Sharks 5, Ducks 3: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Martin Havlat each recorded a goal and an assist as visiting San Jose handed Anaheim its third consecutive loss in the opener of a home-and-home series.
James Sheppard and defenseman Dan Boyle also scored while Antti Niemi made 24 saves for the Sharks, who completed a 2-3-0 road trip. San Jose scored more than four goals for just the third time this season and first since Jan. 24.
Corey Perry had a goal and an assist, Emerson Etem and blue-liner Francois Beauchemin also tallied and Viktor Fasth turned aside 34 shots for Anaheim, which has dropped three in a row at the Honda Center following its franchise-record 13-game home winning streak.
Burns got things started for the Sharks 5:46 into the contest, when he received a pass from the left corner by Havlat and beat Fasth from the left faceoff circle. In seven games since shifting from defense to forward, Burns has registered three goals and five assists.
Pavelski doubled the lead 84 seconds later, ending a 10-game drought with a turnaround shot from the right hash marks, and Havlat made it 3-0 just 34 seconds into the middle period by burying the rebound of defenseman Matt Irwin's shot from the left point.
Etem and Beauchemin got the Ducks within a goal before Sheppard beat Fasth with a rising shot from along the left-wing boards midway through the third to give the Sharks a 4-2 advantage. Perry again cut the deficit to one with 1:40 remaining, but Boyle scored into an empty net in the final minute to seal the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: San Jose played its first game without D Douglas Murray, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a pair of draft picks earlier in the day. ... Anaheim, which visits San Jose on Wednesday, went 2-3-0 on its five-game homestand. ... San Jose had a goal disallowed just over eight minutes into the third period. While the blade of C Logan Couture's stick clearly was above the crossbar, the puck appeared to deflect off a portion of the stick that was below the iron and get past Fasth. But the call on the ice was no goal, and video replay proved inconclusive. ... Sharks LW Ryane Clowe missed his fourth straight game with a shoulder injury. ... Ducks RW Teemu Selanne appeared in his 1,373rd NHL game, surpassing Teppo Numminen for most by a Finnish-born player.
San Jose | Anaheim | |
Brent Burns 2 | Points | Corey Perry 2 |
Brent Burns 1 | Goals | Corey Perry 1 |
Brent Burns 1 | Assists | Corey Perry 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Antti Niemi .889 | Save Percentage | Viktor Fasth .895 |
Antti Niemi 24 | Saves | Viktor Fasth 34 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
San Jose | 39 | 5 | 0-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 39 |
Anaheim | 27 | 3 | 0-2 | 5-5 | 10 | 40 |