NEWARK, N.J. - Brent Burns, the NHL's leading offensive defenseman, scored two goals as the San Jose Sharks snapped a season high four-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist for the Sharks and Kevin Labanc added two assists. Tomas Hertl had an empty-net tally late in the third period.

Martin Jones made 21 saves as San Jose bounced back from a 2-1 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.

P.A. Parenteau scored for the Devils and Cory Schneider made 34 stops as New Jersey lost for the eighth time in the last nine home games.

Burns wiped out the Devils' lead with a pair of second-period tallies.

The defender ripped a wrist shot over Schneider's glove at 2:27 to knot the score.

Burns unleashed another of his laser wristers, this time off the left post and into the net, at 7:46 to give the Sharks the lead. He has 24 goals and 59 points to pace all blueliners.

Thornton added a third Sharks goal in the period at 11:22.

The Devils tried to rally late in the period as Taylor Hall and Stefan Noesen had close-in chances denied by Jones.

San Jose played an efficient third period, holding New Jersey to only 7 shots.

The Sharks peppered the Devils with shots over the first 20 minutes, holding a 19-3 advantage, but New Jersey got the only goal.

Parenteau scored on the Devils' first shot at 11:42 as Jacob Josefson made the key play, riding Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillion off the puck behind the San Jose net.

Parenteau knocked in his 13th of the season on the goalmouth scramble that ensued.

The Devils, coming off a five-day bye, were a beat slow at the start and the Sharks pressed hard.

San Jose had a golden opportunity with a 5-on-3 power-play for 1:43 when Ben Lovejoy joined Joseph Blandisi in the penalty box at 8:28.

Schneider made two stellar stops against Burns on the penalty kill - one with the glove, the other with his pads - to hold off the Sharks.

NOTES: New Jersey recalled Blandisi from Albany of the AHL on Saturday. The Devils also activated D John Moore from injured reserve after missing 17 games with a concussion. C Logan Couture was back for the Sharks after missing one game with an upper-body injury. The Devils scratched D Kyle Quincy and RW Devante Smith-Pelly. The Sharks' scratches were RW Marcus Sorensen, D Tim Heed and RW Joonas Donskoi.

UP NEXT

Sharks: Return home to host Florida on Wednesday.

Devils: Host Colorado on Tuesday.

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It was only a matter of time.

After recording five shots in just the first period Sunday, San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns finally broke through early in the second, whipping a shot off the crossbar and in past Cory Schneider.

The goal helped knot the game at 1-1, and for Burns it was his 23rd of the season - snapping a rare four-game goalless skid. Unfortunately, for the New Jersey Devils, Burns wasn't done there as he picked up No. 24 just minutes later.

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The Los Angeles Kings have placed forward Devin Setoguchi on waivers, as first reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

After making the club out of training camp - while on a professional tryout contract - things haven't quite gone as planned for Setoguchi.

In 45 games this season, the 30-year-old has put up just four goals and 12 points and has gone goalless in his last 18 games.

Prior to this season, Setoguchi's last NHL ride was with the Calgary Flames in 2015 where he went pointless in 12 games.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are well on their way to shattering their previous franchise mark of points in a season.

The club has jumped out to a stellar 75 points in 54 games on the back of an incredible 16-game winning streak that stretched from November through into January.

The team is on pace to collect 113 points, and, even if they don't fire completely at the same clip, they should have no problem besting the franchise-record of 93 points, reached during the 2013-14 season. That is to say, they should achieve this as long as something doesn't happen to Sergei Bobrovsky.

As of Sunday, Bobrovsky has started 44 of the team's 54 games. He's been a work horse and is responsible for 30 of the team's 35 wins this season.

He's performing at a pace similar to his Vezina Trophy winning season during the 2012-13 campaign, but if for any reason he is forced to miss some time, the Blue Jackets could be in trouble with their sudden lack of a capable backup.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

The club was fine just a month ago, until after one questionable start by then-backup Curtis McElhinney, saw the club place the veteran netminder on waivers.

In a desperate situation of their own, the Toronto Maple Leafs pounced on the opportunity, picking up the 33-year-old.

The move left the Blue Jackets with Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg, two young goaltenders who - despite combining for three wins (all by Korpisalo) in five starts - have put up miserable numbers.

Here's how all the goaltenders who have suited up for the Blue Jackets this season have fared:

To recall, the Blue Jackets waived McElhinney after he gave up five goals in a game against the New York Rangers on Jan. 7. The game was - and remains - the only game this season where he has conceded more than three goals.

To that point, McElhinney has now gone 2-2-0 with a .935 save percentage and a 2.11 goals-against average with the Maple Leafs.

Back to Bobrovsky. He is now on pace to start 66 games this season - which would surpass his previous career-high of 58, which he hit back in 2014.

On seven occasions Bobrovsky has started on back-to-back nights. Bobrovsky has won over 68 percent of the games he has played this season, while backups have just a 50 percent success rate.

The Blue Jackets have gone 8-9-1 in the 18 games since their 16-game winning streak was snapped. The team has scored 50 goals in that span and given up 59 against, meaning the offense isn't quite firing on the same cylinders it was earlier in the year.

Getting over anxious about McElhinney appears to have been a mistake by the club. In turn, the Blue Jackets should make it their top priority to acquire a capable backup, because as it stands now it appears Bobrovsky could be the key to a successful playoff run.

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It has all lined up wonderfully for the Minnesota Wild.

Under Bruce Boudreau's instruction, and anchored by veritable Vezina Trophy front-runner Devan Dubnyk, the Wild appear as formidable as they've ever been in a season in which the Western Conference seems oddly susceptible.

The stars have aligned, presenting an opportunity that comes around only ever so often - and one that shouldn't be mismanaged.

It's why we should expect inactivity from the first-place club leading up to the March 1 trade deadline.

Citing lessons learned from his time with the Washington Capitals, Boudreau indicated that introducing a new element, however talented, could throw the system out of whack.

"We made four deals because we thought we were going to go so far we needed the depth,” Boudreau said of his 2010 Capitals, speaking with Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

"The thought process was great, but the realism was that we had a lot of good hockey players sitting out every game and that ruined a little bit of the thing that we had going for us.

"All of a sudden the chemistry is uprooted. We're always striving to get better, but sometimes doing nothing means you're getting better as well."

In seasons past, Wild management has used this time to attempt to fill holes in the roster. But as general manager Chuck Fletcher explained, they see no such need.

"There's a lot less urgency this year just to add. In years past, we've looked to add goal-scoring, we've looked to add size or some different elements we lacked," Fletcher said.

"This year, we have pretty good depth and we're getting contributions throughout our lineup. You want to be careful you're not taking somebody out of the lineup that's helped you get to this place."

The Wild have remained remarkably healthy, which has contributed to the top nine's progression into a stable and highly efficient attack, and prevented the back end from being overworked.

Management could nitpick at the margins, but barring unforeseen circumstances, there's no need to disrupt an arrangement that has the Wild humming along at plus-55 goal differential through 54 games.

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Jonathan Toews seems intent on living up to his All-Star designation.

With two primary assists in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, Toews tacked on to the end of his current surge, collecting his 13th point in the space of nine games.

Toews' run, which began leading up to his contentious All-Star appearance, features four goals, nine assists, and four multi-point outings. He had seven goals and 15 assists in 39 games prior.

Chicago has six wins over the stretch, with 11 of the captain's 13 points coming in wins.

With 0.62 goals and 2.17 points per hour in all situations, Toews is still on track for his least productive season in his 10-year career. But while the points have tailed off over the last three, we should probably expect his numbers to continue climbing toward his career average over the final few weeks of the season - beginning with some reversion to his career-low 8.3 percent shooting clip.

If so, it'll arrive at an ideal time for a franchise that's made a habit of winning championships roughly every other season.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Sunday's slate of games beginning at 6 p.m. EST (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

• C Jack Eichel (50K) & LW Evander Kane (48K), Sabres (vs. Canucks): Eichel is vastly undervalued at just 50K. He has picked up eight points in his last five games. Kane has benefited from a promotion to Eichel's wing, picking up four goals in his last three games. He averages 3.5 shots and nearly two hits per game. Vancouver is just 7-17-3 on the road.

• C John Tavares (75K) & LW Anders Lee (44K), Islanders (vs. Avalanche): The Islanders (17-8-6 at home) have been playing some of their best hockey lately. The Avs have just two wins in their last 13 games and surrender the most goals against per game (3.4). Lee has seven points in his last five games, taking plenty of shots and racking up hits.

• C Ryan Johansen (64K) & LW Viktor Arvidsson (46K), Predators (vs. Stars): Kari Lehtonen started for the Stars on Saturday, so expect Antti Niemi, the owner of an .868 SV% in his last 11 games, to guard the crease Sunday. Dallas is just 7-15-4 on the road, while Nashville is 15-7-6 at home. Arvidsson has six goals and two helpers in his last five games.

Bargain Plays

• C Frank Vatrano (27K), Bruins (vs. Canadiens): Vatrano is coming off a three-point effort against the Canucks. His 65 shots and 32 hits in just 23 games give him a very high floor for someone priced at 27K.

• RW Mikko Rantanen (25K), Avalanche (at Islanders): Rantanen plays for the NHL's worst team, but he does play on the team's top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. The rookie had a hat-trick earlier in the week and now has five points in his last four games. New York could opt to start Jean-Francois Berube on the second night of a back-to-back.

• LW Phillip Danault (25K), Canadiens (at Bruins): Danault is also blessed with first-line real estate, centering Montreal's top line between Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov at both 5v5 and on the power play.

Top Fades

• C Henrik Sedin (54K), Canucks (at Sabres): Sedin is priced at 54K purely on name value. He only has 34 points in 55 games and doesn't take enough shots or provide secondary stats to maintain a stable floor.

• RW James Neal (54K), Predators (vs. Stars): Neal has been demoted back to the third line. He still sees power play time, but it's best not to invest 54K in him even with a matchup against his former team.

• G Jean-Francois Berube (96K), Islanders (vs. Avalanche): If Berube get's the start in favor of Thomas Greiss, don't go near him - even against the Avalanche. He has a 3.27 GAA and an .896 SV% in seven games this year. Both Tuukka Rask and Carey Price are cheaper.

Contrarian Options

• G Anders Nilsson (100K), Sabres (vs. Canucks): Nilsson is the most expensive goaltender on the slate and therefore will likely be faded. However, if he starts instead of Robin Lehner, he could shine. He has a 2.67 GAA and a .922 SV% in 20 games this year. The Canucks are a terrible road team and struggle to score, regardless of the venue.

• C Ryan O'Reilly (64K), Sabres (vs. Canucks): O'Reilly will be faded, only because his teammate Eichel is cheaper and more productive. But if you can afford him, you could be one of the few who reap the benefits if he goes off for a multi-point game - which he is more than capable of.

• D P.K. Subban (44K), Predators (vs. Stars): Subban's first year in the Music City hasn't gone as expected. His offensive production is down, he has a minus rating and he has battled injury. He still comes with a high price tag, but a matchup with Dallas and their awful goaltending could lead to a productive night.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The NHL's recurring issue of ice quality sprung up again Saturday night.

Pittsburgh's Josh Archibald was gifted his first NHL goal when typically sure-handed Arizona Coyotes netminder Mike Smith failed to effectively collect and dispose of a puck iced toward the trapezoid. His blunder led to the first of two Penguins goals scored inside the last six minutes, helping force overtime.

Arizona prevailed in extra time on Connor Murphy's winner, but that didn't eliminate the sour taste lingering in Smith's mouth.

"That play can't happen. I understand that, but that ice is a joke," Smith said, according to Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.

That mistake indeed can't happen when protecting a two-goal lead against the defending champs, but the conditions did appear to increase his plight. The iced puck suddenly lost of all its momentum as it rebounded through the trapezoid. Naturally, that caused Smith to hesitate, but also required him to attempt to pick the puck out of the area using the toe of his blade with Archibald steaming in.

The goaltender explained afterward that these problems are all too common at Gila River Arena.

"You can't play on that (ice)," Smith said. "When you got other teams coming in complaining about it on the ice, we have to skate on that all the time. It's not an excuse, but it's something that has to get better.

"It's like slush out there."

This season, we've heard complaints in Chicago and Pittsburgh and seen a game between the Hurricanes and Red Wings rescheduled due to a malfunction in Raleigh - and, of course, that system in Brooklyn still doesn't meet the NHL standard.

The issue's become so pervasive that it's even spread to Edmonton, where the ice was always flawless at Rexall Place, but is no longer special at the club's new arena.

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