Game Recap: Ducks vs Sharks 1/20

SAN JOSE -- Logan Couture had an assist in his season debut for the San Jose Sharks in a 5-3 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center on Saturday.

Couture missed the first 45 games of the season with a lower-body injury. The San Jose captain had 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in playing all 82 games last season.

"It almost felt surreal when I stepped down on the ice," Couture said. "My first game in a long time. First game where my son was able to be at for the first period, saw him during warmups. So there are a lot of things going through my head there."

Fabian Zetterlund and Tomas Hertl each had a goal and an assist, and Kyle Burroughs and Jan Rutta each scored his first goal of the season for the Sharks (11-31-4), who had lost three straight. Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves.

"Winning is as good as it gets, especially in this league," Couture said. "I know that we can clean up a lot and play a lot better, but it's still fun to win."

Adam Henrique had a goal and an assist, and Troy Terry had two assists for the Ducks (15-29-1), who have lost two straight and four of their last five. John Gibson made 14 saves.

"It’s a bummer, obviously," Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe said. "I thought we played well, and we had a few good chances at the end to tie it up but that didn't happen. So we just got to move on to the next game."

Filip Zadina appeared to put the Sharks ahead at 17:08 of the first period, but the goal was overturned after the Ducks successfully challenged for offside.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic put San Jose ahead 1-0 at 15:06 of the second period when Couture set the defenseman up for a tip-in.

"We've been playing together for 15 years, so it's nice to have him back," Vlasic said. "He made a nice play and I joined the rush."

LaCombe tied it 1-1 just 15 seconds later at 15:21 with his first NHL goal. Blackwood was initially credited with a save, but video review determined the puck had crossed the line.

Burroughs put the Sharks back ahead 2-1 at 17:33 when Hertl set him up for a wrist shot in front of the net.

Zetterlund increased the lead to 3-1 at 19:32 before Henrique made it 3-2 just 24 seconds later at 19:56 when Terry set him up from behind the net.

The Ducks outshot the Sharks 20-7 through two periods.

"It doesn’t matter how many shots you have, it's the quality of the shots," Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. "And we actually had quality shots we didn't take. Give them credit, they did an unbelievable job blocking shots, and they stayed with it.”

Rutta made it 4-2 at 12:15 of the third period with a wrist shot through traffic. It was his first goal since being traded to the Sharks from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Aug. 6 as part of the Erik Karlsson deal.

"It was actually funny, because before the game he was telling me, 'I'm going to be more offensive today,'” Hertl said. "He was making jokes, but then he scored a goal. I'm definitely happy for him because it's always nice to have that first one."

Mason McTavish made it 4-3 at 15:11 when he scored on the power play.

Hertl scored into an empty net at 19:53 for the 5-3 final.

"I thought we competed all night," Sharks coach David Quinn said. "Even though it wasn't pretty early on, I thought we were competing. Our competitive spirit gave us a chance."

NOTES: It was the first game for Couture since April 13 last season against the Edmonton Oilers and his first point since his assist against the Winnipeg Jets on April 10. He has 701 points (355 goals, 406 assists), fourth in Sharks history, 60 behind Joe Pavelski for third place. … LaCombe became Anaheim’s fourth rookie to score this season. The only other team with as many rookies to score in 2023-24 is the Boston Bruins with five.