Sick one night, Sharks’ savior the next.
An ill Logan Couture was left home when San Jose beat Los Angeles on Wednesday, but on Thursday the alternate captain scored a tie-breaking goal early in the third period to lead the hosts to a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Couture scored his 15th goal of the season 22 seconds into the final period and propel San Jose, which found its legs after a slow start, to a third straight win in front of a sellout crowd at SAP Center.
Couture’s sweeping shot from the bottom of the right circle slipped under the pads of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy after Sharks teammate Kevin Labanc won a battle on the end boards and punched a short pass to Couture.