SAN JOSE, Calif. _ The San Jose Sharks came back to tie their game with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night twice in the first three minutes of the third period.
Getting a third tying goal against one of the NHL's better teams right now was a bit too much to ask.
After the two teams combined for three goals in the first 2:50 of the final period, Zemgus Girgensons' goal with 7:45 left in regulation time helped give the Sabres a 4-3 victory, as they ended the Sharks' three-game win streak
Tomas Hertl scored a power play goal to tie the game 2-2 just 44 seconds into the third period, and Marcus Sorensen tied the game 3-3 at the 2:50 mark of the third, just 22 seconds after Jeff Skinner scored to restore Buffalo's one-goal lead.
On the winning goal, Kyle Okposo pressured Erik Karlsson behind the Sharks net enough to force an errant pass to the middle of the ice. After one Sabres shot was blocked, Girgensons picked up the rebound and beat Sharks goalie Martin Jones high to the glove side.
Jones finished with 31 saves as the Sharks completed their homestand with a 2-1-0 record. They begin a five-game road trip against Atlantic Division teams next week, starting with a rematch on Tuesday against the Sabres (7-1-1).
Timo Meier also scored for the Sharks, who trailed 2-1 going into the third period after a Sabres goal that was allowed to stand after an official review by the NHL's Situation Room.
Casey Mittelstadt tipped a shot from Henri Jokiharju from the blue line that appeared to be right around the cross bar. The initial call was good goal, but was waved off after a huddle by the officials.
A call from the NHL settled the matter, as it was determined that Mittelstadt's stick was at or below the cross bar when it contacted the puck, and the Sabres took a one-goal lead with 2:57 left in the second period.
The Sharks allowed the game's first goal for the first time on the homestand, as a wrist shot from Marcus Johansson just inside the right circle squeaked through Jones' pads at the 12:10 mark of the first period.
The Sharks got that goal back at the 16:00 mark thanks to their red-hot power play.
Joe Thornton won a face-off back to Karlsson, who skated it deeper into the Sabres end before he got the puck back to Thornton below the goal line to the right of Sabres netminder Linus Ullmark. Thornton found Meier stationed near the faceoff dot, and Meier fired a wrist shot that beat Ullmark high to the glove side.
The Sharks had gone 5-for-12 on the power play in their last four games before Saturday, which included two goals with the man advantage Wednesday _ both by Evander Kane _ when they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2.
