Joe Thornton scores 400th goal as Sharks rally for 5-4 win

SAN JOSE - Joe Thornton made sure that his 400th goal will be remembered.

Thornton scored the milestone goal just 13 seconds after Joe Pavelski tied the game late in the third period at SAP Center, charging the Sharks to a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators Tuesday night.

In doing so, Thornton became just the seventh player in NHL history to record 400 goals and 1,000 assists while playing in 1,500 games. Pavelski scored the tying goal, his second of the night, with 6:55 left in the third.

The Sharks needed the late-game heroics from Thornton and Pavelski because they coughed up a 3-0 lead by allowing the Predators to score four unanswered goals.

Rocco Grimaldi put the Predators ahead 4-3 at 2:43 of the third by burning past a pinching Joakim Ryan in the neutral zone and beating Martin Jones with a nifty-deke move at the net.

The Sharks put together their best period of the season in the first, outshooting the Predators 18-5 and jumping out to a 3-0 lead.

Marcus Sorensen, who finished the game with three points, opened the scoring at 5:09, intercepting Kevin Fiala’s breakout pass and fighting through a pair of defenders in the slot before going upstairs on goalie Juuse Saros. Pavelski added to the lead on the power play nearly two minutes later, redirecting a point shot from Erik Karlsson in front, the defenseman’s 400th career assist.

In doing so, Karlsson became just the 14th defenseman in NHL history to record 400 assists, joining teammate Brent Burns. Tomas Hertl earned his 100th assist on the play.

Antti Suomela capped off the Sharks’ first-period goal parade at 16:51, blasting an errant breakout pass from Filip Forsberg that caromed off the sideboard into the upper shelf from the slot.

But the Predators made it a game by responding with three goals in the middle frame. Craig Smith got the Predators on the board at 4:43, scoring just three seconds after a Sharks penalty expired. Then, 40 seconds later, Forsberg scored on a breakaway after Justin Braun fumbled the puck at the blue line.

Forsberg tied the game with 2:08 left in the second, sliding the puck under Jones’ pads from the right circle.