"Sixteen seconds into their first game in six nights, the Sharks got a wake-up call Tuesday when Columbus Blue Jackets agitator Jared Boll delivered an elbow to captain Joe Thornton's head.

And did they ever spring into action. Sixty minutes later, San Jose skated off the ice at HP Pavilion with its most one-sided victory of the season, a fight-filled 6-0 thumping of the NHL's worst team that saw goalie Antti Niemi make 30 saves to earn a second consecutive shutout.

"It sure was a game you could get emotionally involved in," said Thornton, who responded with a fiery two-goal, one-assist performance to lead a San Jose offense that had been struggling in the weeks leading up to the just-completed NHL All-Star break. "It was a good hit to take and get the two points and move on.""