The Sharks wrapped up their 3-game road trip with a stop in Southern California on Monday night to take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. Throwing 42 shots on goal, holding their opponent to 13 shots and scoring 4 goals should have been more than enough for the host Ducks, but the Sharks used efficiency in their shot selection, scoring 5 times to outlast Anaheim 5-4 in a wild divisional match up.

Anaheim was able to put plenty of rubber on goaltender Yaroslav Askarov via an aggressive forecheck and steady dose of pressure on any Sharks possessing the puck all night. They recorded 14 shots in each of the three regulation periods, but Askarov was able to play a little more relaxed game because San Jose never trailed in the game.

The Ducks took the initiative out of the gate, out shooting by a 3-to-1 margin through the first 10 minutes of the game. San Jose withstood the storm and cracked the score sheet midway through the period.

Mario Ferrar scored his 2nd goal of the period at 10:43, but it was the setup that turned heads. Alexander Wennberg collected an Adam Gaudette feed up the right wing and carried it in deep with Drew Helleson draped all over him. Wennberg slammed on the breaks along the right wing boards then did a 360-degree spin to his right before snapping the puck to the front of the net. Ferraro pinched on the play and simply had to tap the puck past goaltender Lukas Dostal for the game's first goal.

Troy Terry tied the game on another major puck-handling miscue by a Sharks goaltender. Yaroslav Askarov tried wrangling a puck behind his net, but got crossed up as Nikita Nesterenko swooped in. Nesterenko chipped at the puck, kicking out to the right post where Terry was there to easily stuff it home.

Wennberg setup Macklin Celebrini with a lead pass after the Sharks forced a turnover near their own blueline with 48 seconds remaining in the period. Celebrini collected the pass at the top of the left circle before flipping it past Dostal for his 21st goal of the season.

Celebrini set up the first of two goals 6:30 into the 2nd period after stripping Olen Zellewger of the puck in the Anaheim zone as the Ducks tried skating the puck out of their own zone. The Sharks forward grabbed the puck in the slot at the top of the circles then pivoted toward the net and sent a pass to Igor Chernyshov in front of the net. Chernyshov waited for Dostal to commit before drawing the puck to his left and lifting it home for his 2nd goal in as many games.

William Eklund gave San Jose a 3-goal lead 6 minutes later on a onetime chance from the bottom of the left circle. Celebrini skated the puck behind the Ducks net out of the left corner before sending a blind backhand pass to Eklund who bagged his 10th of the season.

Dostal's evening ended with the goal, his 4th allowed on just 9 shots. Petr Mrazek took his place between the pipes with just under half a game to play.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 19th goal of the season with 3:34 remaining in the period to make it a 4-2 game. Troy Terry skated to the slot off the left wing boards then sent the puck to Gauthier who was parked on the right post, for a redirect goal.

Pavel Mintyukov cut the Sharks lead to 43 by scoring 3:07 into the 3rd period.

Zack Ostapchuk pushed the Sharks lead back to 2 goals when he scored a Joe Pavelski special, tipping a Vincent Iorio blast from the right point. Ostapchuk was circling out of the right corner after Barclay Goodrow rimmed the puck out to Iorio. Ostapchuk got his stick blade on the shot, squeezing it past Ryan Reaves and a Ducks defender which partially screened Mrazek.

That goal became crucial because Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville elected to pull his goaltender with 4 minutes to play. His players responded when Terry jammed home a nifty blind pass from Mason McTavish with 4:02 still to play. Terry was parked off the left post when McTavish slid a blind backhand feed from the top of the crease.

Mrazek was reinserted into the net but was pulled once against late as Anaheim clawed away at potting the equalizer. They would not and Askarov recorded his 14th win of the season.

Game Notes:

* Macklin Celebrini extended his goal scoring streak to 3 games with his 1st period goal. He has 7 goals and 13 assists over his last 10 games.

* The Sharks had a scary moment in the 3rd period when Celebrini was hit with a puck between his upper left cheek and his eye. He continued in the game but was sporting the early stages of a black eye on his cheek and left eye lid.

* Igor Chernyshov scored in his 2nd consecutive game and has compiled 6 points in his 6 games since being recalled on December 16th.

* William Elkund has scored in consecutive games after going 4 straight games without a goal.