Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo garnered a lot of the ink in San Jose this season for their scoring exploits, but as Patrick Marleau demonstrated Tuesday, the Sharks are truly a three-star club.

Marleau scored a pair of goals, including a highlight-reel insurance marker late in the third period, to pace the Sharks to a 4-1 home victory over the Nashville Predators in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarter-final.

The Sharks now enjoy a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into Thursday's Game 4 in San Jose.

San Jose captain Patrick Marleau, right, celebrates with teammate Kyle McLaren after scoring a goal Tuesday. (Getty Images/Robert Laberge)

Cheechoo and rookie Steve Bernier also scored for the Sharks, while Christian Ehrhoff chipped in with three assists.

Kimmo Timonen scored the lone Nashville goal.

Marleau quietly had his best year as a pro this past season, establishing new personal records in goals (34), assists (52) and points (86).

Those numbers would normally turn a lot of heads, but when you have teammates like Thornton and Cheechoo who lead the NHL in points and goals, respectively, you tend to get somewhat lost in the shuffle.

Marleau was front and centre Tuesday, skating hard, scoring goals and making plays in a dominant performance.

"He's the captain, he's a veteran, and when you see him play like he's playing right now, you just have to follow him," said Bernier.

"It's tough to follow the way he plays, but Patty is leading the way for all the team."

The Sharks controlled much of the flow of play in the game, outshooting the Predators 40-17.

"We want to play them in their end and always have the puck and start making plays in their zone," said Marleau. "When we're successful, we get results like this."

Nashville goaltender Chris Mason turned aside 36 shots in the loss. He was impressive at times but two of the goals he surrendered were weak dribblers that slithered through his legs.

Vesa Toskala didn't see a lot of action in the San Jose goal but was sharp when called upon, making 16 saves for the win.

The Predators used effective penalty-killing and quality goaltending in the first frame to stave off the Sharks and open the scoring.

With defenceman Mark Eaton serving a hooking penalty, Nashville caught the Sharks flat-footed, zipping out on a short-handed 3-on-1 rush. Timonen finished the play by firing a Greg Johnson feed behind Toskala, who was being screened by Predators forward Jerred Smithson.

Nashville then took two more penalties in a row, but Mason made a series of saves and the Predators' special teams were able to carry the 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.

The Sharks were finally rewarded for their efforts in the second, scoring a pair of goals to grab a one-goal edge.

Marleau tallied the first San Jose goal midway through the frame just six seconds after the Sharks killed off a Kyle McLaren tripping minor. Marleau raced down the left wing and deposited the puck through a gaping hole between Mason's pads.

Bernier put the Sharks ahead with a power-play marker with just over a minute remaining in the period.

Ehrhoff took a shot that ricocheted off the stick of Nashville defenceman Dan Hamhuis and deflected straight to Bernier, who was parked beside the Predators crease. With Mason out of position, the Sharks rookie batted the puck into a wide-open net to give San Jose a 2-1 advantage.

The Sharks iced the game late in the third with a pair of insurance markers.

Cheechoo struck first at 15:38, firing a slapshot from just inside the blue-line that slipped between Mason's legs.

Marleau added his second of the night just 1:07 later when he powered his way through the middle of the Nashville zone and potted his own rebound past Mason.