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San Jose Sharks

Sharks show their progress in shutout of Blackhawks

Kristen J Shilton
USATODAY
Sharks goalie Martin Jones, center Joe Thornton and center Patrick Marleau celebrate their win against the Blackhawks at the United Center.

CHICAGO — Stepping into the Chicago Blackhawks’ nest Tuesday night, a question loomed over the San Jose Sharks: Two-thirds of the way through the regular season, were they playoff contenders, or pretenders?

There would be no better test than a tilt with the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who already handed the Sharks two losses this season. In their third and final meeting, San Jose grinded out a 2-0 victory at United Center to cap a four-game Midwest swing from which they emerged 2-2.

Playing away from the SAP Center, who own the best road record (18-8-2) in the Western Conference. San Jose kept pressure on the Blackhawks (who were without winger Artemi Panarin) for most of the first two periods. Their relentlessness paid off when Patrick Marleau scored on the power play in the second frame.

“This was a big win tonight in order to make it a pretty good road trip,” said Marleau. “If you can get that lead and put a team back on their heels, they’ll take more chances you can capitalize on.”

After a dismal December in which they went 4-7-2, the Sharks rebounded with a 10-2-2 record since January 9. But two of those recent losses have come against teams in the Pacific Division, where four teams are separated by eight points. The Sharks sit one point ahead of the Ducks in second place.

All things Sharks: Latest San Jose Sharks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

“(We've) played good,” said Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. “We felt we probably deserved a little better in (a 3-2 loss to) Anaheim … but to respond this way, guys play hard. We’re playing a good team game right now. Guys have done a good job of just playing games as they come.”

The Sharks are built to win now. Forward Joel Ward and defenseman Paul Martin were signed as free agents in the offseason to give San Jose the veteran depth it lacked after missing the postseason last year. Martin, 34, and Ward, 35, both cited the winning potential of the Sharks’ roster as a reason for signing.

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“It was important for us to get the win (Tuesday),” said goaltender Martin Jones, who made 33 saves for his fifth shutout. “I thought all night we were really solid and it was a good 60-minute effort. Guys did a great job in front of the net. We’ve had good starts on the road and we’ve been able to hold some leads. We’ve been doing that at home lately too, so it’s been a good step forward.”

While one regular season win doesn't portend a Stanley Cup, shutting out the top team in the West shows the Sharks have evolved.

“I like how we’re playing,” said head coach Peter DeBoer. “We’d like more points, but I like how we played in all four games (on this trip). If we keep our game in the place it is right now, I know the points will follow.”

“The players are doing a good job of taking care of the effort,” Pavelski said. “They’ve showed up and worked and been pretty smart and we’ve gotten a lot of contributions and that has to continue.”

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