ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jonathan Cheechoo scored two goals, including his team-record 45th of the season, to help the surging San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 Saturday night.

Joe Thornton had three assists and tied San Jose’s single-season record with 53 in only 44 games with the Sharks, 7-1-2 in their last 10 contests.

In the midst of a five-game road trip, San Jose began the night in 10th place in the Western Conference, one point behind Los Angeles and two behind Edmonton. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

Brian Rolston scored the lone goal for Minnesota, which lost to San Jose for the first time in four games this season. It was the fifth loss in five games for the Wild, who fell further out of the playoff chase. Minnesota entered the night nine points out of eighth place.

The Sharks, shut out by Detroit on Thursday, scored 3:39 in when Cheechoo one-timed a shot past the right shin guard of Manny Fernandez. Thornton tied the assist record on that goal.

Rolston got the Wild even in the second period, taking a nifty pass from Randy Robitallie and scoring on the breakaway.

Milan Michalek put the Sharks back on top about 6 minutes later when he tipped a centering pass from Patrick Marleau over the right shoulder of Fernandez.

Marleau made it 3-1 in the third when he took a pass from Thornton and beat Fernandez. The assist gave Thornton his career-high 102nd point. Thornton added his third assist of the night on Cheechoo’s record-setting goal later in the third.

San Jose goalie Vesa Toskala, who has helped the Sharks earn at least one point in 18 of his last 19 starts, stopped 24 shots.

Fernandez, who made his season-high ninth straight start for the Wild made 18 saves.

Notes: Defenseman Matt Carle made his NHL debut for the Sharks, and scored with 17 seconds to play. Carle, a first-round pick in 2003, signed with the Sharks on Sunday after completing his junior season at the University of Denver where he led the NCAA in assists (42) and defenseman in points (53). … LW Scott Thornton returned for San Jose after missing five games with a pulled rib cage muscle. … Fernandez tied the single-season franchise record for games played by a goaltender (50). … Rolston became the second Wild player to score 30 goals in a season, joining teammate Marian Gaborik, who has done it three times.

AP-ES-03-25-06 2232EST