SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joe Pavelski could feel it from the crowd even before the game started.

"The crowd was into it, it's Saturday night, and obviously we're playing an opponent who is playing well," the San Jose captain said. "We got a good commitment from the guys in the room."

Pavelski then went out and scored a tiebreaking goal early in the third period that propelled the Sharks to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals at a sold-out SAP Center.

Pavelski's 32nd goal of the season came on a power play that carried over from the second period and sparked a three-goal uprising in the final 20 minutes.

"We caught somewhat of a tired team, I think," Pavelski added. "The guys responded and got the job done."

San Jose defenseman Brenden Dillon added his second goal of the season -- and first in 42 games -- at 2:51 for insurance. Defenseman Brent Burns added an empty-netter – his 25th goal of the season – with 43.2 seconds left.

San Jose's second win in five games at home enabled the Sharks to pull within one point of idle and second-place Anaheim and within three of Pacific-leading Los Angeles while denying the Capitals a chance to clinch a playoff spot in only their 69th game of the season.

"At times, we don't play smart enough hockey," Washington's T.J. Oshie said. "We try to do a little too much out there. Typically, that's when the momentum swings."

The Sharks and Capitals headed to the third period knotted at 2 after a wild second period.

Washington tied the score 1:21 into the period by converting a five-on-three power play. Oshie buried his 21st goal of the season by one-timing a cross-ice feed from Nicklas Backstrom past Sharks goalie Martin Jones.

Burns tossed the puck over the glass 33 seconds after teammate Nick Spaling high-sticked Mike Richards before the end of the first period. The Caps needed 59 seconds to score with the two-man advantage.

San Jose went back on top with another special teams' goal, this one while short-handed as Patrick Marleau scored his 20th of the season at 5:14 with teammate Joe Thornton in the box.

Marleau beat Washington backup goalie Philipp Grubauer, who was facing a two-on-none, with a pass from former Capital player Joel Ward.

"It was a big time to get on the board," Ward said.

Marleau's last shortie came in 2013-14 when he scored 33 goals. He had 19 each of the last two seasons.

The lead was relatively short-lived, however. Washington's Justin Williams scored his 20th goal of the season by tapping home a feed from Evgeny Kuznetsov at 10:12 after San Jose defenseman Paul Martin skated past and couldn't get back in time.

Jones poke-checked Jay Beagle after the fourth-line forward was awarded a penalty shot while killing a penalty as Burns slashed the Washington forward at 19:47.

"It was fairly late in the period, the ice isn't great," Pavelski said. "But if they score, obviously, you don't want to see it. Big save from him. It allowed us to get our power play going."

The Sharks scored the only goal of a face-paced, emotion-filled first period -- in stark contrast to Thursday's sleeper against New Jersey.

Thornton scored his 16th goal of the season at 9:16 when he got position against Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen to punch home a rebound left of Dillon's shot from center blue. Dillon snapped a 21-game scoreless drought in the process.

Washington surrendered the first goal for the 13th time in 15 games, and the Capitals have now been outscored 8-0 in the first period in five games.

"We had rough starts lately. It's five straight games that we haven't had a lead," Williams said. "It's really tough coming from behind every night."

The Sharks, meanwhile, are now 7-0 playing the second game at home after returning from a trip of multiple games. They've outscored opponents 32-14 in those games.

"That was a big one -- one we wanted to get up for," Dillon said. "Top to bottom, they have a really, really strong team. We got in some penalty trouble and we did a good job against a top power-play unit."

NOTES: Washington LW Alexander Ovechkin brought career stats of seven goals and 11 points in 13 games against San Jose into Saturday. He missed the first meeting on Oct. 13 after getting benched for oversleeping before the morning skate. San Jose won 5-0. ... The Sharks recalled C Micheal Haley from AHL affiliate San Jose. ... Washington brought a streak of 12 straight one-goal games into Saturday. ... San Jose C Logan Couture left Saturday's morning skate early after getting struck by a puck but was OK by game time. ... The Sharks' next host Boston on Tuesday to cap a three-game homestand. ... The Capitals face Carolina on Tuesday to open a brief two-game homestand. ... D Taylor Chorney, C Michael Latta and RW Galiev were Washington's healthy scratches. D Dylan DeMelo and D Matt Tennyson joined Haley as San Jose's healthy scratches.