The Sharks came back to win a game where they never played with a lead, thanks to their penalty kill.
The Jets had two man-advantage situations during overtime alone — which is really, really not ideal — and five power plays overall.
The Jets appeared to have a two-goal lead when Mark Scheifele put the puck in the net in the middle of the second period, but the Jets had been offside by inches and the goal was called back. The Sharks scored the next two goals of the game.
The Sharks’ power play was officially 1-for-3, though the one goal came pretty early in the power play.
During the first half of the game, the Sharks’ passing was unimpressive, if not downright disappointing. The Jets looked crisp and organized, while the Sharks were a little more frantic. They definitely cleaned it up by the end of the game, though; Pavelski’s game-winner came from a great cross-ice pass off Burns’ stick.
Couture scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the fourth Sharks player to reach the mark in the 2018-19 season.
On the topic of milestones, I regret to inform you that Thornton did not get any credit on the Sorenson goal in the second period.
The Sharks have a 21-0 record when allowing two or fewer goals. Allowing fewer goals makes it easier to win, who knew?
The Sharks have now played — and won — three straight overtime games. It’s good that they’re staying in games, and in fact, coming from behind and getting important points. But betting on a good bounce during sudden death doesn’t sound sustainable to me. I have some Very Good Advice: don’t play from behind.
The Sharks next play in Calgary on Thursday at 6 p.m. Pacific time.
A four-game road trip for the San Jose Sharks kicks off in the land without WiFi, also known as Winnipeg, where the Sharks prepare to take on the Jets.
The last game of the season series between these two teams was in San Jose, where the Jets took down the Sharks 5-3 in a game laden with weird bounces and early goals. Nikolaj Ehlers scored possibly the weirdest hat trick in NHL history that night, leading the Jets in scoring.
The Sharks are coming off of a 3-2 overtime victory against the Arizona Desert D— Coyotes, in which Brent Burns scored a nifty game-winning goal, despite the best efforts of Richard Panik. Meanwhile, the Jets absolutely stomped the Ducks in their last game on Saturday, chasing John Gibson out of the net, putting six goals behind him en route to a 9-3 victory.
Lines
The Sharks will be without Erik Karlsson for the sixth game in a row. He didn’t make the trip up to Winnipeg and left practice early on Monday morning.
In his absence, the Sharks are projected to roll these lines out:
A concierge is like the Winnipeg equivalent of a geisha. This is a person who has been trained in the fine art of fanciness and pleasure. And when you meet one, they give you today’s lines. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/lSHmYrIaHX
— Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) February 5, 2019
Martin Jones will get the nod between the pipes for the Sharks tonight. Jones has been 10-2-0 in his last 12 starts dating back to December, albeit despite disappointing numbers (3.13 goals against average and an .891 save percentage).
Meanwhile, the Jets have their own injury issues to deal with. Dustin Byfuglien will not be in the lineup for the Jets, Bryan Little is a game-time decision and Nikolaj Ehlers is still on injured reserve.
Daily Faceoff has the Jets lining up like this:
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Blake Wheeler
Patrik Laine — Bryan Little — Jack Roslovic
Mathieu Perreault — Adam Lowry — Brandon Tanev
Brendan Lemieux — Andrew Copp — Mason Appleton
Josh Morrissey — Jacob Trouba
Ben Chiarot — Tyler Myers
Dimitry Kulikov — Joe Morrow
Per the Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe, Connor Hellebuyck will get the start for the Jets. He won his last start against the Sharks, and his last three in a row.
Where to Watch
Tonight’s action from the Bell MTS Place begins at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on NBC Sports California, with the radio call on 98.5 KFOX. See you then for live updates and reactions.
First Period
16:52: The Jets get a quick pass through the neutral zone to Blake Wheeler, who uses his back-skating defender as a screen. 1-0 Jets.
13:41: One of the “keys to the game” for tonight is to “enjoy competing.” Not to be that guy, but I think most professional athletes fit that criteria, anyway.
11:55: The Jets’ passing has been impressive: fast, accurate and efficient. The Sharks’ … not so much. I have yet to see them string together three passes.
9:19: Joe Pavelski was tripped trying to chase a puck dumped into the left corner. Sharks will have a power play upcoming.
9:06: Logan Couture evens the score! Josh Morrissey went down after blocking a shot and his absence gave Couture space to step up and send a wrist shot past Hellebuyck.
3:48: Sharks get another power play, drawn by Thornton.
1:47: There were some interesting attempts there, but the Jets kill it off. Kane got a shot from in close at the very end of the two minutes; about halfway through, Hertl tried to tap it to Pavelski from the goal line and it looked cool but didn’t connect.
End of the First Period: 1-1
I’d say the Sharks definitely got better throughout that period. In the first half, they weren’t getting passes to hit the mark and relied a lot on the dump. After that first power play, they seemed to find their sticks. The power play in the last five minutes looked pretty good at least in terms of movement and keeping the puck in the zone; I’d like to see more shots.
Second Period
19:08: The Sharks botch a clear and the Jets score. Mathieu Perreault swept in with bodies blocking Jones to stash the puck in the net.
16:58: Just over three minutes into the period, the Jets have four shots on goal; the Sharks have none.
15:00: A scary sequence for the Sharks as the Jets fly up the middle with numbers, then a few seconds later pick off a pass in the Sharks’ zone. Luck was with the Sharks — or maybe it just was against the Jets.
12:56: The Sharks are finally reaching the attacking zone, but they aren’t staying there very long.
11:47: The Jets are getting a power play after this commercial break. Jets fans are extra excited because it’s Evander Kane going to the box.
10:25: The Jets get the puck Scheifele in the low slot. Laine couldn’t hit the net, but Scheifele sure could. BUT! The Sharks are challenging that the play was offside.
10:35: We’re going back in time! The play was indeed offside and everything goes back 10 seconds with a faceoff in the neutral zone.
4:50: Timo Meier yanked a Jet to the ice behind Hellebuyck. It’s a Jets power play after the break.
2:54: Jones has been sharp on the Jets’ shots while the killers were unable to clear past the blueline.
End of the Second Period: 2-1 Jets
The Sharks are only down one thanks to a sharp eye from someone on the Sharks’ coaching staff. That period didn’t go great, but it could have been worse. The penalty killers gave a lot more respect to Scheifele in the middle of the ice on the late-period power play than they did the first time around.
Still need to work on the passing.
Third Period
17:25: The Sharks make the puck go into the net. Looks like Sorenson, who tripped over Hellebuyck immediately after the puck crossed the line. Also, Joe Thornton may record his 1,000th San Jose point with an assist. NBCS Cali says it’s officially unassisted right now.
12:04: Hertl drives to the net so hard he plows into Hellebuyck and takes a goaltender interference penalty.
8:09: We’re getting 4-on-4 hockey after Perreault interferes with Meier but Meier fell too dramatically or something.
6:26: Trouba goes to the box for holding. Sharks get the man advantage.
1:35: The Jets will end the period with a power play. Vlasic’s clear sent the puck over the glass.
End of Regulation: 2-2
The penalty isn’t fully killed, but what the Sharks got done in the last minute and a half was impressive. Burns’ stick broke and the Sharks still nearly sprung a shorthanded breakaway.
It’ll be 4-on-3 until either someone scores or the penalty ends.
Overtime
3:40: The Sharks will be down a man again. Evander Kane jumped the gun as Vlasic was gliding to the bench.
2:11: Pavelski shorthanded game-winning goal!!!
As many of you know, Fear the Fin is an independent site run by Sharks fans for Sharks fans. Help keep Fear the Fin independent by contributing to our