Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks took a huge step toward quieting their critics.

Thornton’s assist set up Patrick Marleau’s winning score 7:07 into overtime and his second goal in two games sparked a shocking comeback for the Sharks, which beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

San Jose has been dogged for failing to get to the Western Conference finals since its longest run in 2004, but an impressive rally from a 3-1 deficit with 13 minutes left in regulation could prove to be pivotal for the franchise.

The Red Wings looked as though they had put themselves in a great position to win Game 3 — leading 2-0 in the first and 3-1 in the third — but they blew chances to pad the lead early, and goalie Jimmy Howard let them down late.

Thornton started San Jose’s comeback by scoring 6:42 into the third. Logan Couture tied it with 6:43 left, flicking a shot toward Howard from the right corner. Howard didn’t press his body firmly against the post, and that allowed the tying goal to go off him and into the net.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Detroit, where the Red Wings will try to avoid being swept for the first time since 2003 against the Anaheim Ducks.

In other NHL playoff action:

• Evgeni Malkin scored his fourth power-play goal 1:16 into the third period and Fleury made 18 saves for his fourth NHL playoff shutout, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

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