Sharks win in SO, join Anaheim atop Pacific

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Pavelski netted the lone shootout goal as San Jose edged Columbus, 4-3, and joined Anaheim atop the Pacific Division standings.

A fourth consecutive win gave the Sharks 93 points, matching a Ducks team that is winless in four straight games (0-2-2).

Pavelski used a move to the backhand and beat Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the stick side to conclude the second round. San Jose netminder Alex Stalock didn't have to make a third save as the puck rolled off the stick of Cam Atkinson.

Patrick Marleau scored two goals and Stalock stopped 35 shots for San Jose, which avoided losing four in a row on the road against Columbus.

"One-on-one anytime is fun," said Stalock. "It's a contest, a competition. Whether it's practice or a game, it's fun."

Bobrovsky was beaten three times on 27 shots as the Blue Jackets had their home winning streak snapped at five games. The point gained, however, is valuable with the team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

"We got a point tonight; (we) would have loved to have gotten two, but you've got to look how the team played tonight," said Columbus coach Todd Richards, whose team visits the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. "We played a hard game against a very good team, a hard team."

Only 15 seconds elapsed in the third before San Jose's Matt Nieto swept in the rebound of Marc-Edouard Vlasic's point shot, tying the game at 2-2.

The Sharks snapped a lengthy drought on power plays to grab the lead. A save by Stalock on a 2-on-1 rush triggered a counterattack and Marleau scored off a Pavelski pass at 5:56.

San Jose had been 0-for-18 with the man advantage in its previous six games.

The Blue Jackets had a potential tying goal waved off because of a kicking motion, but they were able to pot an equalizer at 15:02 when James Wisniewski beat Stalock with a slap shot from high in the right circle.

Columbus couldn't connect on a late power play that bled into overtime.

The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead on Ryan Johansen's team-leading 26th goal. He jumped on a loose puck in the high slot after a collision and snapped a shot past Stalock 5:28 into the game.

San Jose pulled even on a goal from Marleau. The veteran was alone in front of Bobrovsky and directed home Logan Couture's dish from the corner at 10:53 of the first period.

The Sharks squandered a chance to move ahead early in the second period on a 5-on-3 power play and compounded the problem by surrendering a short-handed goal.

RJ Umberger was penalized for tripping at the 57-second mark and David Savard joined in the box him at 2:22 for high-sticking. After Columbus killed off the remaining time on the first penalty, the freshly released Umberger handled a pass from Brandon Dubinsky and beat Stalock on a breakaway, slipping the puck through the goalie's five-hole at 3:05.

Game Notes

San Jose improved to 7-1-1 in a stretch that sees the club play 12 consecutive games against East teams ... The Blue Jackets were without forward Blake Comeau, who was suspended for two games Wednesday for hitting Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith from behind.