Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-lose-4-0-to-sharks-460024623.html

Sharks feast with 4-0 win over Jets

By: Jason Bell

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Winnipeg Jets were left smarting from a rather nasty Shark attack Saturday night — especially goalie Steve Mason.

After two terrific performances late in the week, the Jets concluded a California getaway with a game that got away from them in San Jose. The Sharks built a two- lead after 20 minutes, withstood a strong push from the visitors in the final 40 and hung on to register a 4-0 triumph at SAP Center.

It’s the first time Winnipeg has been shut out this season.

The Jets might need to promote a after Mason suffered an upper-body injury in the first period — and there’s concern about a possible concussion – although either guy on the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the , looks ready if the call comes.

A wicked slap from winger Jannik Hansen at 8:43 was the likely cause of Mason’s early exit as the blast struck him squarely in the mask. He gathered himself, stayed in for the ensuing faceoff and finished out the period, stopping 11 of 13 shots.

But he was nowhere to be seen after the intermission, as Connor Hellebuyck took over to begin the second. Head coach Paul Maurice said Mason’s health will be evaluated Sunday.

That will, undoubtedly, include monitoring for the effects of a possible concussion.

"He stayed in (after the shot) and said he was OK after that. We talked to him at the (TV) time out, but by the time he got off the ice he was not feeling right. For us, that’s enough. He’s got to come out," said Maurice.

"He wasn’t feeling good. He was sick."

The day Mason was signed as a free agent, Michael Hutchinson’s days as a Jets goalie were over — unless either Mason or Hellebuyck hit sick bay. Yet, there’s no denying Hutchinson — with 41 career NHL victories under his belt, has been outstanding with the Moose, going 6-1-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.

His goaltending partner, Eric Comrie, has equally impressive numbers, bolstered by an outstanding 30-save shutout in Milwaukee on Saturday night. The young goalie is 8-4-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .927 SP.

Winnipeg (14-6-3) split four games on a road trip that began poorly in Nashville but drastically improved in Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Ending it on a losing note wasn’t part of the plan, said captain Blake Wheeler.

"It’s all right. They’re games where we stuck with it, even the game tonight," he said, assessing the trip. "A lot of frustration. I thought overall, even in the third period, we were pushing and had some opportunities. Their goalie made some big saves."

Sharks goalie Martin Jones, whose 2.19 goals-against average prior to the game will look even better now, was rock-solid, stopping 38 shots.

Full marks to the Sharks (12-8-2) for bending but not breaking against one of the NHL’s hottest squads.

With his club ahead 2-0, Logan Couture raced away on a short-handed breakaway with just under seven minutes left in the second period and beat Hellebuyck on a deke for his second goal of the night and 13th of the year.

Call that tally the back-breaker for the Jets, who were blanked on three power-play chances in the period but gave up the goal to Couture and nearly another when he couldn’t convert on his second breakaway on the same kill.

"It hurt, it hurt a lot," said Wheeler. "We had a couple of good chances on the power plays before that. Kyle (Connor) had one sitting on the goal line, you know (at) 2-1 the momentum’s in our favour. Even if the period ends 2-1, that’s a hockey game we like to play. You give up two breakaways on the power play, it’s not good enough."

Tim Heed’s shot on the power-play, his third goal of year, started the scoring for San Jose. Forced to discard his broken stick, Jets centre Matt Hendricks sprawled to block the shot but the puck soared past him and a few other bodies, including Mason.

The Sharks, while just fourth in the Pacific Division, remain one of the league’s stingiest clubs, ranking at or near the top in several key categories. Heading into Saturday’s contest, San Jose had yielded the fewest goals (49), the fewest goals per game (2.33), owned the league’s second-best kill (89.7 per cent) and surrendered the fewest shots per game (28.5).

Those numbers gleamed even brighter following the tidy win against Winnipeg.

"It’s disappointing. I thought we played really well the last two games (2-1 over L.A. and 4-1 over Anaheim). Tonight, we’re come into a tough building and playing a veteran squad over there and they take advantage of some mistakes we made," said defenceman Josh Morrissey.

"I just think it wasn’t the game we wanted. We had bigger aspirations for the end of that road trip."

Tomas Hertl added an empty-netter, his fifth goal of the year.

Maurice changed up his forward units in the third period, elevating Nikolaj Ehlers to the top line with Mark Scheifele and Wheeler, and putting Mathieu Perreault with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine.

The moves provided a spark but Jones blocked all 13 shots he faced in the frame. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/chiarot-fined-for-hit-on-corey-perry- 459976103.html

Chiarot fined for butt-ending Ducks' Perry

By: Jason Bell

SAN JOSE, Calif — Corey Perry can get under opponents' skin but crossing the line to try and even the score won't be tolerated by the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Winnipeg Jets blue-liner Ben Chiarot found that out Saturday.

Chiarot avoided a suspension but was fined US$3,763.44, the maximum allowable under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, for butt-ending the forward Friday afternoon.

The money goes to the NHL Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred at 14:22 of the second period during a scrum in the Jets end. The combatants came together, Chiarot levelled the butt-end and Perry was left with a big gash on his chin that reportedly required 20 stitches.

There was no penalty on Chiarot, but Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele drew a roughing penalty after other players joined the melee.

Perry has been a thorn in Winnipeg's side for years, not just for the points he picks up. Last season, he caught Mathieu Perreault with a slash to the hand and broke his finger, causing the productive forward to miss three games.

There was no penalty on the play and no supplemental punishment doled out by the league.

The Jets are in San Jose to battle the Sharks tonight at 9 p.m. CT.

Winnipeg (14-5-3), second in the Western Conference and tied for third in the NHL, is 2-1 on the road trip after opening with a loss to the but bouncing back with wins against the and Ducks.

Head coach Paul Maurice has elected to go with goalie Steve Mason, whose terrific 38-save effort in L.A. helped solidify a 2-1 Wednesday.

He could just as soon flip a coin on his choice of netminders.

After a so-so performance in a 5-3 loss to Nashville, Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 30 shots in impressive fashion as the Jets dumped the Ducks 4-1 Friday.

Winnipeg hasn't let the sting of defeat carry over, losing back-to-back games in regulation time only — and those were games 1 and 2 of the season. The club did lose consecutive road games in but at least secured points.

"I'd like to think for (the goalies) we give them a better chance to have that redemption game, so when they have an off-night it's usually the same time we feel our whole team did. Then, everybody needs to be a little bit better, and the guys in front of them have been and the goalies have been as well," said Maurice, following Friday's triumph.

The Jets are 7-3-2 away from Bell MTS Place.

"It's really important to win on the road. It's the best place to win because you can put them on the bus and then you put them on a plane and they get to go to a hotel and they can spend all that time enjoying it together," said Maurice. "These (are important) road wins in tough buildings — and we look at this is a very physically difficult stretch of hockey for us."

The club returns home to face Central Division foes, the Minnesota Wild, on Monday night.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/sharks-take-bite-out-of-jets-loss-prevents-california- sweep

Sharks take bite out of Jets: Loss prevents California sweep

By Ken Wiebe

SAN JOSE — It was a special-teams disaster for the Winnipeg Jets.

As the Jets attempted to close out a swing through California with a clean sweep, the had other ideas, earning a 4-0 victory at SAP Center on Saturday night that included a power-play goal and a shorthanded marker.

Despite the lopsided defeat, the Jets finished this four-game road trip with a record of 2-2 and remain in the thick of things in the Central Division at 14-6-3 after suffering just their third regulation loss during the past 14 games (10-3-1).

The Jets played a poor second period in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators to open the trip, but regrouped with impressive victories over the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.

On Saturday, the Sharks who had a little extra gas in the tank and got a 38-save shutout from Martin Jones.

“This California swing is one of the hardest swings in the league, if not the hardest,” said Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot. “To take two of three in California is good. These are heavy games, so we bring that game with us back to Winnipeg and we should be OK.”

The Sharks got a power-play goal from Tim Heed to take a 1-0 lead at 11:30 of the first period before Logan Couture scored a backbreaker on a rebound with 15.8 seconds to go to take some air out of the Jets collective balloon.

Instead of going to the dressing room feeling fortunate to be down only one goal, the Jets faced an uphill climb.

When Connor Hellebuyck led the Jets out to start the second period, it raised more than a few eyebrows, since Steve Mason was actually pretty sharp in the opening 20 minutes, turning aside 11 of the 13 shots on goal that he faced.

But when the Jets announced via Twitter that Mason had left the game with an upper-body injury, the move made a bit more sense.

Mason was on the receiving end of a high shot off the stick of Jannik Hansen at 8:43 of the first period, a blistering one-timer off the mask.

“I don’t know the answer because he was fine after (the Hansen shot). By the time he got off the ice (for the intermission), he was not feeling right. And for us, that’s enough. He has to come out,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We pulled him as a precaution. We’ll get him looked at and get a good idea of how he’s feeling.”

The goal from Couture came after a shot from the right point by Justin Braun, whose shot changed direction off the stick of Jets left-winger Kyle Connor.

Mason managed to stop the initial shot, but a juicy rebound landed on the stick of Couture, who got inside position on Dustin Byfuglien and got to the puck first.

While the Jets power play has been a weapon for them this season — entering Saturday’s game tied for third in the NHL — there were three consecutive opportunities with the man- advantage to cut into the Sharks lead.

Not only did the Jets come up empty on that front, the Sharks dangerous penalty kill delivered a shorthanded marker, with Couture getting past Byfuglien and freezing Hellebuyck with a subtle head fake before scoring on his backhand deke.

“The goal at the end of the first hurt. It hurt a lot. And we get an opportunity on the power play to make it 2-1 and it goes the other way, takes a lot of wind out of your sails,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “You give up two breakaways on the power play, it’s not good enough.”

Tomas Hertl added an empty-netter for the Sharks.

As for Mason, he went into the game playing the best hockey of the season, allowing only four goals in his previous three starts.

But instead of being able to build on that, there’s a good chance he could end up on the shelf.

For how long, nobody knows for sure.

But it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Mason suffered a concussion, which would mean he’s out indefinitely.

If the Jets are forced to recall a goalie from the Manitoba Moose of the , they have two suitable options in Michael Hutchinson and Eric Comrie.

Comrie made 30 saves on Saturday in a 3-0 victory for the Moose over the for what was his first shutout of the season as he improved to 8-4-1 with a 2.30 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 13 games this season.

Hutchinson is 6-1-1 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in eight appearances, so both guys have been sharp for a Moose club that has won six consecutive games and currently sits atop the Central Division standings.

Although the Jets just completed a busy stretch of four games in six days, they’ve still got Central Division battles with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche this week.

The Mason injury adds an element of intrigue as the Jets travel home to face the Wild.

How long will Mason be out, who replaces him on the roster and how many games will Hellebuyck start during Mason’s absence? http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/chiarot-avoids-suspension-little-line- figuring-it-out-jets-healthy-scratches-try-to-stay-sharp

Chiarot avoids suspension…Little line figuring it out…Jets healthy scratches try to stay sharp

By Ken Wiebe

SAN JOSE – Ben Chiarot has been fined by the NHL department of player safety, but wasn’t suspended for catching Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry with a butt end to the chin late in the second period of Friday’s 4-1 victory for the Winnipeg Jets.

Chiarot received a fine of $3,763.44, which is the maximum amount allowed under the terms of the NHL collective bargaining agreement.

While the two players engaged in a battle, the Jets defenceman connected with a punch to the face of Perry with his gloved hand, but video showed the butt end was sticking out slightly and made contact as well.

It’s important to note that while the action could be viewed as somewhat reckless, it wasn’t deliberate, since Chiarot didn’t extend the butt end of the stick before delivering the punch.

“It was just a scrum in front of the net and I was getting my hands up to protect myself,” Chiarot said following Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks. “I know he caught a butt end in the chin. But when guys are getting their hands up, there are going to be sticks flying around. That’s going to happen, guys are going to get clipped by sticks.”

Chiarot was not given a penalty on the play, though Jets centre Mark Scheifele was sent to the box for roughing after joining the scrum late.

Perry was incensed about the incident and required 20 stitches to seal the wound left by Chiarot.

George Parros, who is the senior vice president of the NHL department of player safety, was in attendance for the game at Honda Center on Saturday.

Chiarot waited patiently for the NHL to make its ruling.

“It was possible,” said Chiarot, when asked if he was nervous about the potential of a suspension. “There was no real intent on my part to jab him with the butt end of my stick. I knew that and I’m pretty sure everybody else knew that. I was pretty confident it would just be a fine.”

Perry is known to play on and over the edge and is no stranger to incidents like this one, though he’s often been the one using his stick as a weapon.

Just last season, Perry’s slash caused Jets forward Mathieu Perreault to suffer a broken thumb and he missed three games because of it.

Perry didn’t receive a penalty on the play, nor did he receive a fine or suspension.

Little left shaking his head Jets centre Bryan Little was just as confused as you were.

When asked for his thoughts on the early struggles for his line with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Winnipeg Jets veteran centre admits he was often left scratching his head when searching for a solution.

Things weren’t coming easily – especially during five-on-five play – even though the line looked like it could do a lot of damage together, at least on paper.

“There have been points so far during the year where we’ve all been frustrated as a line,” said Little. “We’ve had some talks about it.”

Eventually, those talks led to action.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice has been known in the past to get out the blender and shake up his lines when things aren’t clicking.

But he’s mostly resisted that urge this season, choosing instead to stick mostly with a standard group of four units, health permitting, of course.

Since bumping the recalled Kyle Connor to the top line early in the second period of a game on Oct. 16 against the , Maurice has mostly kept Little between Laine and Ehlers, though though the blender was out in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the Sharks.

“One of the reasons (Maurice) stuck with us was that the other lines were playing so well,” said Little. “He was leaning on us to play better and try to figure it out ourselves, because you don’t want to mess up the chemistry of the other lines when we’re winning and when the other lines are doing well.

Each member of the line has expressed frustration over the course of the past few weeks, but they also appreciated the fact Maurice had chosen to stick with them.

“It’s not good for the players if the coach is switching the lines all of the time. Our coach has been really patient with the lines and he’s going to give us time because he knows what we can do as a line,” said Laine. “When I think about chemistry, you need to practice with the same guys and it kind of builds itself. For our line, we’re just trying to make some difficult plays. For me, I need to do my job and (Ehlers) and (Little) will do the same. At certain times, we need to be more selfish and shoot the puck more.”

Maurice’s patience was rewarded in a big way on Friday afternoon, when the line erupted for three goals and seven points in a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

“Hopefully, this kicks us into gear,” said Little. “For this to work as a line, all of us have to be playing well for it to work. If we’re all going like (they were on Friday), we should be good.”

When asked about consideration being given to breaking up the duo of Laine and Ehlers even temporarily, Maurice said the thought had crossed his mind, but there were extenuating factors to consider as well.

“Splitting them up is an option. The idea of splitting them up is easy, putting them in a place where they can excel is a little more challenging. We’re going to give them some time,” Maurice said earlier in the road trip. “I like the way Kyle Connor has played with (Mark Scheifele) and (Blake) Wheeler and I don’t want to break up something that has been really good. I’ve also seen (Ehlers), (Laine) and (Little) play really well, so I know it’s there.”

Maurice was adamant following Saturday’s game that the line juggling was a temporary fix and that he remains happy with how his lines are rolling right now.

“It wasn’t to shake everything up because you didn’t like it,” said Maurice. “We’ve been a good team with the lines the way they are. There just wasn’t a lot of connection between the forwards, I thought. We didn’t connect, so sometimes you’re just looking for a change.”

Biding their time With the Jets forward lines settled for the time being, it’s a matter of being patient and staying ready for Marko Dano and Shawn Matthias.

Dano sat out as a healthy scratch for a 14th consecutive game on Saturday and has been limited to six games and has no points this season.

Matthias, who has two assists in 17 games, has sat out six games in a row since Perreault returned from injury.

On defence, Tucker Poolman has sat out the past four games since being recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Associated Press http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/logan-couture-scores-twice-sharks-top-jets/

Logan Couture scores twice as Sharks top Jets

By Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Logan Couture does the dirty work that doesn’t always get noticed.

But with his team in desperate need of a win, he didn’t shy away from the limelight.

Couture scored two goals and Martin Jones had 38 saves as the San Jose Sharks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 on Saturday night.

The Sharks won for just the second time in six games with two ties over that stretch and improved to 18-5-2-2 all-time against Winnipeg. The Jets had won five of their previous six and 10 of their last 13.

Couture scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway at 13:13 of the second period for his 13th goal of the season to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead. Couture took the puck from just past the San Jose blue line, faked a shot as he approached goalie Connor Hellebuyck and then backhanded the puck into the net.

"He’s very much an unsung hero for what he does defensively," said Sharks assistant coach Steve Spott.

"He blocks shots, and that’s what you want from your best players. When guys like Logan do it, it sends the right message to our young guys."

The victory followed a tough 5-4 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Nights on Friday that appeared to still weigh on the Sharks.

"It was better than last game, but I still think it’s not near where it needs to be," Couture said of Saturday’s win. "I think (Jones) bailed us out way too often. Like I said, too many odd man rushes against, they probably had close to double digits. Fortunately, Joner made the big saves."

Tim Heed scored the game’s first goal on a power play at 11:30 of the first period. Heed blasted a shot from the high slot off a behind-the-back pass from Kevin Labanc.

"I was waiting for it there, I was hoping (Labanc) would see me there, so it was good he found me there," Heed said.

Heed’s shot hit Jets goalie Steve Mason in the mask. Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice pulled Mason from the game after the first period. Mason said he felt ill, and will be evaluated by doctors on Sunday.

Couture scored his goal just outside the crease after he rebounded a deflection with 16 seconds left in the first period.

"Tough one at the end of the first because you’d like to out of there thinking if you’re down one, lots of hockey (left)," Maurice said.

The Sharks were 1 for 2 on power plays, and the Jets 0 for 3.

"Any time you give up a short-handed goal it’s going to be tough to win the game," Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot said. "They were good on their special teams and we weren’t so good on ours."

Tomas Hertl scored an empty-netter at 16:50 of the third, his fifth.

"I think we just left a lot there," Maurice said. "We had a 3-on-1 that we don’t get to the net, a couple of 2-on-1s. There were an awful lot of plays that we just didn’t execute smooth or clean, so we couldn’t put any pressure in terms of scoring a goal and changing that momentum a little bit."

The Jets completed a tough four-game road trip 2-2, winning two of three on their California swing.

"It wasn’t easy to get a handle on the puck and we looked a little bit off but our compete was good," Maurice said. "This was a grinder on the road in an NHL schedule. We came up short, and we’ll move on."

NOTES: Sharks C Melker Karlson participated in Saturday’s practice but missed his fourth game with an upper body injury. . Jets Fs Shawn Matthais and Marko Dano and D Tucker Poolman were healthy scratches.

UP NEXT Winnipeg: Hosts Minnesota on Monday. San Jose: Opens a four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

The Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/26/three-takeaways-sharks-jones-health-in-question- after-shutout-vs-jets/

Three takeaways: Sharks’ Jones’ health in question after shutout vs. Jets

By PAUL GACKLE

SAN JOSE — After scoring more than two non-empty net goals just once in a nine-game span, the Sharks are starting to find some offense, lighting the lamp 11 times in their last three games.

Get Sharks news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free Sharks Report newsletter. The Sharks followed up their four-goal performance against the Friday by notching four more against the Winnipeg Jets (14-6-3), who entered Saturday’s game at the SAP Center with a 24-7-4 record since March 13 of last season.

Here’s what we learned as the Sharks (12-8-2) picked up a 4-0 win over the Western Conference’s hottest team.

1. Martin Jones goes “under evaluation” after pitching second shutout of season.

Usually, when a goalie tosses a shutout, he’ll be the first player requested by reporters for a postgame interview. But Jones wound up being a no show for his media scrum Saturday after he made 38 saves en route to his second shutout of the season.

He was undergoing an evaluation for what appeared to be a lower-body injury suffered in the third period of the Sharks win.

“He’s in with our medical people right now,” assistant coach Steve Spott said when asked about Jones’ postgame absence. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”

With 6:32 left in the third period, Sharks head trainer Ray Tufts paid Jones a visit on the ice, testing his ability to move side-to-side in the crease. Jones remained in the game, but he appeared to be nursing an injury in his lower-body area, moving around carefully in the blue paint, looking awkward on a post-to-post slide and getting up slowly after he went down to stop the puck.

In between whistles, Jones could be seen stretching out his legs in the crease.

Although Jones is putting together an all-star caliber season, the Sharks should be able to absorb his loss if he winds up having a short-term injury. Backup Aaron Dell is proving he’s more than capable of stepping in and providing the team with quality goaltending.

The Sharks also have a pair of serviceable netminders with the AHL Barracuda if they need to recall a goalie to serve as a temporary backup. Antoine Bibeau ranks third in the league in goals-against average (1.82) and fourth in save percentage (.933) in nine appearances, and Troy Grosenick is coming off a season in which he snagged the league’s top goalie award.

But if the injury is serious, which seems unlikely at this point, it could be potentially devastating to the Sharks, whose game is structured around keeping the puck out of the net. Dell, Bibeau and Grosenick are all unproven commodities as starters at the NHL level.

2. Pencil Logan Couture into the All-Star game.

Couture is carrying the Sharks forward group this season, a point that isn’t lost on the Sharks coaching staff.

After scoring his 12th and 13th goals of the year, his name came up in the coach’s office.

“He’s been excellent. We just said that in the coach’s office,” said Spott as he filled in for head coach Pete DeBoer in the postgame media session. “He’s doing as much offensively as he does defensively. He’s very much an unsung hero for what he does defensively. He blocks shots and that’s what you want from your best players.

“When guys like Logan Couture do it, it sends the right message to our young guys.”

For years, Couture has gone head-to-head with the top centers in the league, playing a selfless defensive game at the cost of his offensive numbers

But this year, Couture is leading the charge in the attack zone, as well.

On a team that’s scored the fewest five-on-five goals in the NHL (32), Couture ranks fifth in the NHL in goals (tied with four players) and his 19 points is tops on the team, five more than ’s production.

Even if Couture’s numbers takes a dip over the next six weeks, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t earn his second trip to the All-Star game this year. The Sharks just don’t have a lot of viable candidates other than he and Jones.

Thornton is having an up-and-down year coming off major knee surgery in the offseason. is stuck on four goals after failing to put the puck in the net for a 10th-consecutive game and Brent Burns scored his first goal of the year on Friday.

Without Couture, it’s hard to imagine that the Sharks would be anywhere near a playoff spot right now. It’s safe to assume that the guys in the dressing room know who the team’s MVP through 22 games is.

“He does everything,” Jannik Hansen said. “He plays power play, five-on-five, shorthanded. He plays against the other team’s top guys every night, and most nights, he comes out on top.”

3. The Sharks get their offense the right away this time.

The Sharks put up more than three goals for just the second time since Nov. 1 Friday, but DeBoer was displeased with how his team generated its offense, calling its game, “pond hockey”.

Although Couture criticized the Sharks defensive effort Saturday, the Sharks managed to score four times — an even strength goal, a power play, a shorthanded goal and an empty netter — while containing a Jets offense that came into the game ranked sixth in the NHL (3.27 goals per game).

The Sharks kept Mark Scheifele (25 points), Blake Wheeler (25 points), Patrik Laine (17 points) and Nikolaj Ehlers (17 points) off the scoresheet and the penalty kill went 3-for-3 against a power play that had scored at least one goal in nine of its last 11 games.

“They’ve got a high-powered offense over there,” Spott said. “To do what we did tonight was excellent.” http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/25/look-of-an-all-star-sharks-two-biggest-candidates- come-up-big-vs-jets/

Look of an all-star? Sharks’ two biggest candidates come up big vs. Jets . By CURTIS PASHELKA

SAN JOSE — Spots for the 2017 NHL All-Star game won’t be handed out until January. So there’s still plenty of time for players across the league to state their case.

Through the first quarter of the season, two candidates have plainly emerged for the Sharks, and their importance was on full display in a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center on Saturday.

Center Logan Couture scored twice for his fourth multi-goal game of the season and goalie Martin Jones made 38 saves for his second shutout as the Sharks earned an important victory before they start a four-game road trip early next week.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic assisted on both goals by Couture, who scored once at even strength and another shorthanded and now has a team-leading 13 goals in 22 games.

“It’s been good. Scored some goals, the puck’s found its way in,” Couture said of his season. “Just have to keep shooting, stick with it and hopefully it continues. It’s a long season. There’s ups and there are downs. Right now, the puck’s going in.”

Jones stopped 16 shots in the second period, including four on the penalty kill, as he bounced back from a so-so showing Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights when he was pulled early in the second period.

Jones, now with a 10-5-1 record this season, was shaken up in the third period and had to be tended to for a few moments by a member of the Sharks’ training staff. He finished the third period but remained under evaluation after the game.

For the record, both Couture and Jones have been selected to one all-star game each.

“He’s OK. He was just buying time for his teammates,” Vlasic deadpanned when asked about Jones’ injury. “He’s fine.”

Tim Heed scored on the power play and Tomas Hertl added an empty-netter as the Sharks improved their record at home to 7-6-1. San Jose begins its road trip Tuesday in Philadelphia, followed by games against Florida, Tampa Bay and Washington.

“We were playing Winnipeg, one of the hottest teams in the and we knew the points were going to be tough,” Sharks assistant coach Steve Spott said. “It was a big two points for our hockey club. To get a power play, a shorthanded and a 5 on 5 goal, that was great for our club.”

Get Sharks news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free Sharks Report newsletter. Couture’s shorthanded goal gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead at the 13:13 mark of the second period.

Hertl knocked a loose puck into the neutral zone where Couture collected it and went in on a breakaway, beating Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck with a backhand shot through the legs.

Couture’s second goal came as the Sharks were killing their third straight penalty of the second period. He and Hertl played 2:22 on the penalty kill, part of an impressive defensive effort by the Sharks’ top shutdown forwards.

“He does everything,” Sharks forward Jannik Hansen said of Couture. “He plays the power play, he plays 5 on 5, shorthanded. Goes against the other team’s top guys every night and most of the time comes out on top.”

Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation. Jones has typically responded well in his next outing when he’s been pulled in his previous appearance.

Jones was 4-0 in such instances over the past two seasons, including 2-0 this year. He was also pulled in games against Los Angeles in October and Tampa Bay earlier this month before he came back to win the next time he took the net.

“He’s been good since he’s been here,” Vlasic said of Jones, “so I wouldn’t expect less from him.”

▪Defenseman Joakim Ryan was scratched for the first time since he was recalled from the AHL on Oct. 12. Brenden Dillon was paired with Brent Burns for the start of Saturday’s game, and Tim Heed, who was scratched for the last two games, was paired with Dylan DeMelo.

▪ Forward Melker Karlsson skated again in Saturday morning’s optional practice but was a scratch for a fourth straight game with an upper body injury he suffered last Saturday against Boston. Karlsson said he hoping to play at some point on the Sharks’ upcoming road trip.

▪ Forward Barclay Goodrow is improving from an upper body injury he suffered against Florida on Nov. 16 but is still “a ways away,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. Defenseman Paul Martin also skated lightly Saturday morning. Martin had been nursing an ankle injury for over a month but recently incurred another injury that is not ankle-related, DeBoer said last week.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-san-jose-sharks-game-recap/c-293377336

Sharks shut out Jets Jones makes 38 saves, Couture scores twice in San Jose win by Eric Gilmore / NHL.com Correspondent

SAN JOSE -- Martin Jones made 38 saves, and Logan Couture scored two goals to help the San Jose Sharks to a 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center on Saturday.

Tim Heed and Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose (12-8-2), which has won four straight against Winnipeg.

Jones was examined by a Sharks trainer with 6:32 remaining in the third period but stayed in the game despite an apparent lower-body injury. Jones was not available for comment after the game.

"He's in with our medical people right now, so we'll know more [Sunday]," Sharks assistant coach Steve Spott said.

Couture leads the Sharks with 14 goals and has five goals in his past eight games.

"It's been good," Couture said. "I've scored some goals. The puck has found its way in. So, got to keep shooting, stick with it, and hopefully it continues. It's a long season. There's ups and there's downs. Right now, the puck is going in."

Jones was pulled early in the second period Friday after giving up three goals in a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, but he bounced back for his 10th victory of the season.

Steve Mason started for the Jets (14-6-3) but left the game after the first period because of an upper-body injury. He gave up two goals on 13 shots.

Mason was hit in the mask by Jannik Hansen's slap shot at 8:43 of the first period, but Jets coach Paul Maurice said he "was fine" initially.

"By the time he got off the ice [for the first intermission], he was not feeling right," Maurice said. "And for us, that was enough. He has to come out. We pulled him as a precaution. We'll get him looked at [Sunday] and get a good idea of how he's feeling."

Connor Hellebuyck relieved Mason at the start of the second period and made 20 saves.

Heed, who was a healthy scratch the previous two games, gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 11:30 of the first period. Kevin Labanc faked a shot from the right circle and sent a behind-the-back pass to Heed in the high slot. Heed scored on a slap shot for his third goal of the season.

"Sometimes it's good to watch the game from the side and get another view of it," Heed said of being scratched. "Took something out of it and tried to do something better."

Couture made it 2-0 when he scored on a rebound with 16 seconds left in the first period.

Couture extended San Jose's lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway at 13:30 of the second period.

"I honestly thought it was going to be a 2-on-1 at first," Couture said. "I looked up and saw no one near me. So, fake shot, he kind of froze, and I went around him."

The Jets have scored 13 power-play goals in November, but they went 0-for-3 with the man- advantage Saturday. The Sharks went 1-for-2 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal.

"Anytime you give up a shorthanded goal, it's going to be tough to win the game," Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot said. "They were good on their special teams and we weren't so good on ours."

Hertl scored an empty-net goal at 16:50 of the third period.

Goal of the game Heed's power-play goal at 11:30 of the first period.

Save of the game Jones against Mark Scheifele at 11:44 of the second period.

Highlight of the game Couture's shorthanded goal at 13:13 of the second period.

They said it "I thought the [shots] we did get there, their goaltender was really good. He made some real good saves, but we missed the net on a bunch of real good opportunities too. We certainly didn't make the most of the opportunities that we had." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice

"It was better than last game, but I still think it's not near where it needs to be. I think [Jones] bailed us out way too often. Too many odd-man rushes against. They probably had close to double digits. Fortunately, [Jones] made the big saves." -- Sharks forward Logan Couture

Need to know Winnipeg is 1-1-1 in the second of back-to-back games this season. … Sharks defenseman Joakim Ryan was scratched after playing 19 straight games. ... Sharks defenseman Marc- Edouard Vlasic had his first multipoint game of the season (two assists).

What's next Jets: Host the Minnesota Wild on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-N, NHL.TV) Sharks: At the on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, NBCSCA, NHL.TV) www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-shut-out-by-sharks-to-wrap-up-road-trip/c-293380286

Jets shut out by Sharks to wrap up road trip Mason leaves game with upper-body injury after opening period by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

SAN JOSE, California - Heading into Saturday night, the 49 goals the San Jose Sharks had allowed this season were the fewest in the NHL.

Try as they might, the Winnipeg Jets couldn't increase that number.

The Jets fired 38 shots at the Sharks net, but Martin Jones stopped every one of them, handing Winnipeg a 4-0 loss to end the four-game road trip.

"I think we just left a lot there. We had a three-on-one that we don't get to the net, a couple of two-on-ones, there were an awful lot of plays that we didn't execute smooth or clean," said head coach Paul Maurice. "So we couldn't put any real pressure in terms of scoring a goal and changing that momentum a little bit.

"It was a bit of a grinder for us."

Logan Couture scored twice to bring his season total to 13, while Tim Heed and Tomas Hertl added singles to help the Sharks improve their record to 12-8-2.

The defeat means the Jets head home with four of a possible eight points on the trip, and fall to 1-1-1 in the back half of back-to-back games.

"I think there were games that we stuck with it," said captain Blake Wheeler. "(There is) a lot of frustration with the game tonight. Overall, I still thought in the third period we were pushing and had some opportunities. Their goalie made some big saves."

San Jose took advantage of a Dustin Byfuglien interference penalty to open the scoring. After hitting the cross bar earlier on the play, the Sharks regained possession, and after some quick puck movement at the top of the circles, Tim Heed's point shot beat Steve Mason through traffic.

The Sharks would add to the lead with 15.4 seconds left in the first, when a Justin Braun shot went off Kyle Connor and changed direction on its way to Mason. The Jets goaltender made the initial stop, but the rebound was left in front of the crease, and Logan Couture lifted it in the top corner for his 12th of the season.

The Jets (14-6-3) were down 2-0 after 20 minutes, and to add to the situation, Mason didn't return to the game after the first period due to an upper-body injury.

"We pulled him as a precaution. We'll get him looked at tomorrow and get a real good idea of how he's feeling," said Maurice, who couldn't be certain if it was Jannik Hansen's high one-timer that caught Mason in the mask that was the culprit for the goaltender's symptoms.

"He stayed in and said he was OK after that. We talked to him at the time-out. By the time he got off the ice he got off that ice, he was not feeling right. For us, that's enough, he's got to come out."

Connor Hellebuyck came on in relief in the second period, and would make 20 saves on 21 shots the rest of the way.

Couture's second of the night came shorthanded, and was the only one Hellebuyck couldn't keep out. San Jose's second ranked penalty kill forced a turnover at their own blue line. And Couture then won the footrace to the puck, and slid a backhand past Hellebuyck to make it 3-0 Sharks.

"You've got an opportunity on the power play to make it 2-1, and it goes the other way, it takes the wind out of your sails," said Wheeler.

"It hurt a lot. We had a couple chances on the power play before that… 2-1, momentum is in our favour. Even if the period ends 2-1, we know it's a hockey game we like to play."

Maurice shuffled the lines late in the second period, reuniting the line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler, and also moved Mathieu Perreault to the left wing with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine.

"The idea wasn't to shake everything up because you didn't like it. There wasn't a lot of connection between the forwards I thought," Maurice said. "Sometimes you're just looking for a change. Shortening our bench at a certain point in a game like that to chase back. We have some offensive players playing on that fourth line, so we just moved them up."

The only goal of the third period came on an empty netter from Hertl, his fifth of the season.

In the mind of Josh Morrissey, who played 19:53 in the game and blocked three shots, said the loss is a tough way to end the road trip after picking up wins in Los Angeles and Anaheim in the last two outings.

"They took advantage of some mistakes we made. I liked our pushback in the third," said Morrissey.

"It wasn't the game we wanted. We had bigger aspirations for the end of that road trip."

Next up for the Jets is a return to Bell MTS Place, where they take on the Minnesota Wild on Hockey Fights Cancer night in Winnipeg.

"We're going to be on an airplane every second day now for a week, then come home and play Vegas (on December 1). This is the grinder for us," said Maurice.

"Get as much rest as you possibly can, get as much sleep as you can. Keep your shifts short, and keep your game simple." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--paul-maurice/t-277437442/c-55019503

POSTGAME | Paul Maurice

Head Coach Paul Maurice addresses the media post-game at SAP Center