SAN JOSE, Calif. _ The San Jose Sharks had put together three straight solid performances this week. The challenge Saturday was to maintain that level of intensity Saturday against the dismal Colorado Avalanche.
It happened in periodic bursts for three periods before David Schlemko came through in overtime.
Schlemko picked up a rebound after a Joonas Donskoi shot on goal and scored his second of the season 1:18 into overtime for a 3-2 Sharks win over the Avalanche at SAP Center.
Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson also scored and goalie Martin Jones made 31 saves as the Sharks won their fourth straight to cap a perfect week.
Karlsson gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with 4:59 left in the second period.
Sharks center Ryan Carpenter intercepted a clearing attempt by Avalanche defenseman Cody Goloubef and put a shot toward the net that Karlsson tipped past goalie Spencer Martin, who was making his first career NHL start.
The Avalanche got the goal back with 9:36 to go in the third period, as Francois Beauchemin one-timed a shot from near the faceoff circle past Jones to tie the game 2-2.
After starting the week five points back of Pacific Division-leading Anaheim, the Sharks, after consecutive wins over Winnipeg, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, are now one point behind the Ducks with two games in hand. The Sharks and Edmonton are tied for second place with 60 points each.
Ward scored a power play goal early in the first period, one of just 12 shots on net the Sharks had through the first 33 minutes on Avalanche goalie Spencer Martin.
The Avalanche came into Saturday with just two wins, both in overtime, in their last 16 games. Their record was 13-29-1, as their 27 points were the fewest in the league.
"For me, this is more a mindset game," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Saturday morning. "We've been playing some very solid hockey the last few games against some tough opponents, and we have to bring that mindset in here tonight."
The Sharks took a 1-0 lead 5:38 into the first period on Ward's fifth of the season.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic pinched in and kept the puck in the corner to the left of the Avalanche net. He found Joe Thornton behind the goal, who found Ward for the tap-in past Martin.
Perhaps there was a bit of a letdown after Ward's goal, as the Sharks managed just five shots for the rest of the first period.
"We've talked this morning about that potential, and then for me, it's on the group," DeBoer said. "We've got great leadership in there. They recognize those moments. They say the right things. We've talked about it and the potential for what could happen or what might happen."
The game marked the return of Matt Nieto, who was claimed by the Avalanche on Jan. 5 after the Sharks put him on waivers.
Coming into Saturday, Nieto was getting the kind of ice time with the Avalanche that was tough to come by earlier this season with the Sharks as he had averaged 16:12 of ice time in the five games he's played with his new team.
Nieto, who had a goal, an assist and eight shots on goal in his first five games with Colorado. was on the Avalanche's second line Saturday with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog.
_Forward Timo Meier missed his second straight game with an upper body injury. Mikkel Boedker was on the second line with Couture and Donskoi and Kevin Labanc was on the third line with Chris Tierney and Ward.
_Forward Tomas Hertl, now cleared to take part in contact practices, is getting "very close" to a return, DeBoer said Saturday morning.
Hertl was skating close to full speed early Saturday and doesn't feel as if he's too far away from playing in a game. He will need to participate in a full contact practice before he's cleared to play.
"I think it's almost day-to-day now," Hertl said. "... I think I'm pretty close but we'll see how it goes the next couple days. I believe it'll be playing soon now."
After the Sharks play in Denver on Monday and in Winnipeg on Tuesday, they return home to face the Oilers on Thursday before the start of the NHL all-star break.
"Looks great. I don't know if that's a testament to our group or his progress, but he looked fantastic out there," DeBoer said. "He's getting very close. We're starting to talk about him on a daily basis, which is a good sign."
