Capitals 3, Sharks 2 (SO)
Nicklas Backstrom beat Antti Niemi with a backhand shot in the third round of the shootout as Washington ended its 13-game winless streak (0-12-1) at San Jose.
Eric Fehr and Chris Brown scored in regulation for the Capitals, who had lost six straight overall meetings with the Sharks and 16 of the previous 17. Braden Holtby made 34 saves as Washington pulled even in points with Detroit - which owns the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference - but has played two more games.
Patrick Marleau and James Sheppard tallied for San Jose, which moved three points ahead of second-place Anaheim in the Pacific Division. Niemi turned aside 23 shots as the Sharks got within one point of St. Louis for the top seed in the West but failed in their attempt to clinch a playoff berth.
The Capitals took a 1-0 lead at 11:25 of the first period as Fehr was credited with his 12th goal after his shot was blocked by Sharks defenseman Justin Braun, whose clearing attempt caromed off teammate Matt Nieto and into the net. San Jose knotted it with six seconds left in the session, when Marleau banged in a loose puck on the doorstep.
After a scoreless second session, Sheppard put the Sharks ahead just over five minutes into the third as he blocked a shot in his own zone and chased down the loose puck at center ice before racing in on a breakaway and sliding a backhander between Holtby's pads. Washington answered thanks to another fortunate bounce, as Brown's shot from the slot bounced off San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle and past Niemi with 7 1/2 minutes remaining for his first goal in 14 NHL games.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington extended its point streak to five games (4-0-1) as it completed a 2-0-1 road trip. ... Capitals RW Joel Ward had his four-game goal-scoring streak snapped. ... San Jose, which would have sealed a spot in the postseason with a victory, trails Boston by three points in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.