Sharks rally, top Ducks in shootout

ANAHEIM -- The San Jose Sharks scored two goals in the final 9:04 of the third period and defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in a shootout at Honda Center on Sunday.
Timo Meier tied the score at 2-2 on a redirection of Logan Couture's shot with 54 seconds left and goaltender Martin Jones off the ice for an extra attacker. Couture had San Jose's first goal at 10:56 of the third period to make it 2-1, then scored the clinching goal in the shootout after Joe Pavelski scored in the first round.

"We went out on that last shift and the chatter was, 'We are scoring.'" Pavelski said. "We are not going to give up an empty-net goal."
WATCH: [All Sharks vs. Ducks highlights]
Jones made 25 saves for San Jose (30-18-8), which is second in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Calgary Flames.
"It took all 60 minutes for us to get back in that game and come up with the win," Jones said.

Ondrej Kase had a goal and an assist, Nick Ritchie had two assists and defenseman Cam Fowler scored for Anaheim (27-19-11), which trails Calgary by one point. John Gibson made 37 saves.
"That last goal is a tough one to give up," Fowler said of the tying goal. "I kind of left my man in front, so personally I feel a little responsible for that one. Those things happen. We had a chance to get the extra point. Unfortunately, it didn't happen."
Fowler put the Ducks ahead 2-0 when he chipped a loose puck in front of the crease high into the net at 6:28 of the third.
"Despite us being down in the third, we had played well enough that we should have either been tied or up," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said.

The Ducks had a strong first period and took a 1-0 lead on Kase's goal at 2:39. Adam Henrique passed to Kase on his right and he beat Jones to the short side from just below the right circle for his 15th goal of the season.
The Ducks thought they added to their lead when Corey Perry beat Jones during a power play with 18 seconds remaining in the period. However, the Sharks challenged that the play was offside, and the goal was waved off after a video review.
The Sharks outshot the Ducks 14-2 in the second period and didn't allow a shot during the final 13:06 but couldn't beat Gibson. His best save came on a 2-on-0 break by Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi at 1:13. Fowler got his blade on Donskoi's stick just as he shot, slowing the puck enough to allow Gibson to slide over and make the save.
"It started in the second period," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "We had two shots in the second period. At that point, you're receiving the game a little bit. We came out with a little bit more jump in the third, but we have to find ways to put those games away."

Goal of the game

Meier's tying goal with 54 seconds left in regulation.

Save of the game

Jones on Cogliano's rebound try at 4:41 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Couture's goal at 10:56 of the third period.

They said it

"I thought we played an excellent road game, considering the circumstances. This is back-to-back and less than 24 hours from playing last night, so it was a gutsy win." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer
"We had the start we needed to have, but it seemed like we ran out of gas or we didn't seem to get ahold of the pucks. We turned the puck over a few times in the third, where we should've put the puck in. It led to momentum shifts for them." -- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle

Need to know

San Jose forward Melker Karlsson matched his NHL career high with four blocked shots. The Sharks will play nine of their next 13 games in San Jose. Meier has 12 goals since Dec. 1, tops on the Sharks. … Ducks center Antoine Vermette was a healthy scratch for the second time in the past three games. Vermette is second in the NHL in face-off win percentage (59.8), and the Ducks went 30-41 (42.3 percent) on face-offs. Ducks center Ryan Kesler matched his season high with six hits, but went 9-18 on draws. Anaheim defenseman Kevin Bieksa played his 800th NHL game. Kase has five points (three goals, two assists) in the past four games. Gibson is 9-2-2 in his past 12 starts with a .927 save percentage.

What's next

Sharks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSCA, FS-A, NHL.TV)
Ducks: At the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS-D, PRIME, NHL.TV)