Panthers 4, Sharks 1
Jimmy Hayes scored for the second time in as many contests and Roberto Luongo finished with 21 saves as host Florida snapped its three-game winless streak (0-2-1).
Aleksander Barkov and Derek MacKenzie also tallied while Tomas Fleischmann added his first of the season for the Panthers, who returned to their stingy ways after yielding 10 goals over their previous two contests. Rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad notched two assists to grab the team lead in points (eight).
Joe Thornton scored midway into the third period to pull into a tie with Bernie Nicholls for 43rd place on the all-time list with 1,209 points. Antti Niemi turned aside 26 shots in losing his third straight start for the Sharks, who fell to 1-2-0 on their seven-game road trip.
Jussi Jokinen's hustle set up Florida's first goal as he raced to the puck and found Vincent Trochek, who alertly fed an unmarked Hayes at 10:56 of the first period. The Panthers continued to apply pressure and scored 82 seconds later as Scottie Upshall's feed from behind the net was converted from the doorstep by Barkov.
MacKenzie gave Florida a 3-0 lead as he cleaned up a juicy rebound following Ekblad's shot at 6:37 of the second period. Fleischmann redirected veteran Shawn Thornton's centering feed past Niemi at 3:01 of the third before Joe Thornton spoiled Luongo's bid for his 68th career shutout by burying the rebound of defenseman Brent Burns' shot from the point.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Burns notched an assist while playing in his 650th career contest. ... San Jose C Joe Pavelski saw his three-game point streak come to an end. ... Florida C Nick Bjugstad registered two shots on goal in 17:11 of ice time while playing in his 100th career contest.