest to beat the Ducks at their own physical game, winning for the 17th time in 20 games with puck possession and disciplined hockey — and a few well-placed shoves.
The clubs’ long-simmering dislike for each other erupted with five minutes left when Milan Michalek knocked Perry to the ice in response to an attempted open-ice check. Chris Pronger, Chris Kunitz and San Jose’s Joe Pavelski all got involved, but only Michalek and Perry got penalties. Another big shoving match erupted with 20.4 seconds left with many of the same combatants, along with Sharks defenseman Rob Blake, who got sent off for spearing. Michalek and Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer also got misconduct penalties during the fracas.
