Couture scores twice in Sharks' 5-2 victory over Canadiens

 Logan Couture credited a teammate for scoring his second goal. He took credit for the first one.

Couture scored a pair of goals and the San Jose Sharks extended their dominance of the Montreal Canadiens with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl also scored for the Sharks, who have won the past 11 home games against the Canadiens, a streak that dates to Nov. 23, 1999.

On a power play late in the third period, rookie Tim Heed took a shot off a face-off that bounced free in front of the net. Pavelski couldn't get his stick on it but managed to kick it across the net for Couture, who found a huge opening.

"That was pretty special," Couture said. "I don't know if he knew I was there but he kept his balance and kicked it over."

Couture opened the scoring 3:30 into the first period, grabbing a rebound off the back board, skating across the front of the net to get Price to commit and then firing into an open net.

Jonathan Drouin and Shea Weber scored for the Canadiens, who are winless since an opening night victory at the Buffalo Sabres.

"It's a very poor start from our team, from myself, from a lot of individuals," Canadiens' Max Pacioretty said. "It's a good time to look in the mirror and see what we're made of because a lot of people are probably doubting this team right now."

Martin Jones stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Sharks, who finish their season-opening homestand with a 2-3 record.

"The biggest thing is finding that energy for the whole game," Jones said. "We started OK and then we got better as the night went on."

Carey Price, who stopped 31 of 35 shots, fell to 2-7-1 in 10 games against the Sharks.

The Canadiens responded 36 seconds later when Drouin picked up a pass from Artturi Lehkonen close in and fired it over Jones' left shoulder and into the net.

Pavelski gave the Sharks the lead for good when he redirected Kevin Labanc's shot just under a minute into the second period. The shot hit Weber's left shin pad and bounced into the net.

"There were a lot of good things out there," Pavelski said. "We didn't have the homestand we wanted but we can leave on a positive note to take on the road."

Hertl padded the lead midway through the second on a power play. Standing on the right side of the net, he was trying to control a pass from Joe Thornton but the puck fluttered off his stick and got behind Price.

"I'll take it any way I can get it," Hertl said. "There are times I've had great shots that just bounced off the post."

Weber's power-play goal two minutes later kicked off Jones' skates for the score.

The Sharks needed five seconds to score on a power play late in the second period. Tim Heed shot on goal and it bounced off Pavelski's skate. Couture picked it up and found a huge opening.

NOTES: After allowing three power play goals over their first five penalty kills, the Sharks killed off 14 straight until Weber scored in the second period. ... Couture recorded his 24th career multi-goal game. ... Sharks D Tim Heed recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Couture's power-play goal. ... Brendan Gallagher needs one assist for 100 with the Canadiens.

UP NEXT:

Canadiens: plays at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in their second back-to-back of the season.

Sharks: open a five-game road trip on the east coast with a game at the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

Kopitar scores twice to lead Kings past Sharks, 4-1

 Anze Kopitar had two goals, Dustin Brown and Nick Shore also scored and the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Saturday night.

Jonathan Quick stopped 24 of 25 shots to earn the victory for the Kings, who won their road opener for first-year coach John Stevens.

Mikkel Boedker scored for the Sharks, who have lost their first two home games. Martin Jones, a former Kings goalie, turned back 25 of 29 shots before he was replaced by Aaron Dell with 5:55 left in the second period.

The teams traded goals in the first 6:14 of the contest. Brown took a pass from Kopitar and flipped a shot off Jones' left shoulder pads and into the net.

Boedker redirected a shot by Brenden Dillon in front of the net to get it past Quick. The goal was set up by Jannik Hansen's steal near the net. Hansen got it out to Dylan DeMelo to start the scoring sequence.

It was all Los Angeles afterward. Kopitar scored with eight seconds left in the first period after Drew Doughtyknocked down a lazy clearing pass and got the puck to Jake Muzzin. Kopitar took the pass and sailed the puck low, beating Jones to the stick side.

Kopitar scored again midway through the second period, this time shooting over Jones' right shoulder and into the net.

The Kings added an own goal, credited to Shore. Jones came out to challenge a shot but was unable to control the puck. Shore got it and sent a slow shot toward the net.

Melker Karlsson tried the clear the puck but sent it into the net instead.

NOTES: Neither team has swept a season series in the rivalry. ... Sharks C Joe Thornton has 75 career points against the Kings. ... Shore is the only player to record a point in the Kings' first two games.

UP NEXT

Kings: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

Sharks: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Simmonds scores hat trick in Flyers' 5-3 win over Sharks

 Wayne Simmonds scored his second power-play goal to break a tie with 10:33 remaining and completed an opening-night hat trick with an empty-netter as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Wednesday.

Claude Giroux and Jordan Weal also scored to get the Flyers off to a good start after missing the playoffs last season. Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere each had three assists for Philadelphia.

Brian Elliott made 32 saves in his first game with the Flyers after signing a $5.5 million, two-year contract this summer.

Kevin Labanc became the first San Jose player to score two goals in the opening period of the season but also was called for three minor penalties that all led to goals for the Flyers. Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who had won seven straight openers.

Martin Jones made 26 saves in San Jose's first game without Patrick Marleau since April 7, 2009. Marleau, the franchise's career leading scorer, left as a free agent to sign with Toronto in July.

The Sharks were searching for ways to replace Marleau's 27 goals and Labanc delivered with his two. But his penalties hurt the cause, including a tripping call in the offensive zone that set up the game-winner.

Just 6 seconds after Labanc went into the box, Simmonds tipped Voracek's point shot past Jones to make it 4-3. Simmonds then sealed it with his empty-net goal in the final minute.

Simmonds also scored on the power play in the second period after another Labanc penalty to give the Flyers the lead, but San Jose tied it early in the third when Couture's pass deflected off Andrew MacDonald's skate and past Elliott for the equalizer.

Jones got off to a rough start for the Sharks, giving the puck away to Voracek on a clearing attempt. That led to Giroux's goal to open the scoring. Jones also got caught too deep in net when Weal scored on a rush on the power play to make it 2-0.

Labanc showed why coach Peter DeBoer put him on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski by scoring twice in the final three minutes of the period. He batted a rebound in midair past Elliott for his first goal and then scored on a wrister from the top of the circle on the power play to tie it in the final minute of the first.

NOTES: Brent Burns assisted on Couture's goal for his 500th career point. ... The last Sharks player to score twice in an opener was Tommy Wingels in 2014 against Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Sharks: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Dell, Sharks shut out Ducks

Aaron Dell made 24 saves, and Daniel O'Regan, Mikkel Boedker, Kevin Labanc and Brandon Bolligscored in the second period of a 5-0 win for the San Jose Sharks against the Anaheim Ducks in the preseason opener for each team at SAP Center.

Filip Sandberg scored in the first period. Barclay Goodrow and Tim Heed each had two assists.

Reto Berra made 31 saves for the Ducks.

Smith saves penalty shot, Coyotes beat Sharks in shootout

There's something about the San Jose Sharks that brings out the best in Mike Smith and the Arizona Coyotes.

Smith stopped Joe Pavelski in the third round of the shootout to preserve the Coyotes' 3-2 victory over the Sharks on Saturday night.

The Coyotes became the first team to beat the Sharks three times this season, improving to 3-0-1 against them.

"Mike Smith plays well against them. He's really played well," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "I think that's the biggest key, but it's a rivalry game and they're fun games to be involved in."

Smith made 38 saves, including six during a power play in overtime.

Brendan Perlini and Radim Vrbata scored in the tiebreaker for Arizona, and Logan Couture broke through for San Jose.

Shane Doan and Ryan White scored in regulation for the Coyotes, who snapped a two-game skid.

"The whole thing started with Smitty getting bumped and being down 5-on-3 for 2:06," Doan said. "Getting through that definitely creates a little emotion and got Smitty going."

Brendan Dillon and Couture scored and Martin Jones finished with 26 saves for the Sharks, who had won eight of nine.

"You have to make them pay on the power play and we didn't do that," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "You have to give Smith credit. He always plays well against us."

Following a scoreless first period, in which Arizona killed off the 5-on-3 penalty, Doan put the Coyotes ahead with a power-play goal midway through the second period.

Dillon scored his first goal of the season with 2:45 left in the second to tie it.

Couture punched in a puck on a rebound in front of the net to give the Sharks a 2-1 advantage early in the third period that lasted all of 26 seconds.

The go-ahead goal was set up when Mikkel Boedker blocked a clearing pass.

White scored an unassisted goal shortly after to tie the score again.

"That's a tough one to give up on the next shift," Couture said. "You never want to do that. Kind of kills the momentum for the team and drains the energy out of the building. It's something we don't want to continue."

The game remained tied through regulation thanks in part to some nice goaltending on both sides. One Sharks scoring opportunity late was swiped away in front of the net by Doan.

Doan did give the Sharks a power-play opportunity in overtime after tripping Tomas Hertl with 2:51 remaining.

"Shane took two bad penalties, but fortunately our PK came through," Tippett said. "The 5-on-3 kill in the first, and the one in overtime was huge."

Jones laid himself out to stop a Coyotes' scoring chance with 35 seconds remaining.

"That was a fantastic save. It got us a point," DeBoer said. "But a breakdown like that you can't happen so late."

NOTES: With the Coyotes scoring first, it snapped a nine-game streak in which the Sharks scored first. ... Doan scored his first goal in 17 games. ... White scored his third goal in seven games since returning from injury. ... The Sharks' Patrick Marleau has a six-game points streak. ... Couture has points in seven of his last eight games.

UP NEXT

Coyotes: Host Montreal on Wednesday night.

Sharks: At Buffalo on Tuesday night in the opener of an East Coast trip.

Hertl scores 2 to lead Sharks past Blue Jackets

 Tomas Hertl made sure to keep the Sharks on track, helping San Jose overcome a power outage in the second period and having a goal disallowed early in the third.

Hertl had two goals and Joonas Donskoi also scored to lead the Sharks to a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

"There were a couple things there out of our control, but I thought considering that, we stuck with it and found a way," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "You coach junior hockey in Canada for 15 years, you see your share of power outages."

Martin Jones stopped 24 shots to help the Sharks improve to 3-0 at home.

Scott Hartnell scored for the Blue Jackets, who lost for the second straight game. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves.

Hartnell spoiled Jones' shutout bid with 2:50 remaining as the puck skipped off Jones' skate and onto Hartnell's stick and he put it in to make it 2-1.

"I though we played well. We just have not been consistent enough offensively," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "We don't have enough offensive guys going right now."

Hertl added an empty net goal in the final second.

Donskoi scored his first goal of the season, on a power play with 7:01 left in the first period after taking a pass from David Schlemko and knocking it in off the bottom of Bobrovsky's glove and having it bounce into the net.

"My last year in Finland, the ice broke a couple of times," Donskoi said of the power outage. "That was even worse. There was maybe a 1 1/2, two-hour delay in the game, and we just kept going after that. I don't think this was too bad."

After a goal by Brenden Dillon was disallowed due to offsides following a lengthy review early in the third period, the Sharks scored another power-play goal with Hertl converting on a rebound to make it 2-0.

"A lot bad bounces and they just capitalized," Columbus' Josh Anderson said. "It was just unfortunate they had one on the power play too. I thought we came out the way we wanted but we got away from our game a little bit there."

The lights over the ice went out with 2:42 left in the second period, forcing an early intermission. The time was added to the beginning of the third period, with the teams switching sides after 2:42.

"It was definitely a long game," the Sharks' Joel Ward said. "I don't know what time it is right now but with that and the disallowed goal it felt like a triple overtime type of game. Haven't seen that before, but hopefully since we won maybe it happens again and we can capitalize."

NOTES: Schlemko recorded his first point with the Sharks. ... Bobrovsky is one of two goalies to have played all of their team's minutes this season. ... Sharks F Patrick Marleau appeared in his 550th consecutive game. ... The Sharks are 4 for 10 in power plays at home. ... Ryan Murray missed his third straight game with an upper body injury.

UP NEXT:

Blue Jackets: Complete a four-game road trip Friday night at Anaheim.

Sharks: End a three-game homestand against Nashville on Saturday night.

Sharks' Vlasic scores game-winner in OT

Marc-Edouard Vlasic had his mind made up as soon as he picked up the loose puck.

"There was nobody back there, just went for it," Vlasic said. "I wasn't going to pass it, I was on a breakaway. I was just trying to put it in the back of the net. Put my head own, breakaway, cutting across and I was able to put it in."

Vlasic scored 1:24 into overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

Joe Pavelski also scored for the Sharks, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

"There's a lot of good little things that we did well," Pavelski said. "We were on the attack, we just weren't cashing in or getting that bounce. The biggest thing was just, let's go win a period. It started off right and took until overtime to get one."

Chris Wagner scored for the Ducks, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

"We had straight `A' chances that we missed," Wagner said. "We got a point though."

Goaltender Jonathan Bernier, in just his second game with the Ducks, left the game following the first period with an upper body injury. He stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced.

John Gibson, who led rookies in goal against average and shutouts last season, came on and stopped the first 25 shots he faced before allowing Vlasic's goal in a 1-on-1 situation.

"I thought both goaltenders and our penalty kill got us a point," Ducks coach Randy Caryle said. "We didn't create enough offense. We slapped the puck around and uncharacteristically didn't move the puck well."

Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped 19 of 20 shots and improved to 3-5 all-time against the Ducks.

Pavelski gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, stuffing a loose puck into the net, which came loose during the exchange. A review confirmed the goal.

Wagner tied the game late in the second period. Clayton Stoner tried a long shot from the left that bounced in front of Jones, who could not cover before Wagner slapped it into the net.

NOTES: San Jose's Joe Thornton entered the game with 70 points in 76 games against the Ducks. ... Pavelski has points in five of the first seven games. ... Wagner has two goals in his last three games. ... Bernier is 1-4-1 in eight games against the Sharks.

UP NEXT:

Ducks: Have played six of their first seven games on the road and host Nashville on Wednesday night.

Sharks: Opened at home and then played five straight on the road. They host Columbus on Thursday night.

Howard, Nyquist lead Red Wings over Sharks 3-0

 Jimmy Howard and Gustav Nyquist may be rebounding after each disappointed in 2015-16.

Howard made 30 saves and Nyquist scored twice, helping the Detroit Red Wings beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0 on Saturday night.

Howard lost the No. 1 goaltender job to Petr Mrazek last season, and Nyquist slumped to 17 goals after combining for 55 the previous two seasons.

"I feel like it's coming there," Howard said of his game. "The little things we've been working on. Little bit more patience."

Howard was spectacular in a 2-1 road win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, and Nyquist has three goals in his last two games.

"It's always nice to score goals and it's nice to see the team play the way we did on a back-to-back," he said. "I thought we came out and skated really hard and seemed to have a lot of energy. That was good to see."

The Red Wings beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Friday night.

Andreas Athanasiou also scored for Detroit, which won its fourth straight after losing its first two games of the season.

"Our play. I thought we were on our game pretty good," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "The back-to-back when you don't travel, I don't think is as big a deal, but I just thought we did a real good job of getting back above the puck, creating turnovers. I thought we played real fast, I thought we attacked up the ice fast so our speed looked good."

San Jose goalie Martin Jones stopped 29 shots. The defending Western Conference champions have lost three of four.

"We just aren't dedicated to defense the way we were last year," Logan Couture said. "We're not playing well, and we're lucky to be 3-3-0 at this point. We just have to play better. That's all it is."

Howard got his 23rd career shutout and his first this season.

Nyquist scored twice in the second period to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. He has three goals on the season.

He beat Jones 4:14 in from the right circle to complete a 2-on-1 rush. Nyquist's next goal came with 4:40 left, putting a shot off Jones and into the net from the inside part of the right circle.

San Jose defenseman Brent Burns hit the goal post on a backhand shot from the left circle as time ran out in the second period.

Red Wings defenseman Mike Green blocked Joe Thornton's shot from the bottom of the left circle with an open Detroit net behind him 4:36 into the third period.

"We were late everywhere tonight, and when you are a step behind a team like that, they are going to take advantage," San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said. "We talked about their transition game, and then we gave away the puck and played right into their hands."

Athanasiou was placed in the lineup after Justin Abdelkader was a late scratch. Athanasiou scored 6:05 into the third with a slap shot from the top of the left circle off the rush that beat Jones high on the far side. It was Athanasiou's first goal of the season.

NOTE: San Jose concluded a five-game road trip. ... Detroit also played Friday night - a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators - and only a few players participated in an optional morning skate Saturday. ... This DeBoer's last trip to Joe Louis Arena, where he began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League in the early 1990s with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings (now the Flint Firebirds).

UP NEXT

Sharks: Host Ducks on Tuesday.

Red Wings: Host Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Penguins rally in 3rd, top Sharks 3-2 in Stanley Cup rematch

Down two goals - and even worse, down two defensemen - after two periods on Thursday night against San Jose, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan offered his players a much-needed reminder.

"You can win ugly in this league," Sullivan told them.

The Stanley Cup champions responded with 20 minutes of grit against an opponent only too familiar with how deep the Penguins can dig when the moment requires.

Evgeni Malkin, Scott Wilson and Patric Hornqvist scored in a 7:15 span in the third period to lift the Penguins to an unlikely 3-2 victory in a rematch of last June's Stanley Cup Final. Hornqvist and Malkin both finished with a goal and an assist while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots to buy the Penguins time until the offense finally got going.

"We played right," Malkin said. "We moved the puck quickly. We shot the puck. . We did the right things. There were lucky goals, off the post, off the goalie. It's not pretty, but it's important goals."

Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, who controlled the first 40 minutes and appeared well on their way to a one-sided victory before falling apart late. Martin Jones made 17 saves but saw the play in front of him break down in the third.

"This league is really a race to three goals, that's pretty much how it works, and we couldn't get the third goal," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "Again, let them hang around, which is something we've done lately."

The Penguins captured the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup in an entertaining final last June, finishing off the Sharks in Game 6 in San Jose. If San Jose wanted a glimpse at just how close it came to its first title, they need only look toward the rafters at PPG Paints Arena during warmups to get a look at the banner the Penguins raised last week.

San Jose insisted Thursday had nothing to do with revenge or any sense of payback. Last June is gone. For now the Sharks are still trying to find an identity even with nearly the same roster back for another run.

They're off to a hot start and certainly looked fresh playing for the third time in four days on the road. Not so much Pittsburgh, which failed to generate anything in a shutout loss in Montreal on Tuesday. It looked like more of the same 48 hours later with captain Sidney Crosby (concussion) and defenseman Kris Letang (upper body) out of the lineup.

Hertl gave San Jose a 1-0 lead 5:04 into the second thanks to a strange sequence in which Fleury lost control of his stick when a shot from Brent Burns smacked off the handle. The puck was briefly cleared but as Fleury tried to chase the stick down, the Sharks rushed back into the zone and Hertl eventually jammed a rebound off a shot by Joe Pavelski past the stickless goaltender.

San Jose's lead doubled shortly after Hornqvist's goal was overturned, stripping Chris Kunitz to create a 2-on-1 that ended with him taking a pass from Logan Couture and burying it by Fleury.

Things changed quickly even with Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta unavailable after leaving with undisclosed injuries.

Malkin's second of the year - a shot from between the circles 6:47 into the third - got Pittsburgh started. Wilson tied it 2:14 later when he collected the puck from the corner and darted to the net before slipping a backhand by Jones.

Hornqvist completed the comeback by slamming a rebound by Jones on the power play to give the Penguins the lead. Sullivan praised his defensemen while also giving credit to Malkin, Kunitz, Hornqvist and Phil Kesselfor fueling an improbable comeback.

"They played inspiring hockey," Sullivan said. "They played the right way in the third period and they were hard to handle because of it. When those guys play that way, they give us a chance to win."

NOTES: Crosby did not skate Thursday, a scheduled day off. ... The Penguins also scratched Conor Sheary(eye). ... San Jose scratched Fs Michael Haley and Ryan Carpenter and D Dylan Demelo. ... The Penguins went 1 for 5 on the power play. The Sharks were 0 for 3.

UP NEXT

Sharks: wrap up a five-game road trip Saturday at Detroit.

Penguins: visit Nashville on Saturday.

Pavelski's late goal lifts Sharks past Islanders 3-2

Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton helped the San Jose Sharks get a big win after a rough loss across town the previous night

Pavelski scored with 2:11 left to lift the Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.Melker Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also scored to help the Sharks win for the third time in four games.

Thornton set up both the tying and winning goals by sending the puck at the net, with the first going in off Hertl's leg late in the second period. On the winning goal, Thornton sent a pass into the slot and Pavelski deflected it in.

"He buys that extra second and allows you to get open," Pavelski said of Thornton. "When you get open, he puts it in the spot you want and it's good to see that one go in for sure.:

Pavelski got his fifth point in two games after having a goal and three assists in the Sharks' 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. The veteran forward liked the way his team bounced back against the Islanders.

"That was a lot better," Pavelski said. "We still haven't had a whole lot of time together. It's going to keep coming and each night's a little different. We just forechecked a lot better tonight."

Brent Burns also had two assists giving both him and Thornton five on the season. Aaron Dell stopped 21 shots to win his NHL debut, with the last stop coming on Brock Nelson's slap shot in the final second.

"It took to the very last second to make it real there," Dell said. "I didn't really realize it until after I got off (the ice), so that was crazy. ... It's nice to get that one out of the way. Now we got to move forward here and finish the rest of this trip off."

The 27-year-old Dell, who appeared in 157 games in the CHL, ECHL and AHL, said he didn't change his approach for his first game in the NHL.

"I tried not to think about it too much," he said. "Just do the same things I always do and it really wasn't too bad. I've played enough games that I can just do the same thing every time."

Anthony Beauvillier and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, and Jaroslav Halak finished with 24 saves. New York lost for the third time in four games.

"We could have put more shots on net tonight at certain spots in the game," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "But they are good hockey team. We're there 2-2 and we didn't get the bounce in the third."

The Islanders trailed 1-0 after getting outplayed in the first period, but picked it up in the second and took the lead with two goals 2:10 apart in the middle of the period.

Beauvillier, one of the Islanders' two 19-year-old rookies, tied it with his first career goal at 9:39. Driving to the net, his first shot was stopped by Dell, but he reached out and backhanded the rebound in the air over Dell's glove and in.

"Had a good bounce and it went in," Beauvillier said. "It felt good. Would have been better with a win. ... I'm just happy to have my first one so I can move on from here and get a second and third one."

Lee made it 2-1 with 8:11 left. Jason Chimera backhanded a pass toward the middle to Lee, who wristed it up over Dell's shoulder.

The Sharks tied it 2-2 with 1:57 left in the middle period as Thornton's shot deflected off Hertl's thigh and in.

The Sharks controlled the puck most of the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Islanders 10-4. The Islanders failed to get a shot on goal over the last 12:47 of the period.

Karlsson got the Sharks on the scoreboard with his first of the season at 5:36. Tommy Wingels brought the puck around the net to the left side and passed it in front to Karlsson, who tipped it past Halak. It was Karlsson's 24th career goal in 122 games.

NOTES: F Joel Ward played in his 600th career game. ... F Patrick Marleau played in his 546th consecutive game. ... Pavelski played in his 418th career game. ... The Islanders lost at home to a Western Conference team for the first time since moving to Barclays Center before last season. After going 12-0-2 here against the West last year, New York won its home opener against Anaheim on Sunday night. ... Free agent signeeAndrew Ladd has no points through his first four games in New York. ... Mathew Barzal, New York's other 19-year-old rookie, sat out for the third time in four games.

UP NEXT

Sharks: Continue a five-game road trip at defending champion Pittsburgh on Thursday night in the teams' first meeting since the Stanley Cup final.

Islanders: Continue a five-game homestand against Arizona on Friday night.

Kreider's 2 points lift Rangers to 7-4 win over Sharks

When the New York Rangers selectedChris Kreider with the 19th pick in the 2009 draft, stardom was expected.

Entering his fourth NHL season, the left wing may be beginning to live up to the projections.

"He's a power forward who is playing to his strengths," New York coach Alain Vigneault said after Kreider had a goal and an assist for the third straight game as the Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks 7-4 on Monday night.

"He's tough to handle right now, whether on the initial rush or down low in the opposition's end. He makes it real challenging for the other team."

Kreider, who signed a four-year, $18.5 million contract on July 22, has three goals and three assists in New York's first three games. According to the team, he is the first Ranger since Brian Leetch in 1992-93 to tally six points in New York's first three games. He also became the first New York forward to record six points in three games to start a season since Bernie Nicholls and Darren Turcotte in 1990-91.

"You want to play instinctually," Kreider said. "You simplify your game; you get back to the stuff you know you do well. A lot of time that adversity helps you focus. From there, lock in on what you do well and do on a consistent basis."

Kreider was one of seven Rangers to score, along with Marc Staal, Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, rookie Jimmy Vesey, Mats Zuccarello and Michael Grabner. Twelve Rangers finished with at least one point, led by Zuccarello, who recorded a goal and two assists.

New York has won two of its first three games this season.

"I'm hoping we're going to get better," Vigneault said. "If you're going to get into the playoffs you have to be one of those teams that continues to improve. Some teams improve. Some teams don't improve and fade away. We need to be one of those teams that continues to improve."

Tied 1-1 early in the second period, New York took the lead for good on Nash's first of the season 4:15 of the period. The sequence began when Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh's shot ricocheted off the end boards to Nash, who was in front of Martin Jones' net.

Jones finished with 22 saves.

The lead grew to 3-1 6:06 later when Kreider's off-wing drive ticked off Jones' stick and into the net.

New York was 1 for 3 on the power play, and San Jose was 1 for 4.

"We are finding our way," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said of his specialty units. "I probably like our penalty kill better than our power play."

Staal's one-timer 12:06 into the game put the Rangers ahead 1-0.

Following Staal's goal, though, the Sharks outshot the Rangers 7-2 for the remainder of the period, culminated by Logan Couture's 5-on-3 power-play tap-in with 57.5 seconds left.

San Jose, which lost for the first time in three games this season, cut the deficit to 3-2 on Brent Burns' second of the season at 9:13 of the third.

"We had it early, then we didn't," said San Jose captain Joe Pavelski, who finished with a goal and three assists. "We were chasing it a little bit too much."

New York struck back quickly as Hayes and Vesey scored 21 seconds apart to push the lead to 5-2. The goals were the first of the season for both, and for Vesey, the first of his NHL career. The Rangers signed the Hobey Baker Award winner from Harvard to a two-year, free agent contract on Aug. 19.

"It was definitely just pure joy," Vesey said. "I just couldn't be happier to get that one out of the way.

"I'm really happy to get that one."

The tack-on goals were significant as Burns scored his second of the game 1:20 after Vesey scored, followed by Pavelski's first of the season at 15:31.

Despite watching his team score three third-period goals, DeBoer wasn't enthralled with the Sharks' performance.

"We got what we deserved," DeBoer said. "The team that competed the hardest won and that's the way it should be."

Zuccarello and Grabner added empty net goals.

New York goaltender Antti Raanta made 26 saves on 30 shots.

NOTES: New York played without D Dan Girardi and D Kevin Klein, along with rookie LW Pavel Buchnevich, due to injuries. Before the morning skate, the Rangers announced Girardi was day-to-day with a strained groin and Buchnevich had back spasms. Klein has missed the first three games of the season with back spasms. ... San Jose scratched D Dylan DeMelo, and C Ryan Carpenter and C Micheal Haley. . Saturday Night Live actor Michael Che was among the announced 18,006 in attendance.

UP NEXT:

SHARKS: visit Brooklyn on Tuesday night for a game against the New York Islanders.

RANGERS: host Detroit in a nationally televised game Wednesday night.