Riding the wave of their 3-2 shootout win in Toronto on Monday night, the Sharks kept the momentum going 24 hours later by knocking off the host Buffalo Sabres 6-2 at KeyBank Center. San Jose had won consecutive games only three times this season entering play, and only once on back-to-back days. What was most impressive was the team's 3rd period output, where they outscored the Sabres 4-1. Closing out games is the primary focus for the young Sharks as they finish out the last quarter of the season, so the past 24 hours has been a step in the right direction.

The other major positive from Tuesday night's game was that three of the four 3rd period goals came from their young core. William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith all potted goals in the big 3rd period.

Celebrini's came a minute after Tage Thompson had pulled the Sabres to within a goal of the Sharks lead. It was the response the Sharks needed to avoid the all too familiar 3rd period collapse that they've endured all too often this season.

Alexandar Georgiev earned his second consecutive win, by stopping 20 or 22 shots.

An Alex Touch roughing penalty at 10:49 setup a Sharks power play that had them clank a pair of shots off the post, but they would not get one past goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Eklund also narrowly missed off a Sabres turnover later in the period, and he took a cross check to the face for his trouble to put the Sharks back on the power play at 14:54. The Sharks power play moved the puck well, but Luukkonen denied them to keep the game scoreless.

Celebrini may have had the best scoring chance of the period with less than a minute to play when Will Smith sent a cross ice pass to him from the left point. Celebrini was breaking in on net when he gathered the puck but hist attempt to lift it past Luukkonen resulted in it hitting the crossbar.

San Jose finished the period with an 11-5 advantage in shots, largely aided by their 2 power play chances.

Timothy Liljegren finally opened the scoring, although it wasn't confirmed for some time after he unleashed it from the right dot. The on-ice officials called Liljegren's shot no-goal, but the NHL situation activated a review which confirmed that the puck hit the crossbar then directed down to the ice and over the goal line before it was swept away.

A Jack Thompson holding penalty gave the Sabers their first power play of the game at the 4 minute mark of the frame. JJ Peterka banged home shot from the bottom of the right circle for his 18th of the season.

Nico Sturm gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead right before the 2nd intermission when he fired a shot from 9 feet out after Collin Graf attempt clipped a Sabre defender's skate and redirected out to the slot where Sturm was lurking.

Eklund bagged his 13th goal of the season 2:19 into the 3rd period when he threw a no-look shot on net from the right corner. The puck hit Luukkonen in the left shoulder, deflecting into the net.

Thompson scored at 6:55 with a big slap shot.

Rather than panic, the Sharks answered. Celebrini pushed the Sharks lead to 4-2 at 7:58. Celebrini gathered a Shakir Mukhamadullin after just stepping on the ice, before lifting a shot from the inside of the right circle to beat Luukkonen just inside the left post.

Smith scored his 11th of the season with just over 7 minutes remaining in regulation. The Sharks forward gathered a clearing attempt out of the Sharks zone then raced up ice on the left side with Jake Walman on the off wing. Smith reached to the left dot then snapped a shot that beat Luukkonen low to the short side.

From their the Sharks went into cruise control. Buffalo made one last attempt by pulling their goaltender with 2:30 to play, but Tyler Toffoli gave the Sharks an even half-dozen with an empty net goal.

Game Notes:

* Goaltender Vitek Vanecek served as Alexandar Gergiev's backup in the game. Vanecek was originally scheduled to start in net for San Jose, he was held out pending a potential trade as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches.

* Marc-Edouard Vlasic became the NHL's all-time blocked shots leader with a 1st period block. The NHL has only been tracking the stat since 2005, but Vlasic officially holds the top mark in the league with 2,165 blocks and counting.

* William Eklund set a career high in points with 46 with his 2-point night. The young Swede has also recorded points in 3 consecutive games.

* Will Smith has recorded 15 points in his last 16 games.

* With his empty net goal, Tyler Toffoli has scored a goal in 3 straight games.