The bad news for the Winnipeg Jets is that they’re still struggling to score goals.
The good news is that, on Wednesday night against San Jose, it didn’t matter as they knocked off the Sharks 1-0 for their second straight win.
The Jets scored less than three goals for the eighth straight game, but this time it wasn’t due to a lack of chances. The Jets registered 39 shots on goal, but could only beat Kaapo Kahkonen once for the victory.
“We had 84 shot attempts,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “We had certainly more than enough scoring chances to score more than one goal.
“It’s not going in. Give their goalie a ton of credit. He made huge saves. We were all over the net. Just gonna keep pushing. If we can create that much offence, the puck will have to go in soon.”
Morgan Barron notched the lone goal for Winnipeg.
The Jets have scored just seven goals over their last seven games and their power play is now 0-for-21 over their last eight contests.
But one goal was plenty on this night with Connor Hellebuyck making 17 stops for his third shutout of the season.
“There’s a few lapses there,” said Barron. “But we didn’t give up too much and when we did Bucky (Hellebuyck) was there to make the save. So, it was a tight-checking game for the most part.”
The Sharks nearly scored late in the second period on a play that needed a review to confirm the puck didn’t cross the goal line. Mark Scheifele got in behind Hellebuyck and made a leg save to preserve his shutout.
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“I knew Bucky didn’t really know where he was and I was on the wrong side of it,” said Scheifele. “And just honestly, tried to get any limb on it whatsoever.
“A lot of mini-sticks. That’s exactly what it was. I don’t think Bucky knew where the puck was, so the defensive play comes out of me every once and awhile.
“Just a great save. Bucky owes me one.”
At the first media timeout, the Jets had yet to register a shot on goal while the Sharks had four, but from that point on, Winnipeg dominated the opening period, outshooting the Sharks 15-0 and earning the game’s first goal.
Not long after Winnipeg failed on a power play chance, Neal Pionk sent the puck on goal. It was deflected en route by Adam Lowry before bouncing off the glove of Barron and past Kahkonen with 2:13 to go in the first.
Winnipeg got a second power play chance just ten seconds into the middle frame but once again they came up empty, generating just one shot as they are now 1-for-32 on the power play in their last 11 contests.
The penalty kill got the job done a few minutes later, earning better chances to score than the Sharks did during the two minutes Cole Perfetti spent in the box.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the period with Winnipeg dominating on the shot clock again 16-8, but the best chance belonged to the Sharks.
After Mikael Granlund was denied on the doorstep, Hellebuyck lost track of the puck near the crease. Anthony Duclair whacked the puck toward the net and it cleared Hellebuyck’s pad but Scheifele got in behind the Jets’ goalie to block the shot, swiping the puck to the corner with his glove after the puck hit the ice.
Officials reviewed the play to ensure the puck never crossed the goal line and the call on the ice was confirmed, keeping Winnipeg’s 1-0 lead intact heading to the final period.
San Jose pushed hard for the equalizer to start the third, but Winnipeg weathered the storm and locked things down for much of the period.
Winnipeg couldn’t find an insurance marker either as the game stayed 1-0 into the final minute before the Sharks pulled Kahkonen for the extra attacker, but they couldn’t muster much before the final horn sounded.
Kahkonen turned aside 38 shots in a hard-luck defeat.
Despite the win, Winnipeg has now scored only nine goals in their last eight games and just 15 in their last 12 matches.
The Jets will try to extend their win streak to three games Saturday night when they visit the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks.
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