DENVER _ Logan Couture scored the go-ahead goal with just over seven minutes left in regulation time and completed the hat trick with 29.5 seconds left to lead the San Jose Sharks to a wild 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.
Just 65 seconds after Colorado's Matt Nieto tied the game 2-2 off a redirection in from the Sharks' net, Couture took a pass from Gus Nyquist, skated toward the Avalanche net and beat goalie Philipp Grubauer with 7:10 left in third period. His third goal came on an empty net, as the Sharks took a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 on Thursday.
Martin Jones finished with 25 saves, including 10 in the third period.
The Sharks took a 2-1 lead into the third period.
Brent Burns' pass attempt from deep in his own end to Joe Thornton was picked off in the neutral zone by Ian Cole. He fed it to Nathan MacKinnon, who charged into the Sharks' zone and snapped a shot past Jones at the 15:51 mark of the second.
The Sharks got off to a slow start, but key saves by Jones on Alex Kerfoot and Sven Andrighetto less than three minutes into the first period allowed his teammates to find a rhythm.
Couture opened the scoring at the 15:24 mark of the first period, as after a second effort in front of the Avalanche net, he lifted a backhand past Grubauer for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Timo Meier increased the Sharks' lead to two just 3:18 later, as he intercepted an Erik Johnson pass attempt through the neutral zone, charged into the Avalanche end and fired a wrist shot past Grubauer.
The Avalanche entered Tuesday on a eight-game home win streak that started with a 3-0 win over New Jersey on March 17 and carried through the first round of the playoffs, where they beat Calgary in game 3 and 4 of that series. The Sharks' won their one game in Denver this season _ 5-4 on Jan. 2. Burns and Joe Pavelski each had a goal and three assists and Jones made 31 saves.
