Sharks 5, Avalanche 1
Rookie Chris Tierney scored for the third time in five games as host San Jose kept alive its slim playoff hopes and all but snuffed out Colorado's chances.
Logan Couture recorded a goal and an assist while defenseman Scott Hannan and Patrick Marleau also tallied as the Sharks pulled within five points of Winnipeg for the second wild card in the Western Conference with five games remaining. John Scott matched Couture with an empty-net goal and Alex Stalock turned aside 19 shots to help draw San Jose within six points of third-place Calgary in the Pacific Division.
Matt Duchene scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who dropped their second in a row and remained eight points behind Winnipeg with five games to play. Reto Berra made 25 saves in defeat.
The Sharks broke a scoreless deadlock with 3:25 left in the second period as defensemen Brent Burns (two assists) unleashed a slap pass that Hannan redirected past Berra for his second goal of the season. San Jose doubled the lead eight minutes into the third, with Tierney chipping home a rebound following a flurry against the netminder.
Duchene answered 53 seconds later on the power play, accepting a crossing pass from defenseman Zach Redmond at the bottom of the right faceoff circle and beating Stalock to the short side. San Jose needed only 78 seconds to restore its two-goal advantage as Couture stole the puck behind the net and found Marleau in the slot for the conversion before he and John Scott scored empty-netters 33 seconds apart.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Burns has collected six assists during his five-game point streak. ... Avalanche C Ryan O'Reilly had his career-high eight-game point streak halted. ... Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body) sat out his second straight game while Hannan went to the dressing room midway through the third after taking a puck to the face.