SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks once again battled a quality opponent right to the end. But, once again, they failed to protect a third-period lead.
Up by one with less than 12 minutes left in regulation time, the Sharks allowed goals to Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry, with Lowry’s goal at the 18:47 mark of the third period proving to be the difference in a 4-3 Sharks loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at SAP Center.
On the game-winning play, Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo took a pass from forward Mason Appleton and fired a shot that Lowry tipped past screened Sharks goalie Alexandar Georgiev for his ninth goal of the season.
The Sharks have been competitive in most games since late October and went toe-to-toe with the Jets, who lead the league with 47 points and a .712 points percentage.
Still, that didn’t take the sting out of another close loss, their second straight at home by a goal scored in the final two minutes.
The Sharks lost 4-3 to the Utah Hockey Club on a goal scored by Clayton Keller with 44 seconds left in regulation.
“I think we’re all competitors in there. Everyone’s frustrated by the result,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I think we’ve made some strides from the last game. I thought we played harder tonight for 60 minutes.”
Still, San Jose has now lost three one-goal third-period leads in its last four games. It also coughed up a late advantage in a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
San Jose is now 7-7-5 in one-goal games this season.
“To be a good team, you’ve got to close it out in the third,” said Sharks defenseman Jake Walman, who had two assists. “I think there’s a lot more positives that we can focus on. That’s the main thing.”
Walman had two assists, and Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini added a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who face the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday to finish a three-game homestand.
“I think we should have won, so I don’t think there’s any moral victory,” Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli said. “I think we look at it like it’s a loss and we’ve got to work tomorrow and get better.”
Georgiev, making his first start for the Sharks in San Jose, was primarily steady and finished with 29 saves. He allowed two goals to Connor, including a power-play marker that tied the game 3-3 at the 11:56 mark of the third period.
“Everybody’s battling super hard. I feel there was a lot of good today. Five on five, we spent a lot of time in their offensive zone, for sure,” Georgiev said. “Tried to create a lot, and we did. So that’s good to see. We’re not selling out for offense, just taking care of the rush a lot, and that helps me a bunch, too.”
Fellow Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek, who backed up Georgiev, was sitting at one end of the bench early in the second period when he was struck in the head with a puck.
Vanecek left the bench and didn’t return. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky did not have an update on Vanecek after the game.
Tuesday’s game looked good for the Sharks when winger Fabian Zetterlund scored at the 4:44 mark of the third period to give his team a 3-2 lead.
Walman controlled the puck in the Sharks’ zone and sent it to Zetterlund in the neutral zone. Zetterlund, on his off wing, then beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck short side for his 11th goal of the season and second in as many games.
On Celebrini’s goal, he took a pass from Walman along the boards and skated toward the middle of the ice. With DeMelo in his way, Celebrini stickhandled to his right and quickly sent a no-look backhand shot to the net.
Celebrini’s shot might have surprised Hellebuyck, or last season’s Vezina Trophy winner just didn’t see it. Either way, the power play goal tied the game 2-2 with 2:49 left in the second period.
Celebrini also assisted on Toffoli’s second-period goal. With his seventh multi-point game, Celebrini passed Jeff Friesen for most by an 18-year-old in Sharks history.
The Sharks created a handful of scoring chances in the first period but still trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The Jets sent a pass to the Sharks’ blue line that Gabriel Vilardi tipped past a pinching Walman. Mark Scheifele then corralled the loose puck, took it below the San Jose goal line, and fed it in front to an open Connor, who went backhand to forehand to beat Georgiev.
Facing the Jets, Warsofsky wanted his team to be the aggressor and not sit back.
“As a team, there are some things I’m looking for, and individually, there are some things I’m looking for,” Warsofsky said Tuesday morning. “Guys sticking their nose in there and getting on pucks and winning 50/50 pucks, it’s been a big issue for us this year to come away with 50/50s, so I’m looking for that.”
The Sharks went 3-3-0 on a recently completed road trip and opened a three-game homestand on Saturday with a feisty loss to Utah. The Sharks disagreed with some of the calls officials made against them and felt that more calls could have been made against Utah.
In particular, a nearby referee in the second period did not call what appeared to be a boarding penalty for Utah forward Kevin Stenlund’s hit from behind on Celebrini, who crashed hard into the boards but was not injured.
Immediately after the game ended, cameras showed Warsofsky yelling at the officiating crew for a few seconds before leaving the Sharks bench and returning to the team’s dressing room.
Tuesday, the NHL fined Warsofsky $25,000 for “inappropriate conduct” during the game.
“It’s something that I’m trying to get better at,” Warsofsky said Tuesday morning. “At the same time, I’m passionate. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Sometimes, it gets the best of me, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to have our players back, and that’s not going to change.”
