SAN JOSE, Calif. – Structure and discipline took most of the night off Saturday when the San Jose Sharks played the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.

Exciting for fans, not so much for coaches.

The Sharks and Ducks combined for nine goals, including four on the power play, and eight minor penalties through the first two periods, a reasonably accurate good indication that this was in the second game of the season for both teams.

But after allowing a game-tying goal to Chris Kreider with 51 seconds left in regulation time, the Sharks allowed the game-winning goal to Leo Carlsson at the 46-second mark of overtime in a 7-6 loss to the Ducks.

Jeff Skinner’s goal with 14:26 left in regulation time gave the Sharks a 6-4 lead at the 5:34 mark of the third period. But San Jose continued to play loose, carefree hockey, and allowed three unanswered goals for their second straight heartbreaking loss.

The Sharks lost 4-3 to the Golden Knights on Thursday as a pair of gaffes by goalie Alex Nedeljkovic allowed Vegas to score late in the third period and early in overtime.

Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith had three assists each, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov finished with 36 saves.

Tyler Toffoli, Ryan Reaves, Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, and Adam Gaudette also scored for the Sharks, with Klingberg and Gaudette’s goals coming on the power play in the second period.

Three takeaways from the Sharks’ game on Saturday, before a second straight announced sellout crowd.

—POWER PLAY MAKES AN IMPACT

The Sharks ranked 26th in the NHL last season on the power play. Considering the Sharks added Klingberg to run the point with the man advantage. They added Skinner, Philipp Kurashev, and Dmitry Orlov as second-unit options; the Sharks should be better on the power play this season.

Klingberg scored on a two-man advantage at the 10:34 mark of the second period, and Gaudette, who scored three of his 19 goals on the power play last season, made it 5-3 Sharks at the 17:14 mark of the second.

It’s a good thing the Sharks took advantage of their power plays, as Anaheim was essentially the better team during 5-on-5 play through the first two-plus periods.

—ASKAROV’S NIGHT

Askarov was making his first start of the season after Nedeljkovic had, shall we say, an adventurous start on Thursday against the Golden Knights.

Askarov’s last game came in the preseason when the Sharks lost 6-4 to the Utah Mammoth. Askarov wasn’t at his best in the first period as the Mammoth scored four times, but he looked much more comfortable in the second period after his teammates woke up from their early slumber.

Saturday’s game followed a similar pattern, as the Sharks were outshot 11-2 over the final 10 minutes of the first period. Askarov gave up a questionable goal to Cutter Gauthier at the 11:53 mark of the first, as the Ducks forward’s shot went through the goalie’s seven-hole, but he finished with 13 saves in the opening 20 minutes.

Askarov didn’t have much of a chance on a power play goal by Chris Kreider on a rebound late in the second period, or on Gauthier’s third-period goal as he redirected a shot from the point by Mason McTavish at the 10:29 mark.

—THIRD LINE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

The Sharks’ third line, with center Ty Dellandrea and wingers Skinner and Collin Graf, had another positive night. While Celebrini’s line and Alexander Wennberg’s line had an uneven night at even strength, while facing a bigger workload, Dellandrea and company outchanced their opponents at even strength.

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