Sharks limit Blackhawks to 21 shots, hang on to end losing streak

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at SAP Center on Tuesday.

Timo Meier had a goal and an assist for San Jose (5-10-1), which limited Chicago to 21 shots on goal but had to hang on for the win after the Blackhawks scored twice late.
"It's nice to win, it's nice to get that feeling to win," Sharks captain Logan Couture said.
WATCH: [All Blackhawks vs. Sharks highlights]
Robin Lehner made 28 saves for Chicago (4-7-3), which went 1-2-1 on a four-game road trip, including a 3-2 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
"Defensively, I think we've made some strides in being able to make a few more plays with the puck coming out of our zone," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It's just a matter of trying to put it all together here."
After Brandon Saad redirected a centering pass from Jonathan Toews past goalie Martin Jones from in close to get Chicago within 3-1 with 3:02 left in the third period, Keith scored on a slap shot from the point with 1:54 remaining to cut it to 3-2.
"Would have liked to be a little tighter there at the end," Couture said. "That was tough."

San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said, "We have to be more engaged physically, we have to be harder to play against. We didn't give them much until late in the third when they put a little bit of pressure on. We worked really hard at it."
Meier scored an empty-net goal with 1:26 left to make it 4-2.
"They got that empty net right away without us getting a chance to tie it up," Chicago forward Patrick Kane said. "This is how it's been going for us all year. It seems we take one step forward and two steps back almost every game."
After outshooting the Blackhawks 14-3 in the first period, the Sharks took a 1-0 lead when Patrick Marleau scored at 1:39 of the second.
"It feels good to get that first one, and we were able to build off that," said Marleau, who scored twice against Chicago in his season debut, a 5-4 win Oct. 10, but had been held without a goal in 10 games since. "It's nice playing with the lead."

Evander Kane scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 12:05 to make it 2-0. It was his Sharks-leading ninth goal and San Jose's third while shorthanded.
"To get out to a couple goals lead was nice," Jones said. "We could just be smart with the puck, make good decisions, and not really give them much."
Tomas Hertl scored to make it 3-0 at 4:39 of the third.
"I liked our game," DeBoer said. "It was real similar to [a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 1], but we found a way to score a couple more. It was nice to get rewarded for that type of effort."

They said it

"We came in here against a team that plays well at home, and they seemed desperate for a win just as we were. But we got timid again, we showed flashes of what we can do. If everything goes our way, we seem to have all the confidence in the world. But if it starts off wrong, then we seem to fall a step behind. It just seems like you are skating uphill the whole game." -- Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews
"It feels great. It feels normal, feels good to be back with him. He talks to you, we're always drawing up plays and talking about what we can do better on the bench." -- Sharks forward Patrick Marleau on getting reunited on a line with Joe Thornton
"The good news is that's two of our last three games we're at least seeing the signs of what we're capable of being as a team and how we want to play." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer

Need to know

It was Keith's 99th NHL goal, one shy of becoming the fourth Blackhawks defenseman to score 100. He would join Sharks general manager Doug Wilson (225), Ducks general manager Bob Murray (132) and Brent Seabrook (101). ... Hertl has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in the past 11 games. ... San Jose scored first for the fifth time in its 16 games. ... Barclay Goodrow, who had an assist on the Hertl and Meier goals, extended his point streak to three games (one goal, three assists). ... Sharks defenseman Radim Simek made his season debut following MCL and ACL surgery after he injured his right knee March 12 against the Jets. He was tied with San Jose's Mario Ferraro for the game high in hits with five in 20:35 of ice time.

What's next

Blackhawks: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, SNP, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV)