SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Captain Clutch was at it again.

Joe Pavelski scored a tiebreaking goal at 18:36 of the third period as the San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 at SAP Center in a Saturday matinee.

Pavelski's 23rd goal of the season, his NHL-leading eighth game-winner, came on a wrist shot from above the left circle after center Joe Thornton won an offensive-zone draw.

"Great players made great plays at the right time," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "And he's one of those guys who thrives in the moments. He wants to be out there in those moments. It's not an accident it happens to guys like that."

The victory extended San Jose's points streak to eight games (7-0-1) and dropped road-weary Minnesota to 1-6 in its last seven outings.

"That is a real tough way to lose a hockey game," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "It's disappointing because at that point, you think you're good to get a point."

In addition to his team-leading 23rd goal, Pavelski enjoyed a three-point game. He assisted on the Sharks' first goal and a key tying goal in the second period.

The team's leading scorer each of the last two seasons, Pavelski has 12 multi-point games this season and broke away from Chicago's Jonathan Toews as the NHL's leader in game-winners.

"That's our leader, our captain, our go-to guy," said Sharks right winger Joel Ward, who scored a goal and added an assist. "He's been there all year, scoring big-time goals. It's impressive to watch."

On the game-winner, Thornton won an offensive zone draw in the left circle, but it wasn't clean. Pavelski scrambled to gain possession and immediately looked to put something on net figuring there might be a screen in front. Even though he didn't get all of his shot, he got enough of it with perfect aim.

"It was right there," Pavelski said. "It kind of worked out perfectly. I don't think he (Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper) saw it until the end. It certainly wasn't going to beat him with the speed. It's a good feeling to see it go in."

Kuemper said, "I looked one way around the traffic and he shot the other way. I felt pretty good, which I wouldn't normally say after giving up four goals."

Thornton had two assists to move into 15th place on the career list ahead of Larry Murphy. Thornton has 930 career assists.

Pavelski's heroics were needed because recently acquired Wild center Jarret Stoll scored his third goal of the season at 12:10 of the third period to tie the score 3-3.

Stoll gained a stride on Sharks defenseman Brent Burns to the front of the net, where the rebound of a hard shot from defenseman Jonas Brodin landed after striking Sharks goalie Martin Jones just below his mask.

"You climb back into it, you have to find a way to get the point," Yeo said. "Scoring three goals is great, but, obviously, you can't give up four."

The Sharks scored twice in the second period to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Ward scored his 14th goal of the season at 13:58 of the second period to snap a 2-2 tie. The goal came moments after left winger Joonas Donskoi missed an open net. Center Logan Couture pounced on the Donskoi rebound, one-timed a backhand pass to Ward, who in turn backhanded a shot past Kuemper.

Donskoi tied it at 13:20 with a power-play goal. Ward fed the rookie with a cross-ice pass to the edge of the left circle, where Donskoi one-timed his seventh goal 1:40 into a Justin Spurgeon hooking minor.

"I thought he was outstanding tonight, maybe one of the best players on the ice for either team," DeBoer said of Donskoi. "He was moving his feet, he's attacking, he's playing with confidence. He was great."

The Wild struck on a late-period power-play goal to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. One-time Sharks property Charlie Coyle tapped in a loose puck with 23.8 seconds remaining in the period after left winger Chris Porter tied it 1-1 at 13:00 with a rebound goal.

"I know we came in down 2-1, but we had that early goal and the energy was there," Pavelski said. "We just didn't find that next one. We let them back in, but guys stuck with it."

NOTES: The Sharks activated LW Dainius Zubrus off injured reserve. Zubrus missed seven straight games from Jan. 9 to Jan. 21 because of an upper-body injury. San Jose assigned C Ben Smith to AHL affiliate San Jose after he cleared waivers to make room for Zubrus. ... The Wild return home to face Arizona on Monday before heading back out on a three-game trip. ... The Sharks play host to Los Angeles on Sunday. San Jose is 4-3-1 on the second night of back-to-backs. ... Minnesota RW Jason Pominville appeared in his 800th career NHL game on Saturday. ... San Jose C Joe Thornton extended his scoring streak to eight games. He has five goals and 17 assists for 22 points while scoring at least once in 16 of his last 17. ... D Matt Tennyson and Zubrus were healthy scratches for San Jose. G Niklas Backstrom, RW Justin Fontaine and D Tyson Strachan did not dress for Minnesota.