Sharks wrap up season-long homestand with complete win vs. Canucks

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SAN JOSE – Before the Sharks' six-game homestand, Brenden Dillon told NBC Sports California how important it was for the team to win in their own building.

“This is something we want to take pride in, playing at home,” the defenseman said back on Nov. 10.

After ending the stretch with a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, the Sharks can officially say they’re happy with how they played the last two weeks.

“We had a good homestand when you look at the big picture of it,” coach Peter DeBoer said Friday. “Found a way to win some games and did it different ways too.”

“I think it was exactly what we needed,” captain Joe Pavelski agreed. “We played some good teams that came in here.”

The Sharks ended their longest homestand of the season with a 4-1-1 record, collecting nine of 12 possible points. In the final game, San Jose dominated Vancouver by putting three power play goals on the board and having continued success on the penalty kill.

Backup netminder Aaron Dell put up a spectacular performance as he shut out the Vancouver squad, improving to 12-1-1 against the Pacific Division in his career. Overall, the Sharks were able to put up the strong defensive effort they needed to give their offense room to shine.

DeBoer told the media he felt the team got better as the homestand went on. When asked if he was happy with how the team rebounded after the overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Sharks’ coach said he felt it was more about getting the victory on home ice than anything else.

“The game against Edmonton wasn’t a terrible game,” he explained. “We had a lead in the third and the best player in the league made two or three great plays. It’s going to happen. We found a way to get a point. I don’t think tonight’s game was a ‘response’ game to that. I just think we wanted to make sure we ended this homestand on the right note.”

[RELATED: Watch Sharks' Joe Thornton pass Mario Lemieux on NHL assists list]

Now the focus will shift to taking that success on the road with them. The Sharks fly out to Las Vegas to face the Golden Knights Saturday night, before embarking on a four-game trip against Eastern Conference competition. Friday’s victory over Vancouver was a good foundation for San Jose to head on the road with, DeBoer said.

“It’s never perfect,” he explained. “You always want to be a little better and heading on the road I think we’re going to have to be a bit better to win games. But I thought we accomplished what we wanted to on this homestand.”

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