Couture's hat trick has Sharks leading series over Avalanche

Logan Couture had a hat trick, including the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 3 in of the Western Conference semifinal series in Denver on Tuesday night. Timo Meier had a goal and two assists, Gustav Nyquist had two assists and Martin Jones stopped 25 shots for the Sharks, who took a 2-1 lead in the series.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Denver. Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Nieto scored goals and Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for the Avalanche.

After Colorado tied it at 11:45 of the third, Couture gave San Jose the lead again when his shot to the short side hit off the post and went in at 12:50. The Avalanche got a power play at 17:04 and pulled Grubauer with 30 seconds left on the man advantage but couldn't score, and Couture iced it with an empty-net goal at 19:30. It was his ninth of the playoffs

Colorado fell behind 2-0 but rallied to tie it. MacKinnon got the first one when Ian Cole stole Brent Burns' pass at centre ice and fed MacKinnon, who beat Jones with a wrister at 15:51 of the second. Nieto tied when he redirected a shot from the point by Samuel Girard. It was his fourth of the playoffs.

The Sharks built a two-goal lead with a pair of goals 3:18 apart in the first. The first came when Grubauer's save on Nyquist's shot bounced in front, Couture gathered it and roofed a backhander to give San Jose a 1-0 lead at 15:24 of the first period. Nyquist had rejoined the Sharks in Denver late Tuesday afternoon after being away to be with his wife for the birth of the couple's child.

The Sharks added to the lead soon after when Meier stole Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson's stretch pass at the red line, skated in and beat Grubauer with a high wrister at 18:42 of the first. It was Meier's third of the playoffs.