The Winnipeg Jets could not capitalize on a chance for a second five-game win streak in a month, falling to the San Jose Sharks 2-1 Tuesday night in California.
The two teams played 39 straight minutes with it a tie game until William Eklund broke a one-all deadlock with the eventual game-winner on a power play with under five minutes remaining.
The Jets could only muster a single goal in Kyle Connor’s absence in their first game without their top goal scorer after he suffered a knee injury.
The loss to the last place Sharks ended the Jets four-game win streak after a perfect start to the road trip.
“They did a good job of blocking the shots and the goalie made the big saves when he had to,” said head coach Rick Bowness. “And we missed the opportunities when they were there.”
The Jets power play has suddenly gone cold, now without a goal on the man advantage in their last four straight games. They went 0-for-5 against the Sharks and they’ve been unable to score on their last 15 straight power play opportunities.
“It was a factor,” said Bowness. “Power play – we hit the cross bar. We had some good looks, but we got to score on those opportunities and the specialty teams were the difference in the game tonight.”
Returning home off a six-game road trip, the Sharks dominated the Jets in the early minutes of the game, outshooting Winnipeg 11-1 in the opening five minutes.
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That led to the game’s opening goal from Justin Bailey, whose shot from the slot went off the post and in at the 9:17 mark. It was the first goal for Bailey since Mar. 10, 2018 when he was a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Winnipeg pushed back steadily as the period went along, peppering Mackenzie Blackwood and as the shot counter climbed for the Jets, they found the equalizer from a former Shark.
Brenden Dillon stopped a clearing attempt at the left point and sent a floater on net that eluded the glove of Blackwood with just under four minutes to go in the first. It was his fifth goal of the season, one shy of tying his career high that he set in Dallas a decade ago.
The game remained tied 1-1 at the end of the first, with both teams registering 15 shots in total in the period.
Winnipeg was the stronger team in the early goings of the second but San Jose pushed back as both sides tried but failed to break the tie. Both teams also failed on the power play in the second as the 1-1 score carried into the third.
The Jets carried the play through the first half of the final frame but still could not get one past Blackwood, failing on a fourth power play chance early in the period.
But a questionable hooking call on Dylan DeMelo with 6:26 remaining gave the Sharks an opportunity with the man advantage late in the game.
Winnipeg got a great look shorthanded when David Gustafsson fed Mason Appleton on a 2-on-1 but Appleton’s shot missed the net, sending the Sharks back in on a 5-on-2 rush, and while they didn’t immediately cash in, it led to the go-ahead goal.
After Logan Stanley had the puck knocked off his stick before he could clear it, the Sharks cycled the puck around, leading to an Eklund one-timer that beat Brossoit with 4:51 to go.
Winnipeg got a fifth power play but again failed to convert and couldn’t score with Brossoit on the bench, the final horn sounding on a 2-1 defeat.
Brossoit was rock solid, stopping 30 of 32 shots faced while Blackwood was excellent, turning aside 36 shots.
The Jets dressed eleven forwards and seven defencemen in Connor’s absence as Nate Schmidt returned to the lineup after four games as a healthy scratch.
The Jets wrap up a four-game road trip in Los Angeles Wednesday night. The puck drops just after 9:30 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. on 680 CJOB.
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