Sharks 4, Senators 0

OTTAWA - Logan Couture scored twice and Dany Heatley had an assist in his return to Ottawa, leading the San Jose Sharks to a 4-0 victory over the Senators on Thursday night.

Antti Niemi made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season - and San Jose's first, too.

Patrick Marleau and Justin Braun scored power-play goals as the Sharks converted each of their first two opportunities.

Heatley, who drew both Ottawa hooking penalties that led to San Jose's first two goals, was booed constantly as he played his first game in Ottawa since forcing the trade that sent him to the Sharks prior to the start of the 2009-10 season.

Couture scored the Sharks' third and fourth goals in the first half of the third.

Pascal Leclaire stopped 29 shots for Ottawa, which has lost seven of nine, including a 4-3 loss to Edmonton on Tuesday night.

A two-time 50-goal scorer with the Senators, Heatley was booed loudly throughout his shifts in the first period, prompting chants of "Traitor! Traitor!"

A Heatley No. 15 Senators jersey was tossed onto the ice during a stop in play early in the game but the Ottawa fans' wrath later dwindled to jeering their former star only when he touched the puck.

Marleau put away a rebound for his 11th goal 12:49 in after Heatley drew a hooking penalty against Sergei Gonchar.

The Scotiabank Place crowd of 18,017 found something to cheer about when Heatley was called for high-sticking former linemate Jason Spezza 4:45 into the second.

Their joy was shortlived.

Leclaire stopped Scott Nichol on a short-handed breakaway moments later.

Heatley then drew another hooking call right after he came out of the penalty box. He skated across the ice and got behind the Ottawa skaters to take a puck along the boards before driving the net, where he was tied up by Nick Foligno.

Braun beat Leclaire with a wrist shot from the point after taking a pass from Heatley.

Couture scored 35 seconds into the third and added his second straight goal at 6:14.

NOTES: Heatley first faced the Senators in a 5-2 win in San Jose on Dec. 1, 2009. He had 180 goals and 182 assists in four seasons with Ottawa from 2005-09 ... Senators defencemen Brian Lee and David Hale didn't play ... Ottawa is home to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (7 p.m., CBC, Team 1200).