SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Logan Couture did it again.
Two days after he had the game-winner in overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights, Couture scored with 2:30 left in the extra session on Saturday to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders at SAP Center.
Taking a pass from Evander Kane, who had driven toward the net, Couture one-timed it past Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov for his fifth goal of the season as the Sharks won for the eighth time in nine games.
Martin Jones made 27 saves for the Sharks, who improved to 11-10-1, the first time they've been over .500 this season.
The Sharks had to kill six minor penalties in the game as Jones made 10 saves on the penalty kill.
The Islanders entered Saturday on a 16-game point streak (15-0-1), as they had not lost in regulation time since Oct. 11 when they were beat 5-2 by the Carolina Hurricanes. New York was also 6-0-1 on the road this season.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the third period.
The Sharks opened the scoring at the 6:38 mark of the second period.
Just moments after Martin Jones stopped the Islanders' Brock Nelson on a breakaway chance, the Sharks created an odd man rush the other way. Mario Ferraro skated the puck across the Islanders' blue line and with a centering pass, found Marcus Sorensen open in front of the net for a tap in goal.
The Islanders got that goal back just 27 seconds later, as a shot from the point by Adam Pelech hit Casey Cizikas in front before it got past Jones.
The Sharks unsuccessfully challenged the goal for goalie interference, resulting in a delay of game penalty.
It was one of four minors the Sharks had to kill through 40 minutes. The Sharks entered Saturday with the top ranked penalty kill in the NHL at 90.2%, as they had allowed just two power play goals in their last eight games (22 of 24).
For Saturday's game, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer once again dressed seven defensemen and just 11 forwards with the belief that the setup strengthens the depth of his lineup.
The Sharks played Tim Heed as a seventh defenseman for the second straight game. Tomas Hertl and Melker Karlsson were both out with injuries, but the Sharks only dressed one forward, Lukas Radil, to replace them. Noah Gregor, who was recalled from the Barracuda on Saturday afternoon, was scratched.
DeBoer liked how the alignment looked Thursday in the Sharks' 2-1 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights, as Kane and Timo Meier both took turns playing with Dylan Gambrell and Antti Suomela on the fourth line.
"I can tell you it's the most comfortable I've been, (Thursday) night, especially on the road against a good team, being able to put four lines on the ice and not have to worry as much," DeBoer said.
Radim Simek was back in the Sharks' lineup Saturday after he was hurt in Thursday's game. Hertl, who suffered a lower body injury in the game against the Oilers, skated Saturday morning.but missed his second straight game.
"It's for sure better than (Friday) and kind of every day a little better. But, still sore," Hertl said early Saturday.
The last time the Sharks had dressed seven defensemen before Thursday was Feb. 15, 2018. With a shortage of forwards available, the Sharks played Joakim Ryan, Heed and Dylan DeMelo to go with stalwarts Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun and Brenden Dillon.
"I don't think it's tricky one night or two nights, but we're going into a stretch of five games in (eight) nights," DeBoer said.
"The extra ice, (forwards) like it. But there's no doubt it catches up to you. There's not many 22, 23-minute forwards in this league that can play a heavy, hard game in the right way and do those type of things. But if that gives the best chance to win, that's what we're going to do."
