Schlemko notched a pair of power-play assists -- his first points of the season -- in Thursday's 3-1 win over Columbus.

EDGE Analysis

He did so despite playing only 14:17 -- easily the lowest mark among Sharks defensemen. A mere one minute of that was power-play time, but that's really just a testament to the efficiency Schlemko and his mates showed on the man advantage. The 29-year-old has been seeing steady minutes on the power play, but it still took him eight games to earn his first points with San Jose. He's largely being deployed as a specialist, so Schlemko's even-strength minutes are rather limited on the third defensive pairing, but continued special-teams usage alongside the team's most talented skaters should yield more production before long.