Jets blanked by Sharks in road trip finale

The frustration was evident on the faces of the Winnipeg Jets after a 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks to close out a three-game road trip.
It was the third time in the last seven games that the Jets (41-31-3) had been held off the score sheet. In fact, since March 5, the 24 goals the Jets have scored are the fewest in the National Hockey League.
It's perplexing, given all the skill and talent the Jets have on their roster.
"We're paid to produce, so we have to produce. That's the simplest way to put it," said Mark Scheifele, who had three shots on goal in 20:44 of ice time. "I've got to create opportunities offensively, create some good chances and some goals. We need more of it. We need plays, we need to handle the puck better, we need to do a lot better."
On Tuesday, Sharks goaltender James Reimer was the one keeping the Jets from lighting the lamp. It's the second time this month that Reimer has been the difference in a Sharks win over Winnipeg. He made 41 saves for the shutout on Tuesday, and has a with his 36 saves on March 6, he has a 0.975 save percentage against the Jets this season.
"Tough to win when you can't score or not able to pot 'em in," said Dylan DeMelo. "We have to stay together here. We're going to get through this together. We're going to find a way. There's no doubt that we need more for everybody."

Just three seconds after a Mason Appleton slashing penalty expired, the Sharks notched the game's first goal with 10:09 left in the first. Noah Gregor, parked in the slot, potted a Jacob Peterson centering pass for his fifth of the season, marking the third time in three games on the road trip that the Jets gave up the game's first goal.
'We were coming out on the ice," said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. "You hope you can stop those passes from behind the net to the front of the net."
The Jets nearly responded, but Reimer had the answer. First, he stopped a Kevin Stenlund slapshot from close range, then quickly reacted to snatch a Saku Maenalanen rebound attempt with his glove.
It was more of the same in the second. Josh Morrissey hit a post, Morgan Barron was stopped on a partial two-on-one, and - the real head shaker -Appleton was stopped by the paddle of Reimer's stick on a wide open net.
"The offence gave us a chance to win the game, we just didn't score," Bowness said. "We're still in eighth spot. We're going to find out what we're made of over the next little while."
Those missed chances would come back to bite the Jets, as the Sharks made it 2-0 just 2:23 into the third. Kevin Labanc deflected a Nico Sturm shot through the legs of Hellebuyck to give San Jose a two-goal cushion.
In that final period, the Jets threw everything at the Sharks net. Bowness put Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois together as a line, resulting in nearly two full minutes in the San Jose zone, but nothing on the scoreboard.
Overall, the Jets held the edge in high-danger chances at five-on-five 17-15 (according to Natural Stat Trick), and also saw the power play come up empty on three attempts.
Morrissey was turned away on a two-on-one, and then on a late penalty kill, both Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor were stopped on shorthanded rushes. Only to have Martin Kaut score on that Sharks power play seconds later to make it 3-0.
That just seems to be the way things are going for the Jets right now.
"Reimer played fantastic," said Scheifele. "When confidence is low and you're cold, you grip the stick a little tighter."
The Western Conference standings became a little tighter with this most recent Jets loss paired with victories by Nashville and Calgary on Tuesday.
Winnipeg's hold on the final wildcard spot is down to just two points over Calgary and three over Nashville.
"We know what is at stake. We know what's important," said DeMelo. "We can't control what other teams are doing. We have to worry about ourselves and getting wins."
The preparation begins on Thursday, as the Jets will travel home from San Jose on Wednesday.
A critical five-game home stand awaits, with games against both Calgary and Nashville in that stretch. It all begins on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings.
"It's nice to be going home to our fans. It feels like we haven't been at home at all this month," said Scheifele. "I just have to try to keep on working hard, try to keep my head up and stay positive. And that goes for every guy in this room. We have to stay positive for each other. We have to continue to go to work."