The Sharks’ porous defense will be challenged when San Jose hosts the high-scoring Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Winnipeg is averaging 3.66 goals per game, and 12 Jets have at least 11 points. This well-rounded attack and Connor Hellebuyck’s outstanding goaltending (2.11 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) have carried the Jets to the top of the Western Conference standings.
By contrast, the struggling Sharks are allowing 3.45 goals per game and 32.5 shots per game, both among the highest averages in the NHL.
The gap between the clubs was apparent in their first meeting of the season, when the Jets recorded an 8-3 rout over the Sharks in Winnipeg on Oct. 18. The eight goals tied both the Jets’ highest scoring total and the most goals San Jose has allowed in a game this season.
San Jose is 1-4-0 in its last five, including a tough 4-3 home loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday. Utah outshot the Sharks by a 40-22 margin, and Clayton Keller scored a power-play marker with just 44 seconds left in regulation for the game’s winning goal.
Utah outshot San Jose 17-4 in the third period, even though Fabian Zetterlund’s power-play goal gave San Jose a 3-2 lead five minutes into the final frame. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky felt his team lacked “killer instinct” after taking the lead, saying “we just stopped playing.”
“We looked for someone else to do each other’s jobs. … We get on our heels and we wait for bad stuff to happen. And it’s just a bad way to play this game,” he said.
Vitek Vanecek stopped 36 of 40 shots in the loss Saturday, doing his best against Utah’s pressure. Vanecek could start again on Tuesday or the recently acquired Alexandar Georgiev could make his second start in a Sharks uniform.
The Jets are 4-1-1 in their last six, coming off a 4-2 home win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Winnipeg was carried by strong special teams play, as the penalty-kill unit was 4-for-4 and the power-play unit scored twice in six chances.
“That’s how you win in this league,” Hellebuyck said about the special teams units. “Especially at this time, when things are getting tighter and teams are figuring out their game and bouncing back from bad games or whatnot. Your big guys have got to bring their A-game on a consistent basis.”
The shutout from the penalty killers ended a streak of five straight games with at least one power-play goal conceded. While the kill has been a relative weak link for the Jets, their 30.3 percent power-play percentage is the best in the NHL entering Monday.
Since Winnipeg plays the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, Hellebuyck and backup goalie Eric Comrie are likely to split the back-to-back games.
Kyle Connor leads the Jets with 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists). Mikael Granlund’s 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) is the Sharks’ top point scorer.
No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini is living up to the hype in his rookie season, with 10 goals and 10 assists through his first 21 NHL games. He also has five points (two goals, three assists) during a current three-game point streak.
–Field Level Media