CHICAGO -- Center Jonathan Toews knew to stay patient as overtime arrived.

"Eventually, you're going to get some chances," the Chicago Blackhawks captain said with a grin. "It's only a matter of time when there are only three guys on the ice on each team."

When Toews' chance arrived, he took full advantage. He scored with 2:39 remaining in overtime to lift the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.

Right winger Patrick Kane scored a goal and assisted on Toews' game winner. Center Artem Anisimov and right winger Andrew Shaw also scored for Chicago (20-11-4).

The Blackhawks won in overtime for the second consecutive game.

"The last two, we've found a way to win," Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford said. "Being down in both of them, we never give up with our experience. We just keep chipping away."

Sharks left winger Joonas Donskoi tallied a goal and an assist. Right wingers Tommy Wingels and Joe Pavelski also scored as San Jose (16-15-2) picked up a point on the road.

"That's a good point for us, considering the circumstances," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "We gave the young guys a lot of good minutes, and they held up. The only thing we didn't do was find a way to get the fourth goal. We had some opportunities there to put one in."

Crawford proved ready for the Sharks' late scoring chances. He stopped 33 of 36 shots, including a point-blank wrist shot by Donskoi with about nine minutes remaining, to improve to 18-8-2.

San Jose goaltender Martin Jones turned aside 28 of 32 shots.

"These are the ones you build on through the year," Shaw said. "The team comes together and you find a way to win those tight, close games. You keep doing those little things right, good things are going to start going your way."

San Jose led 3-2 entering the third period before the Blackhawks evened the score with 13:09 to go. Shaw carried the puck to the front of the net and ripped a shot past Jones' glove side.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville praised Shaw for his aggressiveness. Quenneville said the play showed what could happen when players attacked the net rather than relying on finesse plays.

"We need to be more assertive when we go to the net, knowing that that's where the rewards are," Quenneville said. "There are a lot of loose pucks. There are a lot of rebounds."

Chicago opened the scoring on a backhand shot by Anisimov with 15:42 to go in the first period. Sharks defenseman Paul Martin lost the puck behind the net, and Anisimov quickly capitalized.

San Jose evened the score at 1 on a breakaway by Donskoi with 12:26 remaining in the first period. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic set up the goal with a stretch pass that hit Donskoi in stride.

A power-play goal by Wingels gave San Jose a 2-1 lead with 6:18 left in the first period. Donskoi screened Crawford in front of the net, and Wingels fired a wrist shot above Crawford's right shoulder.

Kane scored on a rebound less than four minutes later to even the score at 2. The goal marked Kane's 21st of the season and his second in as many games.

San Jose regained a 3-2 lead on a tip-in by Pavelski with 5:15 remaining in the second period. Center Joe Thornton deflected Martin's shot from the blue line, and Pavelski poked in the loose puck for his team-leading 16th goal.

Pavelski said the Sharks could learn from Sunday's loss.

"You just have a couple breakdowns," Pavelski said. "It's just those fractions that we really have to turn into the difference lately, and we have to stay with it. We played a pretty good game. It wasn't good enough."

NOTES: Sharks RW Ben Smith returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 31. Smith, 27, missed 22 games as he recovered from a concussion. ... Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa (upper body) did not play for the first time since Nov. 6. Coach Joel Quenneville said Hossa would not play Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, but he could return after the Christmas break. ... Sharks D Matt Tennyson returned to the ice after missing the previous five games as a healthy scratch. ... Blackhawks RW Brandon Mashinter played on the third line after sitting out the past two games as a healthy scratch. ... Sharks C Logan Couture (lower body) missed his fifth consecutive game. ... Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews played in his 600th career game. ... Sharks C Melker Karlsson (flu) did not play.