Sharks rally late, beat Jets in OT to end 5-game skid
WINNIPEG — Tomas Hertl scored the tying goal with 10.2 seconds left in regulation and Logan Couture got the winner 1:21 into overtime as the San Jose Sharks rallied to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 Monday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
Steven Lorentz also scored and Erik Karlsson had two assists for San Jose, which was 0-4-1 during its skid. James Reimer had 36 saves.
Reimer, a Manitoba native, picked a great time to have a big game in front of family and friends.
"You don't get to the NHL by yourself," said Reimer, who was born in the small town of Morweena. "You get there by so much love and support and encouragement, and even that practice time when you're 12 years old on the outdoor (rink).
"So it's special to play in front of your friends and family and it's even more special when things go your way."
Sharks coach David Quinn was happy for his veteran goalie, who turns 35 this month, and his cheering section.
"We're going to bring them on the charter and wherever we go they're going to go when he plays," Quinn joked. "Reims has had a really good year for us. He was huge tonight, and it's always nice to perform in front of family and friends, so I'm happy for him."
Nate Schmidt and Nino Niederreiter scored for Winnipeg and David Rittich finished with 21 saves to lose his third straight start (0-2-1).
"We definitely had to have more traffic in front of the net," Niederreiter said. "We made it look a little too easy on Reimer. He made some great saves, but we have to win that game, doesn't matter how, but it's on us that we lost."
With the clock winding down in the third period, Karlsson's shot from the right point deflected off Jets defenseman Blake Wheeler in front to Hertl, who fired it past Rittich from the left circle for his 17th of the season.
In overtime, Karlsson sent a lead pass to Couture, who skated in on Rittich on a breakaway, deked and put a backhander through the goalie's five-hole for his 22nd.
Schmidt had given the Jets a 2-1 lead with 5:07 left in the third as he scored from the side of the crease shortly after a Winnipeg power play expired.
Lorentz gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead with 5:47 left in the first period after a scramble on the left side following the rebound of Oskar Lindblom's shot from between the circles. It was Lorentz's seventh of the season.
Niederreiter tied it at 6:05 of the second as he got Josh Morrissey's feed between the circles, spun and fired it past Reimer. It was his 19th of the season and 200th of his career — and first since being acquired from acquired from Nashville on Feb. 25.
"It's not very important right now," Niederreiter said, "obviously great to get on the board but it's tough that we lost."
UP NEXT
Sharks: At Colorado on Tuesday night in the middle of a three-game trip.
Jets: Host Minnesota on Wednesday night to finish a three-game homestand.