PITTSBURGH -- It's not that reaching 1,000 points caught San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau by surprise. He had been creeping up on the milestone all season and had missed a chance to reach it in his last game.

Still, when it happened Saturday night during the Sharks' 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, it took him aback a bit and made him reflect.

"You never know what it's about until it's done and over with," said Marleau, 36, who also got his 1,001st point as he assisted on two goals by defenseman Brent Burns.

"I guess just having everybody coming up and congratulating me and throwing different numbers out there, it starts to take a little bit of shape how big it kind of is. So obviously, a lot of teammates are a part of it over the years and it wouldn't happen without them."

Right winger Phil Kessel scored for Pittsburgh, which had won two games in a row.

The Sharks, who are 5-0 on a six-game road trip, built a 2-1 lead on Burns' goals before defenseman Paul Martin scored his first goal as a Shark at 8:27 of the third period. His shot from the left point hit Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy in the armpit and deflected into the net.

San Jose played without coach Peter DeBoer, who missed the game for what the club described as a personal matter.

Marleau, playing in his 1,349th game, became the 83rd NHL player to reach 1,000 points. He won a faceoff to the left of Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to start the play, which culminated in Burns scoring from the lower part of the left circle on a long rebound of a shot by right winger Joel Ward. The goal gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 7:54 of the first period.

"I was told he is the 83rd player to do this in National Hockey League history," San Jose assistant coach Bob Boughner said. "Boy, you think about the players in the history of this game, to be the 83rd player to do that is something special."

Marleau has played his entire career with San Jose. He was drafted second overall in 1997 -- a draft that was held in Pittsburgh, in the now-razed Civic Arena.

"That's really cool," Marleau said. "Being drafted here and getting the 1,000 points here, there's some significance here in Pittsburgh. It's something I'll always remember."

The Penguins recognized Marleau's accomplishment Saturday, prompting a round of applause for the visiting player.

Pittsburgh tied it 1-1 on Kessel's power-play goal at 8:38 of the second period. Kessel got to a rebound in the crease and had a gaping half-net.

Burns got his second goal and Marleau got his 1,001st point with an assist as San Jose took a 2-1 lead at 13:06 of the second period. Burns' shot from the top of the right circle went between the legs of Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi and past Fleury.

"I was just trying to box out my man so (Fleury) had a clear view of the shot, and it clipped my butt and my lower back and went in," Scuderi said.

Pittsburgh has struggled to score for much of the season. It was coming off back-to-back wins with four goals each but could not sustain its stretch of multiple-goal games despite running up a season-high 39 shots against San Jose, which blocked 22 shot attempts. The Penguins also had six power plays totaling more than 10 minutes, but they could solve goaltender Martin Jones only once.

"We had our opportunities in a close game, but the difference in the game is two pucks off of (our defensemen)," said Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby, who had an assist.

"You look at their goals -- rebounds from shots from both sides. Good things happen when you shoot the puck and you have guys going (to the net), but I don't think that was an area that was too bad (for us). I thought we generated some decent ones. It's more trying to get the second and third chances that are important."

NOTES: Sharks coach Peter DeBoer missed the game due to a personal issue, and assistants Bob Boughner, Steve Spott and Johan Hedberg ran the bench. Hedberg normally works from upstairs. ... Sharks C Logan Couture skated in full gear for the first time since having surgery Oct. 17 to repair a broken leg. ... San Jose scratched RW Ben Smith, C Michael Haley and D Mirco Mueller. ... Pittsburgh showed a video tribute to D Paul Martin, who signed with San Jose last summer after playing for the Penguins the previous five seasons. ... Penguins RW Brian Rust, out since getting an undisclosed injury Oct. 24, is skating and just began working with the puck, which coach Mike Johnston called a significant step. ... For the second game in a row, Pittsburgh scratched RW Daniel Sprong and D David Warsofsky.