Jones makes 30 saves, Sharks shut out Penguins to spoil Marleau return

SAN JOSE -- The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their season-high sixth straight game, 5-0 to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday.

"This one is different," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We just weren't very good tonight. … It's my responsibility to try to get this team to play to its capabilities. We know we're a great team when we play the right way. We got away from it tonight."
Martin Jones made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season for San Jose (28-33-4), which spoiled the return of Patrick Marleau, who was traded to Pittsburgh for a conditional third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft on Monday prior to the NHL Trade Deadline.
"All the wins are great right now," Jones said. "I] thought we played great from start to finish and it was our best game from start to finish in some time."
***[WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Sharks highlights]*
Evander Kane and Timo Meier each had a goal and an assist, and Marcus Sorensen and Mario Ferraro each had two assists for the Sharks, who have won two in a row after a five-game losing streak.
"We wanted to come out hard. We knew they played last night and they're going through a tough time right now," Sharks forward Logan Couture said. "We know how it feels to be going through a tough time like that. You want to jump on them early."

Tristan Jarry made 27 saves for Pittsburgh (37-21-6), which remains one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
"I think we understand what it takes to win," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said. "But I put it on myself. I've got to step up. Key situations, you're down like this and losing games, you need big plays, big performances, and I haven't done that."
The Penguins have been outscored 24-8 in the streak. They last lost six straight in regulation from Dec. 29, 2011 to Jan. 11, 2012.
"We have to try to understand it's not easy to win and it doesn't matter who you play," Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said.
Kane scored his 22nd goal of the season on a breakaway at 18:48 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Marc-Edouard Vlasic sprung Kane, who fought off a slash from Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson to score on the delayed penalty.
"I just saw some space," Kane said. "Vlasic made a nice play to move it up the middle right away and I was able to split the defense."
Meier made it 2-0 at 11:12 with his 21st goal.

Joel Kellman extended the lead to 3-0 at 14:15 with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle.
Couture scored for the second straight game, at 6:14 of the third period, for a 4-0 lead and Joe Thornton scored at 16:01 for the 5-0 final.

They said it

"It's great. The guy's got a ton of experience. He's really good in a lot of different areas. He can play a lot of different roles. For a guy who has played in as many big games as him, especially when things are tough like they are now, you can lean on that for sure." -- Penguins center Sidney Crosby on Patrick Marleau
"They're a team that's pushing to make the playoffs. The position we're in you have to take the attitude burning some people's seasons." -- Sharks forward Evander Kane

Need to know

Sharks defenseman Jake Middleton (lower body, third period) and Penguins forward Dominik Simon (undisclosed, third period) each sustained an injury. … The Sharks swept the two-game season series from the Penguins. … Jones, who has two shutouts in his past five games, has 24 in the NHL. … Marleau had two shots and was minus-1 in 16:18. He played 1,551 of his 1,718 NHL games and 20 of 22 seasons with San Jose. … Tim Heed played his 100th NHL game. … The Penguins have been shut out four times this season. … Sorensen has a three-game point streak (one goal, three assists).

What's next

Penguins:Host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, TSN5, RDS2, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSCA, SNO, NHL.TV)