Maple Leafs lose to Sharks, fail to gain in Atlantic race

SAN JOSE -- The Toronto Maple Leafs allowed three goals in the third period and lost for the first time in four games, 5-2 to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Tuesday.

"I think they just kept coming and coming, and a lot of times we just had no pushback," Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews said. "It was tough to get stuff going our way."
WATCH: [All Maple Leafs vs. Sharks highlights]
Evander Kane scored two goals, and Antti Suomela and Stefan Noesen each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (29-33-4), who have won three games in a row. Martin Jones made 25 saves in his third straight start.
"We've kind of made up our mind as a group, and as players, that we want to ruin seasons for some teams and be as disruptive as we can down the stretch," Kane said.
Matthews scored his 46th goal and had an assist for Toronto (35-24-8), which remained five points ahead of the Florida Panthers for third place in the Atlantic Division. Jack Campbell made 33 saves.
"I feel responsible for this one," Campbell said. "When the second intermission came around, I thought we had weathered the storm. But I wasn't able to shut the door on them. That's the bottom line."

Noesen gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead at 5:48 of the third. Andersen made the save on Suomela, but Noesen poked the puck between the right post and Campbell's left skate after the rebound caromed off the glass.
"I didn't think it was going to bounce that much," Noesen said. "I thought it was going to bounce behind the net and I was going to get there first. … It bounced a little further out right to my stick and was able to put it in."
Kane scored 50 seconds later to make it 4-2 at 6:38.
"I'm relied on to produce, bring a positive any way I can to the team on the ice," Kane said. "That's what I try to do every night, whether it's on the score sheet or in other ways."

Radim Simek scored into an empty net with 57 seconds left for the 5-2 final.
"The biggest difference is we've been playing for 60 minutes and not having a good 20 minutes, letting off and giving teams free offense," Jones said. "When we defend hard like that for 60 minutes, we're just a way better hockey team."
Kane gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 6:38 of the first period when he deflected a Brent Burns point shot 30 seconds into the first power play of the game.
Matthews tied it 1-1 at 2:48 of the second period when he scored with a backhand after Martin Marincin floated the puck toward the net from the right point.
Suomela scored his first goal of the season with a shot from along the goal line to give San Jose a 2-1 lead at 3:54.
"Good bounce. I saw a hole and I tried to hit the goalie, and it worked," Suomela said. "It was a really important goal. It's always tough when the other guys score. Good for us to score right away."
Mitchell Marner took a pass from Matthews, played the puck between his legs, and scored with a shot from the slot to tie it 2-2 at 17:27.

They said it

"They dominated us in the second period. They did what they wanted and they won the puck battles. We weren't strong enough to hold them off. We just have to be consistent on every shift." -- Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner
"Over the years, we play our best games against top teams in the League, and I think we've done that especially in the last two." -- Sharks forward Evander Kane on wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Maple Leafs

Need to know

Matthews extended his point streak to four games (three goals, three assists). He trails Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak by one goal for the NHL lead. ... Maple Leafs center John Tavares had his five-game point streak end (three goals, four assists). ... Center Joe Thornton played his 1,100th game for the Sharks. ... Kane extended his point streak to three games (three goals, three assists).

What's next

Maple Leafs: At the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNO, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV)