Sharks 3, Coyotes 1: Logan Couture scored a goal and set up another as host San Jose captured the opener of a home-and-home series.

Joe Pavelski and Matt Nieto also scored while Patrick Marleau notched a pair of assists for the Sharks, who climbed within three points of idle Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games remaining. Antti Niemi turned aside 20 shots as San Jose extended its overall point streak to five games (4-0-1) while improving to 3-0-1 in the season series.

Mark Arcobello netted the lone goal for the Coyotes, who suffered their 11th loss in 13 contests (2-10-1). Louis Domingue made 34 saves as Arizona fell to 2-9-0 in its last 11 on the road.

San Jose grabbed the lead less than a minute into the contest as Couture's shot from the top of the right faceoff circle glanced off Domingue's glove and inside the left post at the 58-second mark. Pavelski doubled the lead exactly five minutes into the opening period, converting a pass from behind the net by Marleau while standing on the doorstep two seconds after a power play expired.

The Coyotes halved the deficit 2 1/2 minutes into the middle session, when Arcobello's pass attempt from the right circle deflected off the blade of Sharks defenseman Brent Burns' stick and past Niemi. Nieto restored the two-goal advantage with 5:50 remaining in the third, when he backhanded a rebound past Domingue from the doorstep.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Niemi made the start after watching the previous three games from the bench due to an illness. ... D Karl Stollery made his debut for San Jose, registering three shots and blocking two while recording four hits and a minus-1 rating in 16:49 of ice time. The 27-year-old appeared in seven games with Colorado over the previous two seasons. ... The Coyotes remained two points ahead of Buffalo for 29th place in the NHL.