The Sharks hit the road for the first time this season, and the road decided to hit back. Starting a quick 2-game trip in Dallas, the Sharks were upended by an injury to team captain Macklin Celebrini in warm-ups, then the host Dallas Stars laid down a smackdown with a 5-0 win at American Airlines center. Star goaltender Jake Oettinger only faced 13 shots to help Dallas win their 1st game of the season.

Things started precariously for San Jose before the opening puck even dropped. Celebrini was a late scratch from the game with a lower body injury but the extent of the injury wasn't clear. The young superstar skated in the warm-up session and appeared to be missing something in any attempt to accelerate on the ice.

Ty Dellandrea replaced Celebrini in the lineup, with Alex Wennberg being moved to the top line, centering Will Smith and Mason Marchment.

The moves proved fruitless as San Jose fell behind late in the opening period, then got roughed up by 3 Stars goals in the 2nd period to put the game out of reach.

Dallas played like a team that is carrying big expectations and that has lost their first two games of the season. The puck spent the majority of the opening period in the Sharks zone with Dallas out-shooting the Sharks 11-2 in the frame.

The Stars clearly controlled play, but they also seemed a bit discombobulated in their coordination. Yaroslav Askarov did a good job keeping the puck out of his net for the first 19 minutes, and his teammates ended up blocking 14 shots in the period. Dallas uncorked 31 pucks if you count shots, blocks and missed shots.

San Jose looked poised to get out of the opening period until an unlucky exchange. Askarov appeared to control a puck, but it slipped past him to the area outside the right post. Miro Heiskanen gathered a Roope Hintz feed on the left side and simply threw the puck to the front of the net. The puck hit Dmitry Orlov in the leg and deflected into the Sharks net for the 1-0 lead.

It was Heiskanen's 2nd goal of the season, which amounts to Dallas total goal output through 7 period this season.

Dallas capitalized on another pin-balling puck 3:17 into the 2nd period after they forced the issue in front of the Sharks net. Oskar Back missed a shot from the doorstep, but the puck deflected right to Joel Kiviranta who threw the puck into the crease from behind the left post, bouncing the puck off Askarov's right leg.

Stars captain Jamie Benn made it a 3-0 lead at 6:19 after Jason Robertson gathered a puck that caromed off the end boards and slid a blind backhand pass to his linemate in front of the left post. Benn stuffed it past Askarov from 2 feet out for his 1st goal of the season.

The hockey gods seemed to tease the Sharks when Tyler Toffoli had what should have been a slam dunk goal, but his redirect attempt from the top of the crease bounced off the left post. It was an apropos representation of the Sharks collective day.

Kiefer Sherwood had a short-handed chance in the middle frame after Sam Dickinson was sent off for holding later in the period. He elected to shoot the puck rather than dish it to a teammate on his left, but his shot sailed side of Jake Oettinger.

Jason Robertson made it 4-0 with an unassisted goal at 16:30 to essentially put the last nail in the coffin. He gloved a clearing attempt before walking the puck to the slot and rifling a shot past Askarov.

Mikko Rantanen scored his 1st of the season late in the 3rd period to extend his goal scoring streak against San Jose to 8 consecutive games.

Game Notes:

* The Sharks allowed 31 shot attempts to Dallas in the opening period on 11 shots, 14 blocked attempts and 6 that missed the net.

* Sam Dickinson made his season debut, replacing Nolan Allen on the second defensive pairing. The young blueliner recorded a holding penalty, 1 hit, 1 blocked shot, 2 giveaways and a -1 plus/minus.

* The Sharks will have two full days off before they play St Louis in Missouri on Thursday night. That would afford Celebrini more time to heal if his injury is minor.

* Patrick Giles cleared waivers on Monday and has been assigned to the Barracuda.

* The shutout was Jake Oettinger's first against San Jose.