Noesen and Marleau helped get the Sharks off to the start they needed, and neither was done scoring on the evening. Here are three takeaways from what the Sharks hope is the first of many wins in the second 'half':
The rivals combined for 59 hits in the physical battle, while Aaron Dell was solid once again in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots. It wasn't a perfect game for San Jose by any means, but the team did enough to earn a much-needed victory. Although the Ducks threatened at times throughout the game, the Sharks never relinquished the lead. In both team's first game coming out of the All-Star break, both sides clearly benefitted from the time off, although San Jose seemed to get back in a groove slightly quicker, building a 2-0 advantage less than five minutes into the contest.
They kept their focus on the task at hand Monday night at SAP Center, a divisional matchup against the long-time rival Anaheim Ducks (19-25-5), and handled business to the tune of a 4-2 win. The Sharks (22-25-4) know they have a long way to go to get back in the playoff picture, so they're not looking too far ahead.
