VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Logan Couture scored three goals, the second on a third-period power play, as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Tuesday night.
Couture's final goal went into an empty net with just 17 seconds remaining. Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (43-28-6). Brent Burns had two assists.
Chris Higgins, short-handed, scored for the Canucks (27-36-13) who lost their ninth consecutive game.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots for the Canucks. James Reimer made 23 saves for the Sharks.
The Canucks are (0-8-1) on their current losing streak. During that stretch they were shutout four times in five games and outscored 29-8. They are tied with Toronto and Edmonton for the fewest points in the NHL.
The Sharks won for the second consecutive night after securing a playoff spot with Monday night's 5-2 victory over Los Angeles. They are 2-3 in their last five games
Couture made the score 3-1 at 14:01 of the third with the Sharks on a two-man advantage. Pavelski, who was playing along the boards, found Couture open in front of the net. He put a shot through Markstrom's legs.
San Jose scored early and late in the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the third.
Pavelski opened the scoring with the period just 20 seconds old. Defenseman Brent Burns blasted a shot from the point that Markstrom stopped. The rebound hit Pavelski, then landed at his feet. He was able to steer it past Markstrom's toe for his 36th of the season.
The Canucks tied the game six minutes later while playing short-handed after Jake Virtanen was given a five-minute interference major and a game misconduct for a blindside hit on San Jose defenseman Roman Polak.
With the Sharks pressing on the power play, Higgins chipped the puck past Patrick Marleau at the blue line. He skated into the San Jose end on a two-on-one break and beat Reimer with a shot over his glove. It was his third goal in 31 games and the first since Nov. 8.
The Sharks took a 2-1 lead with just 11 seconds left in the period. Couture dug the puck out from behind the net. It hit the skate of center Nick Spaling and landed back on Couture's stick, where he was able to slide it past Markstrom.
The Canucks outshot the Sharks 13-7 in a scoreless first period.
NOTES: Canucks D Nikita Tryamkin was a late scratch after blocking a shot during the morning skate. ... RW Linden Vey sat out with an upper-body injury. ... C Markus Granlund returned to the Canucks lineup after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. ... Coach Willie Desjardins says D Luca Sbisa could be done for the season with a shoulder injury. ... The Canucks' longest losing streak is 10 games set in 1997-98. ... Vancouver has dressed 12 players 23 years old or younger this season. ... The Canucks and Sharks meet again Thursday in San Jose. ... C Nick Spaling returned to the Sharks' lineup after being a healthy scratch in Monday's 5-2 win over L.A. ... RW Joel Ward was a healthy scratch. ... This is the fourth consecutive season C Joe Pavelski has scored 30 or more goals and added 30 or more assists. ... G Martin Jones is the fifth goaltender in Sharks history to win 30 or more games.
