Colorado-San Jose: Avs Earn Road Victory Over Sharks

Ben Guite (center) is congratulated by teammates Brett Clark, (left) and Cody McCormick (11) after scoring an empty-net goal. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

Nabokov couldn't be blamed for either of the Avalanche's early goals, both of which resulted from the canny front-of-the-net play usually practiced by teammate Ryan Smyth, who's still out with a broken ankle. The Avalanche also played the same tenacious defense that's kept it in the playoff race despite prolonged absences for their top three offensive players: Smyth, Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny.

Guite scored midway through the first period with an artful redirection of a shot by Clark, but Marleau evened it early in the second with his 10th goal of the season, banging home a cross-ice pass from defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh during a power play. Marleau has two goals in three games after getting just one in his previous 15 outings.

Hensick then scored six seconds into a power play, deflecting another shot by Clark. Hensick, a rookie who played in last month's AHL All-Star game, had two goals apiece in each of the Avalanche's previous two games, giving him six points in five games since returning from the minors.

Joe Thornton was hit in the face with a Colorado stick during the first period, but didn't miss much playing time after his bloody nose was fixed.

Notes: Stastny missed his ninth consecutive game after having his appendix removed, but the club's leading scorer is expected to return Saturday night in Vancouver. ... Scott Hannan, who left the Sharks as a free agent for Colorado last summer, played his second game in San Jose as a member of the Avalanche. Scott Parker, another former San Jose playe, was scratched.

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