Sharks use shootout to top Blackhawks, win eighth straight

CHICAGO -- The San Jose Sharks won their eighth straight game with a 4-3 shootout victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday.
It is tied for the third-longest winning streak in Sharks history and is their longest since they won nine in a row Nov. 13-Dec. 4, 2008.

"The other night (against the Calgary Flames) it wasn't a 5-1 game," Sharks forward Joe Pavelski said. "We found a way that way. Tonight, we get the extra point. That's how it goes when you're winning. You win eight in a row, you have a lot of guys contribute. Tonight, we had that again."
WATCH: [All Sharks vs. Blackhawks highlights]
Marcus Sorensen, Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl scored, and Martin Jones made 28 saves for the Sharks (44-23-9), who remain six points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division.
"It wasn't pretty for a lot of it," Jones said. "But we found a way to win, and we've been doing that a lot lately, so that's a good sign."
Kevin Labanc scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout.

"It's just about winning on the road, learning that and understanding," Pavelski said. "We've always been a strong-willed team. Tonight we found a way."
Alex DeBrincat, Connor Murphy and Patrick Sharp scored, and Anton Forsberg made 35 saves for the Blackhawks (31-36-10), who lost for the sixth time in seven games and fourth straight at home. Chicago has been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
"I thought we had a good first, good third, overtime was pretty entertaining," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "A lot of high quality stuff, you know I thought there were some decent things, but they're definitely playing well."

Sharp tied the game 3-3 with 2:22 remaining in the third period with his 10th goal.
Hertl gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead with 4:19 remaining in the third when he scored his 21st goal to tie his NHL career high from 2015-16.
"I saw Hertl driving," forward Barclay Goodrow said. "I thought I'd have a little bit more time than I did. I thought [Murphy would] maybe back off with Hertl there, but he was right on me. It was good to see Hertl finish it off."
Kane tied the game 2-2 at 16:39 of the second period when he scored on a breakaway.

Murphy scored his second goal of the season with a slap shot from the point at 16:50 of the first to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.
Sorensen gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 9:15 of the first when he slid a shot underneath Forsberg.
DeBrincat tied it 1-1 at 15:32 of the first when he scored on the rebound of a shot from Vinnie Hinostroza.

Goal of the game

Hertl's goal at 15:41 of the third period.

Save of the game

Jones stopping Patrick Kane at 3:40 of overtime.

Highlight of the game

Kane's goal at 16:39 of the second period.

They said it

"Our game's still in a good spot, but it has to go back up a level instead of trending down. We understand where we're at, what time of the season it is, what needs to be done."-- Sharks captain Joe Pavelski
"It was insane. It was incredible to play in front of this crowd, these fans. It's a huge building, a lot of fans out there and the feeling was incredible." -- Blackhawks forward Victor Ejdsell on his NHL debut

Need to know

Evander Kane has seven goals in his past six games. He had 10 shots on goal, the most since he had 11 on Oct. 5. ... The Blackhawks agreed to terms with defenseman Joni Tuulola on a two-year contract that begins next season and runs through the 2019-20 season. He was selected by Chicago in the sixth round (No. 181) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

What's next

Sharks: At the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, TSN3, NHL.TV)