Martin Jones looks like vintage self in Sharks' 3-1 win over Canadiens

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There were many stars in the Sharks’ Sunday night victory over the Canadiens, but there was no denying Martin Jones shined the brightest.

In this early part of the season, San Jose's starting netminder hasn’t looked like the same player who’d stood tall between the pipes in previous seasons. Sunday’s win -- in which Jones stopped 40 of Montreal's 41 shots -- could be exactly what he needs to get back to being his vintage self. 

This isn’t to say the Sharks' early season woes have all been on Jones. We’ve spoken ad nauseam about the need for the skaters in front of him to be more defensively sound. But at the end of the day, the puck stops when Jones keeps it out of the net. Through his first handful of games, there weren’t enough of those stops, and San Jose often found themselves battling to match the three or four-goal efforts their opponents were posting. 

[RELATED: Sharks cut down on odd-man rushes in first road win since October]

That was not the case against Montreal, as the 28-year-old starter held the Habs to just one goal.

Perhaps it was fortuitous the Habs were on the schedule as Jones and the rest of the Sharks were searching for a much-needed win. Jones entered that game with a near-spotless career record against the Canadiens. After Sunday, he now possesses a 7-1-0 mark against Montreal, with a 1.88 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

Of course, now Jones has to have games like Sunday’s on a regular basis. He’s still registering a .894 save percentage on the season and letting in about three goals per game on average. Those numbers have to improve if the Sharks are going to take control of what has been an average-at-best Pacific division. 

The win in Montreal is, without a doubt, a great jumping off point for him. 
 

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