Patrick Marleau’s return to SAP Center for the first time since shipping off to Toronto brought with it an avalanche of emotion from players and fans alike on Monday night.
It was emotion of a different kind that helped push the Sharks to a 3-2 win, in what was probably their best 60-minute effort of the young season. In a 1-1 game early in the third period, Sharks forward Timo Meier plowed over the Maple Leafs’ Dominic Moore in the corner. Moore snapped and went after Meier, earning a cross-checking minor at 2:57 and barking at the referees on his glide to the penalty box.