Lindholm, Rakell help lift Ducks to 3-2 victory over the Sharks

It wasn’t long ago that the absences of Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm were glaring story lines for the Ducks. They were contract holdouts and didn’t join the team until November, as if a chapter was missing in a book.

They bookended nicely Friday.

Rakell scored in his first game back from injury, and Lindholm’s first goal of the season was the game-winner in a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at Honda Center.

It was an important defensive response with goalie Jonathan Bernier after the Ducks surrendered 13 goals their previous two games. This came against the defending Western Conference champion.

“I don’t think we played our best game, but we held them to two goals,” Lindholm said. “I think that part we have to take as a positive.”

Lindholm took a heads-up pass from Nick Ritchie and squared up at the top of the right circle for a shot that made it through traffic with 5:38 remaining. Lindholm had only two assists in 14 previous games.

“You want to have an impact on the game when you’re [on] offense, and I thought tonight that goal was real big for us,” Lindholm said.

“It was real nice to see it go in.”

Rakell has seen a lot of pucks go in lately. It didn’t take him five minutes to score in his first game back from an upper-body injury. He swept in a rebound under Sharks goalie Martin Jones for his 11th goal and seventh in the past nine games.

“I told him I think the puck bounces to his feet,” Lindholm said. “He’s a real good goal scorer. He knows where to put it.”

Bernier made 22 saves and improved to 2-0 against San Jose this season. It was his first game since an 8-3 loss to the Calgary Flames, and he helped Anaheim get through a last-minute push.

“You always have a tough game, and it’s just how you bounce back,” Bernier said. “I had a solid week in practice, and I was dialed in tonight.”

Bernier couldn’t really be blamed for the Sharks’ two goals. Sharks defenseman Brent Burns ripped home a one-timer just after a Ducks penalty expired for his 12th goal, top among NHL defensemen, with 5.7 seconds left in the first period.

San Jose rookie Kevin Labanc was left open on the right side to slip the puck underneath Bernier midway through the second period to tie it, 2-2, after San Jose dominated possession.

It negated a good jump by Anaheim. The Ducks carried most of the opening period and got goals by Rakell and Antoine Vermette, the latter on a rare goal off the rush by the Ducks. Vermette drove the middle, took a slick pass from Shea Theodore and beat Jones between the pads for a 2-0 lead 15 minutes in.

The Sharks tilted the ice back in a key sequence late in the period, though. Jones made a crease stop on Jakob Silfverberg’s short-handed bid, just before Burns’ score, and the momentum carried to the second period.

With Rakell’s return, Joseph Cramarossa moved down and formed a new fourth line with Stefan Noesen and Logan Shaw as the Ducks explore younger options there. Veteran Ryan Garbutt cleared waivers earlier Friday.