Gabriel Vilardi broke a third-period deadlock and sparked the visiting Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 comeback victory over the struggling San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Morgan Barron also scored for the Jets, who are riding a four-game winning streak.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves. Hellebuyck has surrendered two or fewer goals in 15 of his last 16 outings, and the Jets are rolling because of it.
Winnipeg has netted points in a franchise-record 10 consecutive games and are riding a 12-1-2 run. Despite sitting second in the Central Division, the Jets have the best winning percentage in the Western Conference.
Alexander Barabanov replied for the Sharks, who sit at the bottom of the league standings and are on a 10-game losing skid, with all of those defeats in regulation time. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 shots in defeat.
Vilardi broke the 1-1 tie with a power-play goal 3:14 into the third period. Vilardi was parked at the side of the net and neatly redirected a Nikolaj Ehlers pass from the top of the opposite circle for his eighth goal of the season.
The Sharks, who also had an 11-game losing streak this season, pushed feverishly for the equalizer but could not find it.
It’s the third consecutive games the Sharks were tied in the third period only to lose, and like the previous two outings, gave a strong effort only to fall short.
Despite the Jets carrying the bulk of the play through the first half of the game, Barabanov put the Sharks ahead at 10:26 of the middle frame with his third goal of the season, a one-timer from the left face-off dot set up by William Eklund.
Barron tied the game 82 seconds later with his eighth goal of the campaign, matching his career high set last season. Neal Pionk’s shot was stopped, but Barron was on the spot for the rebound tally.
–Field Level Media