Devils 2, Sharks 1
Ilya Kovalchuk netted his second game-winning goal in as many days as he snapped a tie with just under four minutes remaining in the third period to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 triumph over the visiting San Jose Sharks on Friday.
Brian Rolston leveled the contest at 1-1 midway through the third period as New Jersey (22-30-4) improved to 12-1-2 in its last 15 games.
Johan Hedberg turned aside 31 shots to record his first career victory (1-3-0) against the Sharks. The 37-year-old Swede improved to 9-10-2 on the season.
With the game tied at 1-1, Travis Zajac won a faceoff in the offensive zone. Kovalchuk collected the puck and wired a shot past Antti Niemi for his 19th goal of the season at 3:59 of the third period.
The 27-year-old Russian, who also assisted on Rolston's tally, extended his scoring streak to seven games. Kovalchuk, who also netted the overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, now has five goals and four assists during that stretch.
Patrick Marleau netted his second goal in as many games for San Jose (30-20-6), which saw its five-game winning streak come to an end.
Making his 11th straight start, Niemi finished with 21 saves to suffer just his second loss in his last nine decisions. The second-year netminder has yielded just four goals in as many contests.
Marleau opened the scoring at 6:08 of the third period, but Rolston evened the contest nearly three minutes later with his eighth goal of the season.