SAN JOSE, Calif. _ After clinching a playoff berth Monday, the Sharks coughed up a golden opportunity put themselves within a point of securing home-ice advantage in the first round Tuesday.
The Sharks allowed 40 minutes of dominant hockey to slip through their fingers, losing their fourth straight game as the Dallas Stars scored twice in the third period to record a stunning 4-2 win at SAP Center.
Jamie Benn scored the game-winning goal with 3:06 left in regulation after Gemel Smith tied the game at 2-2 just 2:11 earlier. Benn completed the hat trick at 19:37 of the third by scoring into an empty net.
The Sharks took their feet off the gas with a lead in the third, getting outshot 12-1 in the frame.
The Sharks held the Stars to just five shots in the first period and six in the second. Despite their 30-11 shot edge after 40 minutes, they went into the second intermission leading by just one goal because Benn put the Stars on the board with 30.2 seconds left in the middle frame, redirecting a pass from John Klingberg at the side of the net.
Journeyman goalie Mike McKenna kept the Stars in the game, making 17 straight saves after he came in at 15:54 of the first to relieve Kari Lehtonen, who suffered an injury on a shot to the collar area. McKenna's biggest stop came when he made a stick save on a half-breakaway from Logan Couture, who tried to slip the puck through his legs.
Couture opened the scoring at 9:21 of the first, recording his team-leading 33rd goal of the season with a shot from above the left circle on a Sharks power play. In doing so, Couture set a new career high for goals, eclipsing the 32 he scored during the 2010-11 season. The goal, set up by Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl, also marked the Sharks first tally with the man advantage in 23 tries.
Timo Meier gave the Sharks a 2-0 edge at 15:16 of the opening frame, becoming the team's fifth scorer to reach the 20-goal mark by beating Lehtonen with a shot from a sharp angle. Burns picked up his second assist of the game on the goal. Joe Pavelski also earned a helper on the play.
Dylan Gambrell acquitted himself well in his NHL debut. The 21-year-old logged 9:18 of ice time and produced one shot on goal while going 3 for 6 in the faceoff circle.
The 60th overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft signed an entry-level contract with the Sharks on March 26 after he opted to leave the University of Denver following his junior season, recording 132 points in 120 NCAA games.
