3 keys to Sharks' Game 3 win

And just like that, we have a series.

For the fourth time in the past five years, at least two games of the Stanley Cup Final have been decided in overtime, and thanks to a 3-2 win for the San Jose Sharks in Game 3, this year's championship series rests at 2-1 in favor of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here are three primary reasons why the Sharks came out on top of a game they simply had to win.

His name is Joonas

The hero of the night was rookie forward Joonas Donskoi, who assisted on Joel Ward's game-tying goal (more on that below) and scored the overtime winner.

Originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2010, Donskoi was signed by the Sharks last summer after his rights were relinquished. The 24-year-old brought plenty of professional experience with him to the NHL after several seasons with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League, and it's paying off when it matters most.

Following Saturday's heroics, Donskoi now sits in a tie first among rookies with six goals this postseason, and ranks second with 12 points. And in scoring his second game-winning goal of the playoffs, Donskoi also became the fourth rookie in Sharks history to notch a postseason overtime goal.

Donskoi is also only the sixth rookie to register an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final - and the second to do so in as many games, following Conor Sheary's goal in Game 2's extra frame.

Ward shoots, Ward scores

The Penguins appeared to have warded off a massive opportunity for the Sharks early in the third period after San Jose was awarded, but failed to take advantage of a four-minute power play.

Enter Joel Ward, who skated into the offensive zone as the man advantage expired and rocketed the puck past Matt Murray.

That he was able to find a lane and get that shot off is significant, seeing as the Penguins blocked 38 shots on the night. While the shot count fell in Pittsburgh's favor (42-26) for the third time this series, the shot attempts were fairly even, and Ward's awareness to shoot on an odd-man rush gave the Sharks a much-needed boost.

The game-tying marker was Ward's seventh goal and 13th point of the playoffs, both of which matched his previous career highs.

Mr. Jones is a big star

Despite a losing record in the series, Sharks goaltender Martin Jones has been fantastic in net, posting a better save percentage on far more shots against than his counterpart.

With the team's top offensive players being held off the scoresheet, Jones has been the brightest star for the Sharks through three games, and his play is arguably the main reason why this series doesn't sit 3-0 in favor of Pittsburgh.

The rest of the roster will need to get on his level in order to even up the series in Game 4 and make the Final a best-of-three affair heading back to Pittsburgh.

Game 4 is set for Monday in San Jose.