Marleau, Sharks slip past Jets
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- One night after making history with four goals in one period, Patrick Marleau came through again for the San Jose Sharks.
The veteran center snapped a tie with 4:33 to play, lifting the Sharks to a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Marleau potted the 498th goal of his career as he closes in on becoming the 46th player in NHL history to reach 500. On Monday in Colorado, he scored four goals in the third period of a 5-2 win, making him the first player since Mario Lemieux on Jan. 26, 1997, to collect four goals in a period.
Winnipeg led 3-2 before San Jose tied it at 9:37 of the third period when Melker Karlsson was awarded a penalty shot after being slashed on a short-handed breakaway. He beat Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec, much to the dismay of the jeering crowd that didn't agree with the referee's decision.
Bryan Little appeared to give the Jets all the momentum when he snapped a 2-2 tie four minutes into the final period. His slapper from the slot hit the bar and went in. Rookie Patrik Laine, returning to the lineup after missing seven games with a concussion, helped set it up.
The Jets appeared to tie it with 17 seconds left in the third, but the referees indicated the whistle sounded before the puck crossed the line.
Winnipeg began the game by digging an early hole, as Nic Petan took a holding penalty followed seconds later by an obvious too-many-men on the ice call. San Jose struck quickly on the subsequent five-on-three as defenseman Brent Burns fired home a rocket for his team-leading 21st goal of the year.
The Jets answered back midway through the first period as defenseman Josh Morrissey made a perfect stretch pass to Bryan Little, who went in alone on the breakaway and deked out Sharks goalie Aaron Dell for his 11th tally of the year.
Winnipeg got an injury scare late in the period when defenseman Toby Enstrom lost an edge and crashed heavily into the boards. He remained on the ice for a couple of moments before gingerly making his way to the dressing room. However, Enstrom was back on the ice to begin the second period.
The Jets got caught running around in their own zone -- with Enstrom being the main culprit -- and Logan Couture took advantage when he one-timed a pass from Mikkel Boedker to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead just 27 seconds into the middle frame. It was the 16th goal of the season for Couture.
Just before the second period ended, Andrew Copp blasted a shot over Dell's shoulder to make it a 2-2 game. Copp collected his seventh goal of the season.
Winnipeg (22-25-4) was coming off a tough 3-2 defeat to Anaheim on Monday night at the MTS Centre.
The Sharks (31-16-2) return home to face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night in their final game before the All-Star break. The Jets hit the road to play Chicago on Thursday.
NOTES: Winnipeg strung together two wins in a row on nine different occasions this season, only to drop the next game all nine times. ... Winnipeg is 5-9-1 against Pacific Division teams this season, including 0-6-0 against the top-three of San Jose, Anaheim and Edmonton. ... The Sharks have dominated the Jets over the years, posting an impressive 16-5-4 record. The teams meet again on March 6 in Winnipeg. ... The Jets' scratches Tuesday were G Michael Hutchinson, D Julian Melchiori and C Mathieu Perreault (undisclosed). ... The Sharks sat RW Joonas Donskoi (undisclosed) and D Tim Heed.