WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:
Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets begin a three-game, four-nights road trip on Thursday when they visit the San Jose Sharks for the second time this season. The Jets are coming off a 4-2 win against the Tampa Lightning on Tuesday night to extend their point streak to nine games. After Thursday’s game, the Jets visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and Arizona Coyotes on Sunday before returning to Winnipeg for a four-game homestand.
Among the Best
The Jets lead the Western Conference and are third in the NHL with a .694 points percentage this season… Winnipeg has points in nine consecutive games (7-0-2), which has tied a franchise record (9 Games – Dec. 9-28/05)… The Jets are 19-5-2 in their past 26 games, which includes winning streaks of three, four and five games… Since Nov. 4, the Jets have a .769 points percentage, which is tops in the NHL… The Jets have lost consecutive games in regulation just three times this season.
Stingy
The Jets are second in the NHL this season by allowing only 2.47 goals against per game… Winnipeg has not allowed more than three goals against in 26 consecutive games, which is a franchise record streak… It’s only the second time in the past decade that a team has allowed three goals or less in at least 26 consecutive games (Minnesota – 35 – Jan. 27-Apr. 9/15)… The Jets are first in the league this season with 32 games of holding their opponent to three goals or less and have a 23-7-2 record in those games… Winnipeg has allowed two goals or less in 13 of their past 14 games.
Even Strength
At 5-on-5, the Jets lead the NHL with a 1.71 goals for-to-goals against ratio… The Jets have allowed just 49 goals at 5-on-5 this season, which is the fewest in the NHL… Winnipeg is on pace to allow 112 goals at 5-on-5 this season, which would be the fourth fewest in a season since the stat has been tracked since the 2009-10 season.
Against the Pacific
The Jets are 3-6-0 against the Pacific Division this season… Four of the six losses were Winnipeg’s first four regulation losses of the season… Mark Scheifele (6G, 4A) leads the Jets in scoring against the Pacific Division with 10 points in nine games… Winnipeg went 13-8-3 against the Pacific Division last season.
Road Record
The Jets are 10-4-2 on the road this season, including winning eight of their past 11 road contests… Josh Morrissey has a team-leading 14 points (4G, 10A) in 16 road games… Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nino Niederreiter have a team best seven goals on the road… The Jets went 20-20-1 on the road last season.
Back-to-Back
The Jets are playing their fourth of seven back-to-backs this season this week… The Jets are 2-1-0 in the first game and 3-0-0 in the second game this season… The Jets were an even 9-4-0 in the first half and second half of back-to-back sets last season.
Balanced Attack
During the Jets nine-game point streak, 19 players have at least one point… The Jets have 13 players with at least a goal… Gabriel Vilardi leads the team in scoring during the nine games with 12 points (6G, 6A)… Vilardi has a team-best six goals and six assists, while Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov also have six assists.
Jets vs. SJS Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Sharks play each other three times this season… Winnipeg lost the first meeting 2-1 on Dec. 12… The Jets host the Sharks on Feb. 14 in the last game between the two sides this season.
Recent History
Winnipeg is 7-5-3 in its past 15 games against the Sharks, but are 2-3-2 during the past three seasons… Nine of the 15 games have been decided by one goal.
In San Jose
Winnipeg is 0-3-1 in their past four visits to San Jose… The Jets won the previous four games prior to the skid.
Player Notes
Alex Iafallo leads the Jets in career scoring against San Jose with 16 points (5G, 11A) in 26 games… Five of Mark Scheifele’s seven career goals against the Sharks have come on the power play… Connor Hellebuyck is 8-6-2 with a .926 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average in 17 career games against the Sharks.
SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:
HERE’S GRANNY
Forward Mikael Granlund has been driving offense for San Jose since returning from a seven-game absence early in the season, the offseason acquisition now with 25 points (4g, 21a) over the past 27 games, most recently registering an assist on San Jose’s first goal Tuesday (Jan. 2) against Detroit. Following games played Jan. 2, Granlund is tied for third in the NHL with 15 assists and is tied for 10th with 18 points. Granlund was named NHLPA Player of the Week on Dec. 8 after tallying nine points (2g, 7a) in four games to start December, including scoring the overtime goal to cap San Jose’s four-goal comeback against Detroit on Dec. 7, his 500th career NHL point. Since the Sharks’ first win of the season on Nov. 7, Granlund is tied for ninth in the NHL in assists (20), entering 2024. The Finnish forward recently matched his career high with a six-game assist streak (Dec. 1-12) with 10 helpers in that span. Inside his December run is a pair of three-point efforts, both a goal and two assists, in the Dec. 1 win at New Jersey and Dec. 7 at Detroit, the former being the first three-point game by a Sharks skater on the year and his first since Feb. 23, 2023, a game in which he posted two goals and an assist against the Sharks as a member of the Nashville Predators.
HERT SO GOOD
Forward Tomáš Hertl entered 2024 following the best goal-scoring month of his career, his nine lamp-lighters besting his previous high of eight, which he previously hit four times in his career (in 13 games in October 2013, 15 games in December 2018, 11 games in January 2019 and 10 games in December 2021). The Czech forward most recently lit the lamp in the Sharks’ New Year’s Eve tilt at Colorado. He earned NHL Second Star of the Week honors on Dec. 11 after posting six points (5g, 1a) in three games from Dec. 3-10, helping the Sharks to a 2-1-1 record in concluding a six-game road trip. Hertl leads the Sharks with 28 points (13g, 15a) on the year, paces the club in goals and is atop the roster with eight multi-point games on the campaign. His run of three goals on Dec. 5 followed by two on Dec. 7 represented just the second time in his career that he recorded consecutive multi-goal outings, last scoring six goals over two games in his second and third career contests. Hertl has 16 points (9g, 7a) in the past 18 games entering Jan. 4 vs. WPG, dating back to consecutive two-assist efforts (Nov. 24 and 25), when he passed Owen Nolan for sixth on the Sharks’ all-time multi-point games list (110). Earlier this season he also passed Nolan (206) for sole possession of fifth on the Sharks’ all-time goals list and for sixth (Nolan – 451) on the team’s all-time points list. He is two game-winning goals from tying Jonathan Cheechoo (36) for fifth on the team’s all-time GWG list. Hertl became the seventh player to appear in 700 games as a Shark when he laced up on Dec. 31 at Colorado, joining Patrick Marleau (1,607), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (1,257), Joe Thornton (1,104), Joe Pavelski (963), Logan Couture (927) and Brent Burns (798).
YOU ZETTER BELIEVE IT
Forward Fabian Zetterlund is enjoying a career year on the offensive end, his most recent goal coming Jan. 2 to push his total to a career-best 11. Zetterlund joined Tomáš Hertl as the lone Sharks with double-digit goals on the season with Zetterlund’s 10th of the campaign, coming Dec. 27. The Swedish forward found the back of the net in consecutive contests (Dec. 23 and 27) and has points in four of the past six contests (3g, 1a) entering Jan. 4 against Winnipeg.
GOOD KAAP
Goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen closed out 2023 on a high note, posting a .914 Save Percentage and 2.96 Goals Against Average in nine December appearances, going 3-4-1 in the calendar month. Since the team’s first win of the season on Nov. 7, Kähkönen has taken over the Sharks lead in wins (5), SVP (.900) and GAA (3.54), including two 44-save performances (Nov. 16 vs. STL and Dec. 1 at NJD) and nine showings with save percentages of .909 or better. On home ice in that span, Kähkönen has gone 2-2-0 in five appearances with a 2.59 GAA and .927 SVP.
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
Two Sharks forwards were near the top of the NHL in scoring in December with Mikael Granlund finishing tied for 11th in the league with 17 points and tied for fourth with 14 assists in the final month of 2023. He finished the month leading the NHL in road assists with 13. Tomáš Hertl, who had 12 points in December, finished tied for fifth in the NHL in goals with nine, leading the league in road markers with all nine coming away from SAP Center. As a team, San Jose elevated its play in the third period over the course of December, the Sharks tied for seventh in the NHL with 17 goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Hertl leads San Jose with seven third-period strikes on the season, including three extra attacker goals in December, and Mike Hoffman ranks second on the club with four.
TIGHT MARGINS, BIG RESULTS
San Jose played in six consecutive one-goal games from Dec. 3-15, earning points in four of the last five (3-1-1) as part of the Sharks’ hot run that started the month of December. Entering 2024, the Sharks are tied for ninth in the NHL with a .708 points percentage in one-score contests on the season. San Jose, with a record of 7-2-3 on the year in games decided by a single goal, is tied for 14th-most one-goal wins this season.
FREE WILLY
Forward William Eklund notched his fourth game-winning goal the Sharks’ Dec. 12 win over Winnipeg, the forward now tied for fifth in the NHL with four game-winning goals on the season as of games played Dec. 23. He has registered the winner in two of the Sharks’ past three victories and has points in five of the past 10 games (2g, 5a), entering Jan. 2 vs. Detroit. He scored the OT winner and also registered the primary assist on the game-tying goal in the Sharks’ come-from-behind win at New York Islanders (Dec. 5), becoming the third-youngest player in NHL history to record the first helper on the game-tying score (in the final 1:30) in addition to scoring the winner, and he’s the fifth-youngest Shark in team history to score in overtime. Since joining the league, Eklund is tied with Max Pacioretty for the second-most GWG (4), is tied for sixth-most points (23) and 25th-best points-per-game clip (0.43; min. 10 GP) among players with 53 or fewer games played following games played Dec. 31.
