Blue Jackets 4, Sharks 3: Ryan Johansen scored to snap a tie with 1:37 remaining in the third period as visiting Columbus inched closer to the postseason by recording its sixth win in seven outings.
Mark Letestu collected two goals and an assist, Vinny Prospal had one of each and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 32 shots. The Blue Jackets completed a three-game season sweep of San Jose and pulled even in points with seventh-place Minnesota, which dropped a 4-1 decision to Calgary on Sunday.
Martin Havlat, Joe Pavelski and fourth-liner Andrew Desjardins scored for the Sharks, who suffered just their third regulation loss in 15 games (11-3-1) and fell two points behind fourth-place Los Angeles and remained one ahead of St. Louis. The Kings skated to a 4-3 overtime win over Dallas while the Blues suffered a 5-3 setback to Colorado on Sunday.
With the game tied at 3-3, Johansen gained possession of the puck off a turnover from Pavelski before unleashing a shot past Antti Niemi (18 saves).
Letestu gave Columbus a 3-1 lead at 12:42 of the second period with a blast from the point for a power-play goal.
Desjardins brought San Jose within one at 6:34 of the third period as he chipped the puck past defenseman Dalton Prout before beating Bobrovsky. Scott Gomez recorded his 700th career point by setting up Pavelski, who forged a tie with 5:03 remaining with a power-play goal.
Letestu was credited with opening the scoring with 3:07 remaining in the first period as defenseman Jack Johnson's centering feed caromed off his skate. Letestu also played an integral role on the Blue Jackets' second goal as he intercepted San Jose blue-liner Brad Stuart's pass in the neutral zone before feeding Prospal. The veteran skated in on a breakaway and snapped a shot past Niemi at 4:27 of the second period.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Columbus won the first two meetings with San Jose, both at home, and has outscored the Sharks 20-8 in capturing the last four overall matchups. ... San Jose, which fell to 16-2-5 at HP Pavilion, suffered its first regulation loss since dropping a 5-3 decision to NHL-leading Chicago on Feb. 5. ... The Sharks are 19-2-2 all-time at home versus Columbus.
Columbus | San Jose | |
Mark Letestu 3 | Points | Matt Irwin 2 |
Mark Letestu 2 | Goals | Andrew Desjardins 1 |
Mark Letestu 1 | Assists | Matt Irwin 2 |
Mark Letestu 1 | Power Play Goals | Joe Pavelski 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Sergei Bobrovsky .914 | Save Percentage | Antti Niemi .818 |
Sergei Bobrovsky 32 | Saves | Antti Niemi 18 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Columbus | 22 | 4 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 6 | 26 |
San Jose | 35 | 3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 4 | 22 |