Sharks edge Avalanche 3-2 in overtime

SAN JOSE - David Schlemko scored his second goal of the season with 3:42 remaining in overtime and the San Jose Sharks won their fourth consecutive game, beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Saturday night.

Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson also scored to help the Sharks win for the 15th time in their past 16 regular-season home games against Colorado. Martin Jones made 31 saves.

After blowing a 2-1 lead against the NHL’s worst team, the Sharks still ended up with the two points when Logan Couture’s shot was stopped by Spencer Martin and Schlemko knocked in the rebound to give Colorado its first loss in six games decided in 3-on-3 overtime.

Mikhail Grigorenko and Francois Beauchemin scored for the Avalanche, who have lost five in a row and 10 of 11 games.

Martin made 27 saves in his NHL debut.

The Avalanche put good pressure on early in the third in search of the tying goal, but Jones stopped Matt Nieto from in close and Nikita Zadorov hit the post to keep San Jose up 2-1.

But Colorado finally got the equalizer when Marc-Edouard Vlasic cleared a centering attempt and the puck went right to Beauchemin, who beat Jones with a shot from the circle to make it 2-2.

The teams traded goals in the second period with Colorado tying the game when Nathan MacKinnon blew past Brent Burns in the neutral zone to set up Grigorenko for his fifth goal of the season and the Sharks going back ahead when Karlsson deflected Ryan Carpenter’s shot past Martin.

The Avalanche controlled the play early and nearly took the lead when Zadorov’s point shot trickled past Jones.

But Burns cleared it right off the goal line to keep the game scoreless.

The Sharks then capitalized on the power play when Joe Thornton skated out from behind the net and slid a pass through the crease to Ward, who tapped it in for his fifth goal of the season.

Colorado got a chance on the power play late in the period but that was immediately negated when Matt Duchene was penalized for a faceoff violation on the opening draw of the man advantage.

NOTES

Thornton recorded his 18th 30-point season. The only active players with more are Florida’s Jaromir Jagr (22) and Colorado’s Jarome Iginla (19). ... Nieto got a loud ovation after a video tribute in his first game back in San Jose since being claimed off waivers by the Avalanche earlier this month.