WINNIPEG — Joe Pavelski scored his team’s first and last goals as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Monday.
Joe Thornton assisted on Pavelski’s empty-net goal to give him 1,000 NHL career assists.
Aaron Dell stopped 31 shots in his 14th game for the Sharks (39-19-7).
Pavelski opened the game’s scoring with his 22nd goal and Mikkael Boedker also had a goal for San Jose, which was coming off a 3-1 loss Sunday in Minnesota.
Josh Morrissey scored for the Jets in the first period and Mark Scheifele netted his 28th of the season with seven seconds left in game.
Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves in his 11th straight start for Winnipeg (30-31-6).
Boedker’s short-handed goal early in the third period gave the Sharks the 2-1 lead. Jets rookie Patrik Laine had a pass attempt knocked down San Jose centre Logan Couture, who fed Boedker for a breakaway that he used for a high shot to beat Hellebuyck at 7:26.
Boedker’s ninth goal of the season came when there was only six seconds left in a tripping penalty to Sharks defenceman Paul Martin.
Pavelski notched his empty netter at 19:34 for the 3-1 gap.
He’d opened the game’s scoring at 9:45 of the first period after Hellebuyck fell victim to a literal bad bounce. The netminder had stretched out to make a stop, started falling and the rebound went underneath him to Pavelski at the front of the crease.
Morrissey evened it up with an unassisted goal at 11:27, a laser-beam slapshot from the point into the top corner over Dell’s glove for his fourth of the season.
Winnipeg outshot San Jose 13-7 in the first.
Both goalies made some good saves in the scoreless second, plus Pavelski broke up a Jets’ three-on-one late in the period. The Sharks flipped the shot edge to 23-20 in their favour.
Winnipeg pulled their goalie with just over two minutes left in the game, but Dell made a quick pad stop on a Laine one-timer with under a minute to go.
The loss kept the Jets at 66 points as they failed to move up in the hunt for an NHL Western Conference wild-card spot.
Winnipeg remains tied with idle Los Angeles Kings and one point behind St. Louis, which holds the second wild-card berth.
The Jets continue their six-game homestand Wednesday with Game 5 against Pittsburgh. The Sharks return home to host Washington on Thursday.
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