The San Jose Sharks remain road warriors.
The club won its 14th game away from home Monday (most in the Western Conference), taking down the Calgary Flames 5-4. San Jose's 30 points (14-6-2) on the road are second in the NHL to the Washington Capitals' 34.
And they couldn't have done it without Brent Burns. The defenseman - and his beard - had a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to a career-high seven games. He has six goals and five assists during the run, and is first among blue-liners in the league with 18 goals.
He's making Sharks history, in the process:
.@Burnzie88 is 1st d-man in @SanJoseSharks history to score 18 goals in 1st 40 team games of a season. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/27gwS4624b
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 12, 2016
Burns also became the first defenseman since Flames legend Al MacInnis in 1990-91 to score 18 goals in his team's first 40 games of the season.
Five different Sharks scored Monday, including Logan Couture, who netted his first of the season on a whacky deflection. Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist.
The Flames lost their second straight, and it was a disappointing defeat, considering they outshot San Jose 35-18. Karri Ramo, excellent of late, had a night to forget in goal, making only 13 saves.
After a goalless December, Sam Bennett finally found the back of the net, scoring his sixth of the season. Mikael Backlund and Johnny Gaudreau had two assists, while Micheal Ferland had a goal and an assist.
"It's a big weight off my shoulders," Bennett said about this tally. "Bittersweet since we didn't get the win."
