Martin Jones made 22 saves in his second straight shutout and Tomas Hertl scored twice to give the Sharks a series lead for the first time in four trips to the Western Conference finals with a 3-0 victory over the Blues in Game 3 on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.

Joonas Donskoi also scored to give the Sharks a 2-1 series advantage and move them as close as they have ever been to reaching their first Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks have won just three games in its first three trips to the conference finals, part of a long history of playoff disappointment that is showing signs of coming to an end.

The Blues have gone 150:45 without scoring since Jori Lehtera's second-period goal in Game 1 led to a 2-1 victory.

Game 4 is Saturday in San Jose, where the Sharks have won six straight playoff games.

Blues goaltender Brian Elliott allowed three goals on 14 shots before being pulled midway through the third.

The Blues now find themselves trailing a series for just the second time this postseason. Overcoming this deficit may be tougher than coming back last round after losing the opener to the Stars.

While the Stars were leaky on defense and rotated between two mostly ineffective goalies, the Sharks have done a stellar job defending.

Injury updates: Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop and captain Steven Stamkos are unlikely to return for Game 4 on Friday night.

Bishop, who suffered a lower-leg injury during Game 1, practiced with the team for the first time Thursday but was moving noticeably slower than normal throughout the 45-minute session.

“We've moved into football terms now, so Ben Bishop is probably (doubtful),” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I'd consider him in that doubtful range, but that's better than being out.”

Stamkos, who has been sidelined since having surgery April 4 to remove a blood clot near his collarbone, hasn't been cleared for contact.

“I'm hoping to, but there's still a real possibility that I may not play at all in the playoffs,” Stamkos said.

“We still haven't come to that decision yet. It's going to take a lot of information gathering — a lot of different opinions — and I don't know when that decision is going to be made.”

Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist's status for the game remains uncertain after he injured his left hand blocking a shot late in Wednesday's game.

“We think he's making progress,” Sullivan said of Hornqvist. “We'll see how he is (Friday).”