Avalanche Final Score: Sharks Blank Avalanche 4-0 In Johnson's Debut

Devin Setoguchi recorded his first career hat trick and Antti Niemi recorded his fifth shutout of the season, leading San Jose in a 4-0 rout of Colorado at HP Pavilion.

Niemi made 25 saves for the Sharks, who have won three in a row after dropping two straight. Ryane Clowe also lit the lamp in the victory.

Peter Budaj allowed four goals on 33 shots for the Avalanche, whose losing streak reached 10 games (0-9-1).

Setoguchi registered two goals in the first period.

The first came 6 1/2 minutes in, when he split two defenders and used a backhand to beat Budaj. His second made it a 2-0 game with five minutes left in the opening period, when he cleaned up a big rebound off the backboards during a power play.

Just over 1 1/2 minutes after Setoguchi’s second goal, Clowe got into the scoring for the Sharks, with a wrister from the left circle on the man advantage.

Following a scoreless second period, Setoguchi completed his hat trick in the third period with a breakaway goal.

Colorado couldn’t get on the board, despite getting 11 shots on net in the middle frame. Niemi then made six saves in the final 20 minutes to preserve the win and his shutout.

Game Notes

The Sharks were 2-for-3 on the power play, while the Avs blanked on three man-advantage chances…San Jose will travel to Detroit on Tuesday to play the Red Wings, who are on a four-game win streak…Colorado will try to break its slump with a matchup in St. Louis on Tuesday.

Avalanche Vs. Sharks: The Erik Johnson Era Dawns

Have you caught your breath yet, Colorado Avalanche fans? The last 24 hours have seen goalie Craig Anderson shipped to the Ottawa Senators for goalie Brian Elliott (Anderson will start for Ottawa tonight, on NHL Network at 5pm MST), and then of course the megadeal: Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk have been traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 2006 first overall draft selection defenseman Erik Johnson and forward Jay McClement.

Johnson adds a defensive element that Colorado has missed all season, and McClement should add some stability to a Colorado forward corps that has seen substantial attrition due to injury. Both players missed the morning skate, but will make their debuts in Colorado sweaters this evening.

Tonight's opponent, the San Jose Sharks, are one of the Pacific Division teams vying for a playoff spot. They are on a 7-2-1 streak in their past 10 games and are only one point out of the division lead. Erik Johnson will have a difficult matchup in his first game as he's likely to skate against one of the NHL's top lines led by Patrick Marleau. Goalie Antti Niemi has been dominant of late, posting a .934 SV% and 1.80 GAA his past eight starts.

With these trades, Colorado has already started to look towards next season. San Jose is fighting for home ice this season. This should be a game that Avalanche fans should watch for the must-see debut of Erik Johnson in his brand new #6 Colorado sweater.

Peter Budaj will start in net tonight. Antti Niemi is the likely starter for San Jose.

Puck drops at 8:30 p.m. MST.