TORONTO – A couple of clutch plays turned an empty night on the road into a big two points for the San Jose Sharks.
Logan Couture scored the only goal in a shootout, and the Sharks rallied for a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
San Jose trailed 2-0 before Justin Braun and Joe Pavelski scored in a quick burst in the third period. Martin Jones made 29 saves in the opener of a four-game road trip.
"We were upset because we didn't play very well in the first two," Couture said. "I still don't think we were at our best in the third either but it's just finding a way."
Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto, which has dropped five of six. Frederik Andersen made 40 stops.
Jones denied Mitchell Marner, Matthews and Nikita Soshnikov in the tiebreaker, and Couture was successful in the second round.
"We've got to figure out a way to close out these games, figure out a way to put ourselves in a good position like we've been able to do and be able to win," Matthews said.
Coming off their fourth loss in five games, the Leafs got on the board first, with Hyman at the center of the early action.
With Matt Martin in the penalty box for boarding, Hyman got in front of a Brent Burns drive from the right point. The shot drilled the 24-year-old in the left knee, and he had to be helped off by teammates Matt Hunwick and Morgan Rielly.
But Hyman quickly returned to the ice and picked up his fifth of the season, getting his stick on Matthews' quick shot from the left faceoff circle at 6:58 of the first.
Toronto appeared to have a 2-0 lead early in the second, but Reilly's goal was waved off because Nazem Kadri was whistled for goaltender interference.
Kadri and Toronto coach Mike Babcock protested the decision, and Babcock used his coach's challenge. But the call stood.
Kadri said he was "shocked that they called it off."
But Matthews eventually got the goal back with Toronto enjoying a 5-on-3 power play. Matthews' shot from just above the goal line went under Jones' left pad for his team-best 13th of the season at 7:46.
It was the fifth multi-point outing of the year for Matthews, who trails only the Jets' Patrik Laine among rookies with 22 points.
San Jose outshot Toronto 12-7 in the middle frame, wearing the Leafs down with a few sustained stints in the offensive zone.
The Sharks grabbed an early third-period power play and nearly scored when Pavelski found himself open just in front of Andersen. Rookie Connor Brown managed to get a stick on the attempt, sending it over the net and into the crowd.
Braun got San Jose on the board at 12:43, whipping a backhand from the slot over the glove of Andersen for his first goal of the season.
"Big goal by Brauny and then our power play needed to get one," Couture said. "We had too many chances not to."
Pavelski added a tying power-play goal just over two minutes later, guiding a Burns point pass past Andersen. It was his ninth of the season.
"I think third period we were waiting for them a little bit too much, maybe let them take over," Andersen said. "That cost us."
The Leafs had numerous chances to score in overtime, with Jones stopping solid chances for Kadri and Marner.
NOTES: Toronto fell to 10-1-5 when leading after two periods.
UP NEXT
Sharks: Visit Ottawa on Wednesday night.
Maple Leafs: Hosts Arizona on Thursday night.
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