Eklund Smashes Winner; Sharks Beat Jets 2-1
William Eklund scored the game-winning goal to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Dean Tait - Hockey Shots - Eklund Smashes Winner; Sharks Beat Jets 2-1William Eklund scored the game-winning goal to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
"We've really had two seasons. The start and ever since then, we've gotten to turn things around," Sharks coach David Quinn said postgame. "I give our players and our leadership group a ton of credit for slowly digging ourselves out of a hole."
Mackenzie Blackwood started for the Sharks and made 36 saves for his fourth win of the season.
"Maybe I wasn't at my best, but I don't think there's anything wrong with my game," Blackwood said postgame. "You just got to keep chipping away and trust yourself. I think tonight was a good example of that."
Laurent Brossoit made 30 saves for the Jets, dropping his record to 3-3-1 this season.
Luke Kunin played for San Jose tonight despite head coach David Quinn's comments this morning. Jacob MacDonald was scratched in so Kunin could play.
Nico Sturm left the game in the third period and did not return.
Justin Bailey gives the Sharks the lead with a great shot from the high slot. Nico Sturm provided a terrific screen in front of the goal. San Jose is dominating the first period, outshooting the Jets 13-4 with 10:33 remaining.
"It's definitely been a minute," Bailey said postgame. "Like I said before, it's been a couple of surgeries, COVID, and stuff like that. It's obviously been a while, but there was a lot of raw emotion on that celebration there."
Former Shark Brenden Dillion fired a shot from the point that beat Blackwood. Vladislav Namestnikov provided a good screen in front. The Jets had been putting on more pressure in the second half of the period.
The first period ends with a tie on the shot clock at 15. San Jose did a good job starting the game, but slowly, the Jets began to take over. For the Sharks to walk away victorious, they need to get back to the game they had during the first 11 minutes.
"I loved our start. We came out flying for the first 10-12 minutes," Quinn said. "But I thought we got a little sloppy. Cheated a little bit. We didn't really defend as well as we needed to, and you could see us getting a little bit tired as that game went on. [We] just found a way, and that's what you have to do."
William Eklund powers home the one-time shot for his seventh goal of the season. Mikael Granlund continues to stay hot with the primary assist. Sharks lead 2-1 late in the third. Granlund is now on a six-game point streak.
"I want to add that to my game even more. I wanna be a scoring threat out there, too," Eklund said postgame. "It was a great pass by Granlund. I want to be able to score with that chance."
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