SAN JOSE – San Jose chased Anaheim starting goaltender Frederik Anderson in the second period Saturday night on the way to a 6-4 nail-biter victory at SAP Center.
Andersen, sixth in the NHL in goals against average (2.15) and ninth in wins (10) entering play, departed 6:09 into the second period after Tomas Hertl’s fifth goal of the year lifted San Jose to a 5-1 lead. Andersen recorded 14 saves.
The Ducks (33 points) share first place in the Pacific Division with Vancouver. The Sharks, hosting Philadelphia Tuesday and Boston Thursday to complete the six-game homestand, are fifth in the division with 26 points. San Jose is 10th overall in the Western Conference, one point behind Minnesota, two behind Winnipeg.
Hertl’s goal, assisted by James Sheppard, gave San Jose five goals in a game for the third time this season.
That four-goal lead dropped to one by the 4:20 mark of the third period. After holding onto that margin for 14:50, San Jose’s Matt Nieto scored an empty-net goal while the Sharks were on a power play with 49.2 seconds left in the game.
San Jose snapped a four-game losing streak while improving to 2-0 against the Ducks this season.
Tommy Wingels came into the game with 11 points for San Jose, then busted out for four points (one goal and three assists) to pace the Shark scoring.
Logan Couture scored for the first two of San Jose’s three goals in the first period.
Patrick Marleau’s hard shot from the top of the eight circle bounded off the leg of Anaheim defenseman Sami Vatanen, leaving a loose puck in the low slot that Couture pounced on and snapped the shot past Andersen at 9:05 of the opening period.
After Anaheim’s Matt Beleskey redirected Hampus Lindholm’s shot past Antti Niemi to tie the game at the 10:53 mark, Couture went back to work for a second goal at 13:35.
Couture needed a stop at a hospital for antibiotics that afternoon, then was cleared to play by the medical staff before game time. Couture chased down a fumbled pass by the Ducks during a power play, speeding past the defense to record a short-handed goal through Andersen’s pads at 13:35.
San Jose added a power-play goal with 13.6 seconds left in the first period. Joe Pavelski slipped the puck to Joe Thornton behind the Ducks’ net, then was set to one-time Thornton’s crisp pass through the slot for his 10th goal of the season.
Wingels hustled to the front of the Ducks’ crease before redirecting Marleau’s shot from the blueline past Anderson at 2:46 of the second. When Hertl backhanded a shot into the net, Andersen’s night was done and Jason LaBarbera handled the goaltending duty for the rest of the contest.
The Ducks responded with three even-strength goals to trail 5-4 with 15:40 left. Ryan Getzlaf assisted on a pair of Corey Perry goals before backhanding a shot for his seventh goal of the year to complete the Anaheim scoring.
“We stayed composed,” Wingels said of the third period play of the Sharks. “It was a good win for us.”
