Sharks rally past Avalanche, who lose ground in West race

The Colorado Avalanche allowed three straight goals to the San Jose Sharks, who prevented them from keeping pace in the Honda West Division with a 3-2 win at SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Wednesday.

"It's disappointing," Avalanche forward Tyson Jost said. "We had a big opportunity there and we let it slip. It's unacceptable in our dressing room and we know it. It's very unacceptable, especially with the standings and how many games (five) are left."
Jost and Andre Burakovsky scored, and Philipp Grubauer made 30 saves for Colorado (34-13-4), which had won three straight.
The Avalanche fell four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the division and lead the Minnesota Wild by one point for second. Vegas defeated Minnesota 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday.
"It's an important game for us," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "We had a chance to stay within two (points) of Vegas and we've got a number of games coming up that we feel like we have a good chance to win. (We have) another crack at Vegas (on Monday) and now we slip back.
"Whenever you lose, it's always a little frustrating and disappointing, especially when you know you could've been just a little bit better and probably win a hockey game."

Tomas Hertl had two goals and an assist, Evander Kane had three assists, and Josef Korenar made 30 saves for San Jose (21-26-6), which avoided being swept in the four-game set.
"It's a measuring stick when you play teams like this or you play teams like Las Vegas next Wednesday," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "It shows you where your game needs to be and it brings out the best in you. Even though our success against Colorado and Vegas hasn't been great in the standings, I think that it's gotten better as the season has gone on. You know you have to bring your best on nights like this to give yourself a chance."
Jost gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 15:39 of the second period, converting the rebound of Patrik Nemeth's shot with a backhand.
Burakovsky made it 2-0 at 18:18, shooting short side from the right face-off circle off a pass from Nazem Kadri.
Hertl cut it to 2-1 with 13 seconds left in the second, redirecting Kane's pass on a 2-on-0 in front.
"A big goal, and that's exactly what we fed off," Boughner said. "Going into (intermission) down 2-0 is a different situation against that team than a one-goal lead. I was proud of the way we responded in the third period, and we played a pretty solid game up until that point. I thought we did a better job of managing the puck at the right time."
Hertl tied it 2-2 at 2:50 of the third period when he corralled the rebound of Kane's point shot and swept it inside the right post.
Erik Karlsson then put the Sharks in front 3-2 at 9:18 with a one-timer from the left face-off dot on a power play.
"The bottom line is we just didn't come out and be ready to play in the third," Jost said. "I guess we thought it was going to be easy."

After the game, Avalanche players shook hands with Sharks forward Patrick Marleau before leaving the ice. Marleau has played an NHL record 1,776 games; he broke Gordie Howe's record of 1,767 games on April 19 against Vegas.
"Showing a sign of respect to a guy who just broke an unbelievable record," Bednar said. "That accomplishment is something that I still can't wrap my head around, how many games he's played and how many in a row (907), and most of them in a Sharks jersey. It's something that I just don't see happening again. We all recognize that that's a big moment and something that's pretty special.
"By all accounts, Patrick Marleau is an amazing human being, an amazing teammate, and I think they just wanted to recognize him and congratulate him on what he's been able to do."
NOTES:Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon's road point streak ended at 17 games. … Colorado center Alex Newhook, a first-round pick (No. 16) in the 2019 NHL Draft, had one shot and was plus-1 in 13:20 of ice time in his NHL debut. … The loss was Colorado's first in regulation this season when leading after two periods (27-1-1). … Avalanche defenseman Jacob MacDonald had an assist in 14:58 after missing the previous seven games with a lower-body injury. … Hertl, who played his 500th NHL game, has scored at least two points in five of his past six games. … Kane has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his past seven games.