Eurolanche

Sharks win fourth straight

Defenseman David Schlemko scored 1:18 into overtime, and the San Jose Sharks extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche at SAP Center on Saturday. 

Colorado goaltender Spencer Martin, who made his NHL debut, stopped Logan Couture's shot from the left circle but couldn't control the rebound. Schlemko scored his second goal of the season from close range.    

"Just go to the net and good things happen I guess," Schlemko said. "The rebound came right to me, and I just had to tap it in. I'll take those any day." Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson also scored for the Sharks (29-16-2). Martin Jones made 31 saves. Mikhail Grigorenko and Francois Beauchemin scored for Colorado (13-29-2). The Sharks are 15-1-0 in their past 16 home games against the Avalanche. Colorado is 2-14-1 in its past 17 games this season. 

"I think you got a desperate team," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of the Avalanche. "They're better than their record. They're very skilled. And for us, this is a tough game. This was our fifth game in eight nights. It's been a long week. I feel the fatigue and I haven't played a game. I'm just coaching. We found a way to win. It was ugly, but we found a way." 

Martin made 27 saves and helped keep Colorado in the game. "It's the biggest thrill of my life so far," Martin said. "I'll never forget it. The first few minutes were tough, but after that I settled in."  Ward gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 5:36 of the first period with a power-play goal. Ward took a cross-crease pass from Joe Thornton and tipped the puck past Martin inside the right post. The goal was Ward's fifth of season and third in his past nine games. 

Colorado made it 1-1 on Grigorenko's fifth goal of the season at 10:30 of the second period. Sharks defenseman Paul Martin deflected Nathan MacKinnon's shot from the right circle, but Grigorenko got to the loose puck and beat Jones with a wrist shot from close range.  San Jose regained the lead at 15:01 of the second when Karlsson redirected Ryan Carpenter's shot from the right circle.  The Avalanche tied it 2-2 on Beauchemin's unassisted goal at 10:24 of the third period when he beat Jones from the left circle with a slap shot inside the left post. It was his second goal of the season.

-- by Eric Gilmore for NHL.com --