SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Mike Ricci and defenseman Mike Rathje scored power-play goals and Evgeni Nabokov made 31 saves as the San Jose Sharks held on for a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
Ricci gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead with 3:19 to go in the opening period. While falling backwards in the right faceoff circle, he sent a backhander between the pads of goaltender Chris Osgood for his 13th goal.
Rathje doubled the lead just over two minutes into the second period, ending a 15-game drought. Off a faceoff, he beat Osgood between the pads with a wrist shot from the right circle.
"I just shot it. I didn't even know how it went in," said Rathje, who had not scored since Dec. 11. "As soon as I shot it, I just looked at the net and I didn't see any openings, so everybody had their hands up. So I was like, yeah, I got a goal."
Marco Sturm gave San Jose a 3-0 lead 3 1/2 minutes later when he worked a give-and-go with defenseman Bryan Marchment, got a pass at the top of the crease and fired a wrist shot past Osgood.
Nabokov slowed the Islanders' comeback by stopping 14 shots in the third period, including a backhander by Mariusz Czerkawski with 75 seconds to play. He has won his last three starts.
"He's been playing great," Ricci said of Nabokov. "We played a lot better in front of him, which has helped him, too. I think he struggled a little bit, but I think we struggled a little bit in front of him, and when he's playing like that, he doesn't look like it, but he makes so many big saves that you don't even notice. He was outstanding and he gave us the opportunity to win today."
"Why did they get close? Because they are a good hockey club," San Jose coach Darryl Sutter said. "Both teams have the same amount of wins, so it's going to be close. We had a 3-0 lead because of the power play, but they came back."
The Islanders began their comeback with 6:39 left in the second period on Michael Peca's 13th goal.
Peca carried across the blue line and drew three defenders toward the slot before losing control of the puck. Oleg Kvasha picked it up in the left circle and fired a slap shot that Peca tipped under Nabokov as he dropped to the ice.
"We dictated most of the second half of the game and I gave ourselves a chance to tie it up and maybe even do better than that," Peca said. "But certainly there are things we will address that maybe we weren't too happy with and try to have an overall better game on Saturday."
Rookie defenseman Dick Tarnstrom cut the deficit to 3-2 midway through the third with his first NHL goal. Marko Kiprusoff sent a cross-ice pass to Tarnstrom at the left point, where he rifled a slap shot over Nabokov's glove.
"I got it from Kip," Tarnstrom said. "I just walked in and shot it high. I had lots of time, so I could (wind up)."
"It was a total disappointment not to play well when they didn't play aggressively at first," Peca said. "We had an opportunity to win and we didn't take it."
Niklas Sundstrom picked up a pair of assists for San Jose, which improved to 14
3-2 when he registers a point.
