Sharks special teams lead comeback win against Jets in opener

SAN JOSE --Jasper Weatherby had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks, who rallied for a 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center on Saturday.

Weatherby, who was selected in the fourth round (No. 102) of the 2018 NHL Draft, tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the second period, taking a pass from Erik Karlsson and shooting glove side on Connor Hellebuyck.
He is the first Sharks rookie to score a goal in his NHL debut since Timo Meier did it against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 16, 2016.
"Weatherby [had a] big game, I was happy for him," Sharks forward Tomas Hertl said.
Hertl also had a goal and an assist, and William Eklund had an assist in his NHL debut for San Jose, which was playing its season opener. Adin Hill made 20 saves.
"You couldn't ask for a much better way to start the season. It was a team win," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "We tried to play to our identity as best we could. I think everybody knows there were some nerves there at the beginning, especially for some of the young guys."

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Copp, and Jansen Harkins scored, and Hellebuyck made 27 saves for Winnipeg (0-2-0).
"We got slow in the middle of the game," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "[In the beginning] I felt like we moved the puck easily."
Dubois gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 4:20 of the first period, deflecting Brenden Dillon's initial shot before scoring on the rebound in the crease.
Copp made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal at 1:09 of the second period after receiving a pass by Adam Lowry from behind the net.
Andrew Cogliano then scored a shorthanded goal for San Jose to cut it to 2-1 at 3:38, shooting short side on a 2-on-1.
"[Cogliano's] goal I think really gave the whole team life," Boughner said. "We needed something to happen at 2-0. We needed the next one or it would have been a tough mountain to climb there."

After Weatherby tied it 2-2, Hertl gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 3:25 of the third period. Eklund's shot hit Weatherby in front and deflected to Hertl, who shot past a lunging Hellebuyck.
Rudolfs Balcers pushed the lead to 4-2 at 5:02 on a rebound before Harkins cut it to 4-3 at 13:28.
"We lost momentum after [the Sharks'] first goal and it kind of went from there," Dubois said. "I think that's where, in the second period, we kind of got spread out. Forwards got spread out from the defensemen, making it hard to make plays."