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Martin Jones had ‘one of the all-time best goaltending performances in a final’

The San Jose Sharks had a great playoff run, but ultimately came up just short of their goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

The Sharks got great performances from several key skaters throughout the playoffs, but once the offense dried up in the final, they leaned heavily on Martin Jones.

San Jose gave up a first-round pick to acquire Jones from the Bruins last summer and his performance in the final justified the expense.

“What do you say about him? One of the all-time best goaltending performances in a Final probably ever, or right up there anyway,” said Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer after the Game 6 loss. " I thought he was sensational every game we played. Gave us a chance to compete and get it to six games.”

Outside of Games 1 and 4 where he allowed three goals, Jones gave up two goals or less in each of the other four games.

The 26-year-old stopped 191 of Pittsburgh’s 205 shots on goal throughout the series. The Sharks were outshot in five of the six games. Jones faced 40 shots or more in Games 1, 3 and 5.

“He’s been there all year and he put up quite a performance in the playoffs,’' Sharks forward Joel Ward said of Jones, per AP. ''Hats off to him for unbelievable saves.’'

Here’s how Jones’ playoff numbers stack up against goaltenders who won the Conn Smythe trophy recently:

Martin Jones (2016): 14-10, 2.16 goals-against-average, .923 save percentage

Jonathan Quick (2012): 16-4, 1.41 goals-against-average, .946 save percentage

Tim Thomas (2011): 16-9, 1.98 goals-against-average, .940 save percentage

Cam Ward (2006): 15-8, 2.14 goals-against-average, .920 save percentage