San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Brent Burns buried the game-winner 7:08 into the third period, as the San Jose Sharks edged the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, on Saturday at SAP Center.
Thomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau each scored once, while Antti Niemi stopped 21-of-23 shots for the Sharks, who have won their first five games this season after starting last year a club-record 7-0.
Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith notched a goal apiece for the Senators, who received 47 saves from Robin Lehner in dropping their third straight game.
"Robin played real good," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "We just can't continue to take penalties, especially the undisciplined kind, the ones we are taking. You can't expect the goalie to keep killing them off."
Burns' go-ahead tally came at the tailend of Jason Spezza's roughing minor at the 5:07 mark of the third period.
With time winding down on the man advantage, Joe Thornton made his way around the Ottawa net before sliding a pass to the top of the crease for Burns, who buried the one-timer past Lehner to make it 3-2 with 12:52 left in the game.
"It was just a great play by (Thornton)," Burns said. "I didn't have to do much, but I wasn't going to miss."
San Jose's Joe Pavelski was called for holding the stick with 3:52 left to give the Senators a late power play, but Ottawa failed to cash in and the Sharks held on for the victory.
Hertl opened the scoring under a minute into the game, putting home a rebound off a Dan Boyle blast from the right point for a 1-0 lead just 55 seconds in.
Ottawa answered with a pair of goals just over three minutes apart late in the period to take a one-goal edge into the second stanza.
Smith started the rally at the 15:21 mark with a wrister from the slot before Ryan potted a power-play marker with 1:29 left in the period to make it 2-1.
Marleau brought the Sharks even late in the second, as a scrum in front sent the puck trickling into the low right circle, where the San Jose center recovered it before tickling the twine with a wrister to tie the game at the 16:12 mark.
Game Notes
San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play ... Hertl left the game in the second period and did not return after taking a hit up high from an Ottawa defenseman ... The Senators went 1-for-3 on the power play ... San Jose outshot Ottawa, 24-5, in the final period.
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