Boedker, Dell aid Sharks in dumping Jets
Send a link to a friend
[March 07, 2017]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- On a night
a grizzled veteran reached a historic milestone, it was an
overlooked rookie who stole the show.
Aaron Dell, an undrafted 27-year-old backup goalie, made 31 saves as
his San Jose Sharks took a big bite out of the Winnipeg Jets'
playoff hopes Monday with a 3-2 win at the MTS Centre.
Dell saved his best for last, kicking aside a wicked one-timer from
Winnipeg scoring sensation Patrik Laine in the final minute to help
preserve the victory.
"I've seen him make that play a lot. I know they were looking for
it. I kind of kept it in the back of my mind that whole time. I was
pretty prepared to get there when they made the play," Dell said
following the game.
Not to be outdone, Sharks teammate Joe Thornton became the 13th NHL
player in history to reach the 1,000-assist mark when he helped set
up Joe Pavelski's empty-netter that but San Jose ahead 3-1 and
sealed the victory.
"What can I say? It's pretty cool to get there. I've been waiting
awhile now, but to get it over with it's kind of nice, but good game
for the guys overall tonight. It was a good win," said Thornton.
It was Pavelski who opened the scoring at 9:45 of the first period
when he crashed the net and jammed home a rebound past Winnipeg
goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Mar/07/images/ads/current/ccaonline_lda050208.png)
But less than two minutes later, Winnipeg defenseman Josh
Morrissey's point blast went through a maze of traffic and beat
Dell. Morrissey is enjoying a solid campaign on the blue line and is
getting more involved in the offense lately. His goal at 11:27 of
the first period was his fourth of the season -- and the second time
he lit the lamp against the Sharks.
"There wasn't a lot to be had out there," Morrissey said. "We didn't
give them a whole lot and I don't think they did either. That's the
sort of playoff hockey we're going to see down the stretch. Those
are so valuable to learn from as young players. On the same token,
we need to be able to find a way to get that win."
Joel Armia nearly gave the Jets a lead when he was sent in alone
later in the period, but Dell won the battle to keep the game tied.
Two of the NHL's busiest tough guys got in on the act as Chris
Thorburn and Micheal Haley dropped their gloves at 16:04 of the
first period. It ended up being mostly a wrestling match as each
took his 11th fighting major of the season, which puts them in a tie
for fourth place overall in the league.
After a scoreless second period, Mikkel Boedker had the key play of
his game when he scored a shorthanded goal that put the Sharks in
the lead for good.
With the Jets on the power play, Laine's soft blue line pass was
picked off by Logan Couture, who sprung Boedker with the breakaway.
The speedy Danish forward made no mistake for his ninth goal of the
season at the 7:26 mark of the final frame.
"(Couture) got a good stick on it when they tried to pass it
across," said Boedker. "I was going up the middle there and was able
to get it over his stick and go down and get a good shot off and it
went in. That was definitely nice and good for us to get that on the
PK."
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/030717pics/sports59.jpg)
Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (44) crashes into San Jose Sharks
goalie Aaron Dell (30) during the third period at MTS Centre. San
Jose Sharks wins 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY
Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Mar/07/images/ads/current/chestnut_health_lda_EDUCATION_2017.png)
Winnipeg pressed for the equalizer as the clock ticked down but Dell
was strong, including the huge stop on Laine. Pavelski scored into
the empty net with 25 seconds left -- a goal that would end up being
the winner when Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele scored with seven seconds
left in the game.
"It was a man's game out there," said Sharks head
coach Peter DeBoer. "They're a big, heavy team. I like to think we
are too, and there was a real desperation level to their game. I
thought they played a hell of a hockey game. And to our guys'
credit, we hung in there. The only difference in the game was we
scored on our chance in the third and (Dell) made a big save on
theirs."
Dell is now 9-3-1 on the season. That includes a win against the
Jets in Winnipeg last month, which is just a couple hours up the
highway from where he played college hockey for three seasons at the
University of North Dakota.
"He's been exceptional. He's been a huge part of our success this
year. Every time, people wait for him to stumble and fall -- he
finds a way to win another game," DeBoer said of his No. 2 goalie.
Winnipeg continues its six-game homestand by hosting Pittsburgh and
Calgary later this week. The Jets are quickly running out of games
as they try to get into the playoff picture.
"You go into the third period tied 1-1 at home, you like your
chances, but unfortunately we weren't able to close it out tonight,"
said Winnipeg forward Adam Lowry. "Obviously, it's disappointing, We
know the importance of the points and trying to accumulate as many
as we can."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Mar/07/images/ads/current/LCU_bethany_lda_2016.png)
NOTES: Monday's game was the first time in nine games the Jets
failed to score at least three goals. ... San Jose has collected
points in nine of its past 10 games, going 6-1-3 during that time.
The only regulation loss came on Sunday night in Minnesota. ...
Winnipeg has won consecutive games on 12 different occasions this
season, but has only managed to put together one three-game winning
streak. With Monday's loss, Winnipeg is 2-18-3 in games when it has
a chance to win a third straight. ... Winnipeg is 0-7-0 this season
against the Pacific Division's top teams of San Jose, Anaheim and
Edmonton. ... Sharks scratches on Monday were F Kevin Labanc and D
David Schlemko. ... The Jets sat G Ondrej Pavelec (knee injury), D
Mark Stuart and F Nic Petan. [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed. |