Matt Nieto scored on his first shift of the third period to help lift San Jose to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes as the Sharks halted a two-game skid on Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz.
The Sharks’ come-from-behind performance gets them back in the win column and marks the beginning of a two-game road trip after a 4-2 loss at home to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Kevin Labanc, Nico Sturm, and Jaycob Megna also scored and Erik Karlsson had an assist for San Jose, who had lost four straight on the road to the Coyotes.
Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 27 saves in the win.
Christian Fischer and Barrett Hayton scored goals for the Coyotes, who extended their losing streak to six games, tied for a season high.
Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Chychrun each had two helpers, while goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves for Arizona, who now have the longest active losing streak in the league.
Karlsson got a needed point on Tuesday. His team-record 14-game point streak ended on Saturday night when he was held pointless in the loss to Boston.
Labanc opened the scoring 4:39 into the first period, beating a group of four Coyotes to a loose puck and lifting it up high into the top half of the net.
Hayton scored just under two minutes later to tie it 1-1.
Fischer scored on a breakaway late in the first to give Arizona its only lead of the contest.
Sturm scored 5:59 into the second to tie it 2-2 with a nifty move in the slot. Sturm took a pass from the corner, dragged the puck through his legs to his backhand for a shot. He got his own rebound and chipped it into the open cage.
Nieto scored just nine seconds into the third period to make it 3-2. Alexander Barabanov did the heavy lifting on the play, stealing the puck behind the Coyotes’ net then getting it out front to Logan Couture, who fed Nieto at the side of the net for a tip in.
Megna added the insurance goal late in the third.
–Field Level Media
