Macklin Celebrini scored the shootout winner as the San Jose Sharks topped the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 on Thursday night.
Toronto scored twice in the final minute of the third period to force overtime.
Tyler Toffoli tallied twice in regulation and added an assist while William Eklund had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (20-42-9, 49 points), who improved to 3-2-0 over their past five.
San Jose’s Collin Graf and Alexander Wennberg also scored in regulation. Timothy Liljegren added two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev made 30 saves.
William Nylander scored twice, John Tavares had a goal and an assist and Auston Matthews and Scott Laughton also tallied for Toronto (43-25-4, 90 points), which took over the sole position of first place in the Atlantic Division thanks to the standings point.
Mitch Marner had three helpers for the Maple Leafs, Matthew Knies added a pair of assists and Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots.
With 58.3 seconds remaining in regulation, Tavares pulled Toronto within one, redirecting a Marner shot past Georgiev.
Nylander tied it 5-5 with 14 seconds left in regulation, snapping a Marner pass into the net.
Earlier, Toffoli netted his second of the night to give San Jose a 5-3 lead on a power play at 3:02 of the third period, converting an Eklund cross-ice feed.
Wennberg gave San Jose a 3-1 lead at 1:39 of the middle frame, snapping a shot under Woll’s blocker.
Toronto cut the margin to one on a power play at 4:46 as Matthews poked home the loose puck off Marner’s point shot.
The Sharks retook a two-goal lead as Woll played the puck off Eklund and into his own net at 13:18 of the middle frame.
Laughton made it 4-3, one-timing a David Kampf pass past Georgiev at 15:13 of the second for his first goal as a member of the Leafs.
San Jose outshot Toronto 16-10 in the opening period and led 2-1 after 20 minutes.
Toffoli opened the scoring 7:50 into the first period, banging home the rebound off Lucas Carlsson’s shot.
Nylander tied it 1-1 at 14:40 on a power play, tapping in the rebound off Knies’ shot.
San Jose retook the lead short-handed at 17:45 as Graf beat Woll with a wrist shot to the far side.
–Field Level Media
