Pavelski, Tierney have two points each to lead Sharks over Jets

WINNIPEG - Joe Pavelski scored his 22nd goal of the season and added an assist as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Tuesday.

San Jose was playing its third game in four nights and picked up wins in all of them.

Joe Thornton, Chris Tierney and Joel Ward, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Sharks (21-18-2). Tierney picked up an assist.

Winnipeg (19-21-3) got its lone goal from Nikolaj Ehlers.

Alex Stalock made 21 saves for San Jose, while Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 23 shots for Winnipeg, which has lost three straight.

San Jose got the scoring going with Tierney's unassisted short-handed goal at 15:18 of the first period while teammate Tommy Wingels was in the penalty box for hooking.

Winnipeg responded with the man advantage 23 seconds later.

Drew Stafford took a giveaway from Sharks defenceman Justin Braun, skated into the offensive zone and sent a backhand pass across the front of the net to Ehlers, who used his own backhand shot for his seventh goal of the season at 15:41.

Thornton restored the Sharks lead with 37 seconds left in the opening period on a close shot off a Tomas Hertl rebound.

The Sharks are 17-2 when scoring first.

Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice changed up his defensive pairings in the second period, but the team couldn't beat Stalock.

The Jets outshot the Sharks 8-6 in the middle frame, but San Jose had the overall 17-15 edge.

Winnipeg went on its third power play early in the final period, but couldn't convert. Hellebuyck then stopped Ward on a breakaway.

The Sharks got their fourth power play of the game midway through the period, but came away empty.

They had another chance a few minutes later after Jets defenceman Tyler Myers was called for cross-checking and a game misconduct when he banged Wingels in the head after Wingels checked him hard into the boards.

Jets forward Blake Wheeler appeared to score after Stalock fell coming out of his crease on a clearing attempt, but Wheeler was dinged for tripping the netminder as he went by him and around the back of the net to grab the puck.

With the lengthy 5-on-3, Pavelski took a pass from Tierney and fired a sharp-angled shot by Hellebuyck with 4:01 remaining.

Ward put in his empty-netter with 54 seconds left in the game.

Notes: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman watched the game from Jets co-owner Mark Chipman's box. … Jets centre Mark Scheifele missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. Maurice said Monday he could be out for up to a week.