Sharks 5, Avalanche 4
Logan Couture scored on a tip-in with 8:31 remaining as the San Jose Sharks scored three goals in 4:29 to erase a two-goal deficit and salvage a split of a home-and-home series with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
Couture deflected Patrick Marleau’s shot past Semyon Varlamov as San Jose (16-10-3) snapped a three-game losing streak and won for only the third time in its last 10 games.
Joe Pavelski’s goal with 11:31 to go tied the game 4-4 after Brent Burns made it a one-goal affair 1:29 earlier.
Michal Handzus and Ryane Clowe also scored for the Sharks, who have won five straight at home over the Avalanche and eight of the last 10 meetings overall.
Daniel Winnik’s goal at 18:21 of the second gave Colorado a 4-2 lead and capped a busy period for the left winger, who also had an assist and a fight for a Gordie Howe hat trick.
Paul Stastny scored twice for his first multi-goal game of the season and Ryan O’Reilly also tallied for the Avalanche (14-17-1), who fell to 0-8-1 in their last nine road games after starting the season 6-0-0 away from home.
The NHL’s best power play on the road scored twice in the first period against the league’s worst penalty-killing unit at home.
O’Reilly banged home a juicy rebound of Stefan Elliott’s shot from the point with 10.3 seconds left to give Colorado a 2-1 lead after Stastny tipped in Erik Johnson’s slap shot at 5:51 to tie game 1-1.