Wild clinch playoff berth despite loss to San Jose Sharks

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Patrick Marleau scored two goals, and goaltender James Reimer made 29 saves to help the San Jose Sharks to a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.

The Wild (38-32-11, 87 points) clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-3 loss at the Nashville Predators.

The Sharks (45-29-6, 96 points), who have clinched a playoff berth, are one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division and four points behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks, who have a game in hand on the Sharks and Kings. Los Angeles is playing at the Calgary Flames.

It was Reimer’s third shutout in eight starts with the Sharks since being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 27. Reimer is 6-2-0 with San Jose.

Logan Couture scored a goal, and defenseman Brenden Dillon had two assists for the Sharks.
Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves.

San Jose took an early lead when Couture, on an extended shift in the Wild zone, grabbed the puck out of the air, dropped it to his stick in front of the goal, and jammed it past Dubnyk for his 15th goal at 4:43 of the first period.

A power-play goal early in the second pushed the Sharks lead to 2-0. Couture shot wide of the net from the point, and the puck ricocheted off the end wall to Marleau for a backhand flip that eluded Dubnyk glove side at 5:31.

Marleau scored his second of the game on a snap shot from the right circle with 1:45 remaining in the third period.