Dakota Joshua also scored, and Demko made 33 saves for the Canucks (25-18-11), who have won two straight and are 5-1-1 in their past seven. Defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is expected to play for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20, missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury.
"Demko was great, so was their goaltender. I think we could've gotten the puck to the net a little bit more," Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. "In an 82-game schedule, you are going to have these games where you're going to have to grind it and find a way to win."
Tyler Toffoli tied it late for the Sharks (15-34-7), who have lost three straight and are 1-8-1 in their past 10. Vanecek made 22 saves in his first start since Dec 14 (broken cheekbone).
"I thought we competed hard, I thought we worked hard," San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "Our puck play was a little iffy at times, but I thought we did enough to win a hockey game, that's for sure."