Jets need OT to beat Sharks after blowing 3-goal lead
Bryan Little scored his second goal of the night in overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night in San Jose, Calif.
Little scored 18 seconds into the extra period for his team's first overtime win of the season, which came on a night when the Jets blew leads of 3-0 and 4-3. The Jets lost their first six games decided in OT.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 29 shots for the Jets, who are on a three-game winning streak and a 9-2-1 run since the Christmas break that has taken them to top spot in the Central Division.
Mathieu Perreault opened the scoring at the SAP Center just 18 seconds into the clash when Nikolaj Ehlers' shot banked off his skate and past Sharks goalie Aaron Dell.
After Joel Armia doubled the lead, Little made it a 3-0 affair with a power-play tally just before the 12-minute mark.
The Sharks found life thanks to Joe Pavelski's marker with 45.8 seconds left in the opening frame, and the hosts drew even before the middle period was done.
Logan Couture made it a one-goal game with a fortunate bounce at 9:38 of the second period. He lost the puck in the high slot when he came into a pair of defenders but spun and found the puck back on his stick before burying a shot.
Chris Tierney's power-play marker at 13:25 of the second evened the count.
The see-saw didn't end there. After Armia restored the Jets' lead with his second of the night, Timo Meier replied with a rebound maker of his own to make it a 4-4 game.
Dell, who surrendered three goals on the first four shots he faced, made 18 saves for the Sharks, who have a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games.
San Jose's Tomas Hertl was given a major penalty and game misconduct in the first period after he hit Dmitry Kulikov from behind, knocking the Jets defenseman out of the game.
San Jose center Joe Thornton left the game late in regulation after teammate Mikkel Boedker fell and landed on Thornton's right leg.
--Field Level Media
