SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks recovered fast from Thursday's triple-overtime loss for a decisive 5-1 win on Saturday night at SAP Center.

The question now is can the Nashville Predators recover from the Game 5 disaster in time to save their season on Monday back at home?

"It was pretty visible, wasn't it, that we weren't playing well," Predators forward James Neal said. "We weren't ready to go, I guess."

San Jose's Joe Pavelski scored two goals and Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau and Melker Karlsson added one apiece. Goalie Martin Jones stopped 24 of 25 shots to allow the Sharks to take a 3-2 lead into their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series.

"We've still got some work to do, and they're a very good team," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "I like the fact we're getting better as the series goes. We're getting more contributions and playing well as a team. We've got to carry that into Game 6 because they're not going to roll over and we know that."

Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Thursday back at SAP Center, which was at it loudest of the season on Saturday.

"Our crowd was great tonight," Couture said. "It was loud. They were energized. They were into it. We built off their energy."

San Jose broke it open with a second period that might have been their best 20 minutes of the playoffs.

"I think we were just doing the right things by getting pucks in deep, establishing our forecheck and playing fast," Marleau said.

The Sharks scored 35 seconds into the period by taking advantage of a bad line change by Nashville. Couture scored his fourth goal of the series when he broke in alone on Pekka Rinne and beat the Nashville goalie between the pads with a move to his backhand.

"I was dying for a chance for a breakaway," said Couture, who admitted to thinking five-hole the entire way. "It's a move I've used a lot. I was hoping I'd get a chance to use it."

The Sharks spent a long stretch of suffocating defense as the Predators managed only two shots during the first 10:31. Nashville was awarded the first power play of the night just past the midway point, and after tossing two early shots on goal didn't come close to converting.

Then, late in the period, Pavelski scored his second of the game as it took nine seconds to convert their first power play -- a trip by Nashville defenseman Roman Josi of Couture at 19:13.

Pavelski one-timed a Marleau pass from behind the net past Rinne with 37.2 seconds remaining for a three-goal lead. Pavelski is tied for the NHL's postseason goal-scoring lead with eight in 10 games.

"The guys felt great coming back, having home-ice advantage," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "We took advantage of that tonight. We're happy with the effort, we're happy with the result, but we have one more to go."

The Sharks led 2-1 after a face-paced, penalty-free first period.

San Jose broke the ice at 10:47 when Marleau scored his third goal of the playoffs. Joonas Donskoi was on the boards to support Couture's forecheck that forced a turnover. Donskoi stick-handled behind the net, surprised Rinne with a pass back to Marleau, who squeezed a wrist shot inside the near post.

Nashville struck back at 15:40 as it was the red-hot Mike Fisher scoring his fourth goal in three games.

Sharks defenseman Justin Braun lost coverage of the Predators' veteran center, who scored on the doorstep after teammate James Neal partially fanned on a shot.

But Pavelski came back 1:41 later with his first of the game. Joe Thornton managed a quick backhand pass just before getting checked by Craig Smith that found Pavelski at the edge of the right circle. His one-timer beat Rinne at 17:21.

"I liked our period," DeBoer said. "The goal we gave us was one of those puck-luck goals around the net. To our credit our bench, in those situations all year, doesn’t over-react, doesn’t panic. They get back to work and answer right away.”

Nashville beat Anaheim twice in its seven-game first-round series where a loss would have meant elimination for the Preds. They hope to face that scenario now again against San Jose.

"We knew they were going to push and we didn't push hard enough back," defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "In the playoffs, you need your own push. We had our push a little too late. The bottom line is that we have to win two games."

NOTES: San Jose made its first lineup change in 10 postseason games this spring when F Dainius Zubrus replaced RW Tommy Wingels on the fourth line for Game 5. Zubrus, 37, who last appeared in a playoff game in 2012 with New Jersey, brought 92 games of Stanley Cup Playoffs experience into his 2016 postseason debut on Saturday. ... Nashville made one change, too, as veteran C Mike Ribeiro returned after getting scratched for Games 3 and 4 in Nashville. He replaced rookie F Pontus Aberg, 22, who after making his NHL debut in Game 3 appeared for only 4:59 during Thursday's triple-OT Game 4. ... C Micheal Haley, D Dylan DeMelo and D Matt Tennyson joined Wingels as San Jose's healthy scratches. ... C Cody Bass, D Petter Granberg, LW Eric Nystrom, LW Austin Watson and RW Gabriel Bourque joined Aberg for Nashville in the press box.