Avalanche 6, Sharks 3
SAN JOSE - The San Joe Sharks' red-hot penalty kill melted on home ice Monday as the Colorado Avalanche rolled to a 6-3 victory.
Center Nathan MacKinnon scored twice with the man advantage as the visitors went 4-for-6 on the power play to hand San Jose a fourth straight home loss to start a pivotal five-game stand at SAP Center.
MacKinnon's 12th goal of the season came just 20 seconds into a hooking penalty by Sharks right wing Tommy Wingels to give Colorado its second two-goal lead of the third period. San Jose took five stick-related minors in the game, including four in the opening period when Colorado struck twice on the power play.
The Sharks tried to mount a comeback by registering the first nine shots of the third period. But instead of gaining the equalizer, San Jose defenseman Brent Burns took a holding penalty. The Avs converted when left wing Blake Comeau scored his sixth of the season at 7:09 with just two seconds left in the advantage.
Sharks center Tomas Hertl scored his fourth goal of the season just 58 seconds later to briefly draw the hosts to within one goal again before MacKinnon notched the Avs' season-high fourth power-play goal of the contest.
MacKinnon capped his second career hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:32.
Conversely, the Sharks' power play went 0-for-3 with four shots during six minutes on 5-on-4 skating.
Colorado scored at even strength just past the midway point of the middle period to take a two-goal lead, but the Sharks responded several minutes later to stay within a goal again at the second intermission.
Avalanche center Matt Duchene beat Sharks defenseman Paul Martin to the side of the net and scored on a spin-a-rama shot that caromed off a skate in front of San Jose goalie Martin Jones. Duchene's team-leading 17th goal came at 11:19 after the Sharks repeatedly failed to clear the puck up the right wall.
San Jose, which failed to convert on either of two early-period power plays, cashed in five-on-five when left winger Melker Karlsson scored his fourth of the season with a blast from the high slot that beat screened Colorado goalie Calvin Pickard at 13:58.
The Sharks were guilty of four stick fouls in the opening period, and the Avalanche made the hosts pay for it by converting twice on the power play to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
MacKinnon snapped a 14-game goal-less streak by scoring his 11th of the season 48 seconds into a hooking minor by San Jose center Joe Thornton. MacKinnon was left alone at the edge of the right circle where center Carl Soderberg hit him with a perfect pass from the left circle at 8:46.
The goal snapped a streak of 21 straight kills over eight games by Sharks' penalty killers, who were 14-for-14 over six games. Colorado scored first for the 10th consecutive game, this after the Sharks registered the first five shots of the game.
San Jose center Patrick Marleau tied the game at 10:07 with his 14th goal of the season -- and No. 470 of his career -- with a shot from the slot that deflected off the glove of Pickard. Right winger Joel Ward intercepted a weak pass by Avalanche right winger Jack Skille to start the sequence.
Colorado jumped ahead 2-1 by converting on its fourth power play opportunity of the period. Soderberg redirected a drive by defenseman Francois Beachemin from the point past Jones at 14:28.
NOTES: Avalanche RW Jarome Iginla came into the game with 599 career goals, one short of becoming the 19th player to score 600 goals. ... RW Joel Ward returned to the Sharks lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury. ... Colorado G Calvin Pickard made his first start of the season after appearing twice in relief. Pickard was recently recalled after backup G Reto Berra went down with an ankle injury. Berra is on injured reserve. ... The Avalanche open a season-long five-game homestand Thursday against Chicago. ... San Jose next plays the second contest of a five-game homestand Wednesday against Philadelphia. ... Sharks C Logan Couture has resumed skating with the team but his return from surgery to repair a blood vessel in his thigh has not been determined. ... RW Ben Smith and D Matt Tennyson were healthy scratches for San Jose while D Nate Guenin and RW Chris Wagner did not dress for Colorado.