Burns stays hot, Sharks halt two-game losing streak

SAN JOSE – Joel Ward, Timo Meier and Chris Tierney each recorded one goal and one assist Monday afternoon as the host San Jose Sharks produced a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
The win snapped San Jose’s losing streak at two games. The Sharks play at Los Angeles Wednesday before home dates opposite Tampa Bay Thursday and Colorado Saturday.
Ward opened the scoring 11:54 into the first period with a short-handed goal he snapped from the right dot inside the left post past Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson.
While Sharks goaltender Martin Jones kept the Jets offense silent on the way to his 22^nd victory of the season, San Jose came up with two goals in the second period.
Seconds after Ward went down on the ice after being checked by a Jet at the San Jose blueline, rookie Meier was able to keep the play alive and slip past the Jet defense to beat Hutchinson from the glove side at 2:45.
San Jose converted on its first power play of the game when Brent Burns scored his 18^th goal on the campaign at the 7:08 mark. The Burns hard shot from the blueline lined past the Jets net. The puck bounded from the endboards and skipped off the back of Hutchinson’s right skate and into the net. Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau were credited with assists.
Tierney began a four-goal third period production when he drilled a low shot past Hutchinson from the left circle at 11:41 for his fourth goal of the season.
Winnipeg responded with goals in the closing three minutes of the game.
Josh Morrissey stopped Jones’ shutout bid at 17:24 off an assist from Mark Scheifele. The Jets made it 4-2 with 19 seconds left when Scheifele stopped a Jones clearance shot and scored his team-high 20^th goal of the season.
Joe Thornton finished the scoring when he won a face-off inside the San Jose blueline and sent a shot into the empty net at the 19:50 mark for his third goal of the season.
Second over-all 2016 Entry Draft selection Patrik Laine missed his fifth straight game for Winnipeg due to an injury in Buffalo Jan. 7. Laine was 25^th among all skaters in scoring entering this afternoon’s play.