Sharks at Jets
The Winnipeg Jets hope to keep their offense churning Monday as they continue their quest for a postseason berth when they host the Pacific Division-leading San Jose Sharks. Winnipeg has scored a total of 14 goals while going 2-1-0 on their six-game homestand and is three points behind St. Louis in the race for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 32nd goal in the Jets' 6-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday, moving one ahead of Toronto's Auston Matthews for first place among NHL rookies. San Jose had three-game winning streaks both overall and on the road snapped Sunday as it dropped a 3-1 decision at Minnesota, which regained the top spot in the Central Division. The setback was the first in regulation since Feb. 9 for the Sharks, whose lead in the Pacific remained at five points. Joe Thornton was kept off the scoresheet Sunday for the second straight game, keeping him one assist shy of 1,000 for his career.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (38-19-7): Thornton, who is 23rd on the all-time scoring list with 1,381 points, is on the verge of becoming the 13th player in NHL history to register 1,000 assists. The 37-year-old has scored only five goals in 64 games this campaign and needs to recorded three more to avoid having his lowest single-season total since his 1997-98 rookie season with Boston, when he netted three in 55 contests. Melker Karlsson, who produced the lone goal against the Wild, has scored seven of his nine tallies this season on the road.
ABOUT THE JETS (30-30-6): Blake Wheeler became the fourth member of the team to reach the 20-goal plateau, marking the fourth consecutive season he has hit the mark. The 30-year-old right wing, who is four points shy of 500 for his career, is in the midst of a four-game streak during which he has collected three goals and five assists. Mathieu Perreault (three goals, eight assists) and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (two, seven) enter Monday's contest with seven-game point streaks.
OVERTIME
1. Sharks D Brent Burns was kept off the scoresheet by Minnesota, ending his seven-game point streak.
2. Winnipeg C Marko Dano's next game will be his 100th in the NHL.
3. San Jose D Joakim Ryan was a healthy scratch Sunday after being recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League earlier in the day.