Sharks at Jets
The San Jose Sharks do not have much time to dwell on allowing four third-period goals en route to a loss on Saturday, kicking off a seven-game road trip Tuesday at the Winnipeg Jets in pursuit of the final Western Conference playoff spot. The Sharks trail Los Angeles by five points for the eighth seed after the Kings edged Arizona on Monday. “We move on now and find a way to win in Winnipeg,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said after the team's 6-2 loss to Chicago.
While San Jose desperately tries to pull closer to the last playoff spot – amid the distraction of center Joe Thornton and general manager Doug Wilson trading barbs in the media – the Jets had temporarily leapfrogged Los Angeles with a spirited comeback in Tampa Bay on Saturday. “It’s a perfect example of being able to cut off previous games and move forward,” Drew Stafford said after he and Blake Wheeler scored 2:44 apart to rally Winnipeg to a 2-1 win over the Lightning. The Jets have made the playoffs once in franchise history, in 2007 when the team was based in Atlanta.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (34-27-8): San Jose’s bid for a third consecutive victory and fifth in six games imploded in the third period Saturday, but players insisted the Thornton/Wilson spat was not a factor. The Sharks had allowed six goals in five March games before Saturday as Antti Niemi followed up a 39-save effort March 9 against Pittsburgh with a shutout of Nashville Thursday. Center Joe Pavelski recorded an assist Saturday and ranks tied for seventh in the league with 32 goals.
ABOUT THE JETS (34-23-12): Wheeler continues to elevate his play as Winnipeg battles a myriad of injuries, netting the game-winner Saturday with his fifth goal in the past 10 games. The Jets received a scare when defenseman Tobias Enstrom suffered a gash under his right eye after being drilled into the boards, but he returned to the ice. Winnipeg turned to Ondrej Pavelec in goal Saturday and the struggling veteran responded with 15 saves, his first victory since Feb. 6.
OVERTIME
1. Thornton scored his 14th goal Saturday and is tied for sixth in the NHL with 44 assists.
2. Winnipeg, already missing D Dustin Byfuglien and C Bryan Little, hopes to get D Tyler Myers back from an upper-body injury that forced him to miss Saturday’s contest.
3. The Sharks have outscored the Jets 6-2 in winning both matchups this season.