Martin Jones makes 33 saves in Sharks win

SAN JOSE -- Logan Couture and Joel Ward each scored in the first period, and Martin Jones made 33 saves to help the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at SAP Center on Wednesday.
San Jose (11-8-1) has won the first two of its five-game homestand.
"It was pretty even," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "We had chances to break it open. We want to strike there, but it didn't stop us from playing. Guys kept pushing, and [Jones] was solid. He made all the saves when we had to."

WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Sharks highlights
Artemi Panarin scored in the second period for the Blackhawks (13-6-2), and Corey Crawford made 33 saves.
Couture scored on a 4-on-3 power play 11:32 into the game to give San Jose a 1-0 lead. Pavelski faked a shot from the point before sending a pass to the right faceoff circle for Couture, who beat Crawford with a top-shelf one-timer for his Sharks-leading fourth power-play goal.
San Jose's special teams came through again when Ward scored a shorthanded goal at 14:42 of the first to make it 2-0.
The Sharks had 19 hits in the first period compared to four for the Blackhawks, who were coming off a 5-0 loss Monday to the Edmonton Oilers and playing the fifth of their seven-game "Circus Trip."

Panarin cut San Jose's lead to 2-1 at 12:11 of the second period with his eighth goal of the season. He took a cross-ice pass from center Artem Anisimov and beat Jones with a slap shot into the left corner of the net.
"That's a tough team to play against defensively, and we did a great job," Jones said. "Limiting them to what we did tonight was pretty impressive."
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews left the game midway through the second period with an apparent injury shortly after falling awkwardly along the boards at 8:18.
"It's tough when guys go down, especially in the middle of the game," Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "He's a big part of this team. He plays in every aspect of the game."

Goal of the game

Ward put San Jose up two goals when he scored its second shorthanded goal in as many games. Chris Tierney, who had one in a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, sent Ward in on a breakaway with a clearing attempt that turned into a pass when Seabrook slowed the puck at the Sharks blue line. After chasing down the loose puck in the Chicago zone, Ward faked a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle, pulling Crawford out of position, then moved in and put the puck inside the right post. "I just tried to go for a fake and see if he'd bite on it," Ward said.

Saves of the game

Jones made three strong saves in a span of 13 seconds in the first period to keep the Sharks ahead 1-0. First, he stopped forward Tyler Motte on a breakaway at 13:18. Then, he rejected Panarin from close range at 13:28 and Ryan Hartman from the slot at 13:31. "Huge saves," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of Jones' overall game. "That's what we need out of him. He's one of our best players. When he's on, we're a very hard team to beat."

Unsung moment of the game

Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo made his season debut when he took the ice at 1:35 of the first period. DeMelo, who played 45 games for San Jose last season, found out he was going to play about 20 minutes before warmups, when defenseman David Schlemko was scratched because he was ill. After watching the first 19 games of the season, DeMelo had three shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots in 13:26.

Highlight of the game

The Blackhawks were in danger of going down 3-1 late in the second period when the Sharks had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:41, but Crawford made saves on all three shots he faced to keep them in the game. "The PK came up with a huge kill," Crawford said. "We have a bunch of guys who want to come out and kill it off."

They said it

"It was a good pace. We were skating well and making plays. Their guy made a lot of saves. It was a tough couple of penalties, and I made a huge error on the second one by not coming out. I was a little flat-footed and I didn't read it well. I should have played the puck."-- Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford
"That's what we've been trying to hang our hat on here for the last month. The goals haven't been easy to come by. Let's be honest, in the playoffs they're not either. There's a lot of 2-1 games. You have to be comfortable in those games. I think our group is." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer

Need to know

Sharks forward Melker Karlsson (left ankle) missed his fifth straight game but is close to being ready to return to the lineup, DeBoer said. He practiced Tuesday and skated Wednesday morning. ... Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny ws scratched for the third time this season. Defenseman Michal Rozsival took his place in the lineup.

What's next

Blackhawks: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, PRIME, CSN-CH, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the New York Islanders on Friday (4 p.m. ET; CSN-CA, MSG+, NHL.TV)