SAN JOSE — Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists for the San Jose Sharks in a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center on Thursday.
“It’s really amazing to watch him when he’s on his game,” San Jose coach David Quinn said. “He’s special. It’s no mystery why he’s won two Norris Trophies, and I can see more Norris Trophies coming his way.”
Timo Meier scored for the fourth straight game, and James Reimer made 24 saves for the Sharks (11-18-6), who had lost three straight.
“There was just a lot to like about our game,” Quinn said. “We’ve talked throughout the first 34 games that we’ve had games like this, we’ve had stretches like this. It’s the consistency that we’ve got to try to bottle. And the thing I really liked tonight was, you know, we managed the puck extremely well. We managed the lead really well.”
Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello scored, and Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves for the Wild (19-12-2), who had won six in a row, including 4-1 at the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
“[San Jose] played hard,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. “They played with a lot of energy. They kept coming at us. We didn’t have the sustained offensive zone push that we’ve had as of late. They put a lot of pressure on us. Give them a lot of credit.”
Video: MIN@SJS: Karlsson extends point streak to 9 games
The game turned 12:14 into the second period when Wild forward Mason Shaw had a knee-on-knee collision with the Sharks forward Evgeny Svechnikov near the boards. Shaw received a five-minute major for kneeling and a game misconduct.
“That’s my last intention is to take someone’s knee out,” Shaw said. “I feel bad because that put our team in a very bad spot, and ultimately it was a difference in the game, so I’m disappointed in myself.”
Meier scored 33 seconds into the penalty off a Karlsson pass to give San Jose a 3-1 lead.
The Sharks had five shots on the power play, but scored five seconds after it ended to make it 4-1. Meier sent a cross-ice pass to Karlsson in the left circle, and found his pass Oskar Lindblom at the top of the crease for a one-timer at 17:19.
“It’s right into the knee,” Karlsson said. “It’s a dangerous play, and luckily ‘Svech’ was able to come back. I don’t really know what the extent of the injury is. Hopefully he’ll be fine, but stuff like that is not fun to see.”
Video: MIN@SJS: Meier nets 18th goal of the season in the 2nd period
Zuccarello cut it to 4-2 at 19:54 with a shot from the left face-off circle through traffic. He has six goals in the past five games.
Kevin Labanc scored into an empty net on a power play at 19:46 of the third period for the 5-2 final.
Karlsson gave San Jose a 1-0 lead 44 seconds into the first period, scoring from just under the left circle after a cross-ice pass. Jacob Megna.
Eriksson Ek tied it 1-1 at 2:20 when he scored five-hole on a breakaway.
Noah Gregor gave San Jose a 2-1 lead at 11:37 on a backhand in the crease off a rebound off a Karlsson shot from the left circle.
NOTES: It was Karlsson’s third four-point game this season, tied for second behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (seven). Karlsson extended his point streak to nine games (two goals, 12 assists), which tied his NHL career high set in 2015-16 when he was with the Ottawa Senators. He leads NHL defensemen with 13 goals and 46 points and is tied with Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets with 33 assists. … Karlsson’s 40th goal passed Brad Stuart for fifth place among defensemen in Sharks history and was the second-fastest by a defenseman in their history (Al Iafrate, 37 seconds, Nov. 1, 1996). … San Jose forward Thomas Hertl served the second of a two-game suspension for the high-sticking Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm on Sunday. … Wild forward Matt Boldy had an assist and has eight points (three goals, five assists) in the past seven games.
.