San Jose Sharks Get Crushed by the Winnipeg Jets in This West Side Story Battle

San Jose played their worst game of the road trip in the second half of this back-to-back. Getting outscored 14-7 on the road trip, the Sharks lose 8-3 in Winnipeg, giving up four powerplay goals and getting crushed by one of the league's contenders. Winnipeg showed the extreme gulf in class between the two organizations at this moment.

Winnipeg would open the scoring when Nikolaj Ehlers entered the offensive zone. He drove to the goal line before getting it back to the point for Colin Miller. Miller moves it across to Josh Morrissey, and Morrissey is able to beat Mackenzie Blackwood from distance to start the scoring. Some poor defense from this young Sharks roster lets the Jets swing the puck around too quickly, and it costs them the first goal of this game.

On a 5-on-3, the Jets would double the lead. Getting it down to Mark Scheifele, he got it down to Gabriel Vilardi at the goal line. As the Sharks collapse to the net, there's a wide-open seam left for the back post, where Ehlers just has to tap the puck home. Poor team discipline costs the Sharks again, and they are behind the eight-ball in this one.

That would change when the Sharks would get a powerplay of their own. Mikael Granlund grabs the puck on the left-hand side of the ice, faking to shoot, but has a gorgeous drop pass to the point for Jake Walman. Walman's blast is off target, but it's right onto the stick of Tyler Toffoli, and Toffoli's deflection cuts into the Jets lead. His fifth goal of the season, and the Sharks have some life in this battle of the West Side Story.

That did not last. A turnover trying to enter the offensive zone allows Cole Perfetti to pick off the pass and move the puck up the ice to Ehlers. The annoying Dane enters the offensive zone and snaps a shot home past Blackwood for his third point of the first period, and the Sharks are back in a deep hole. Poor turnovers, discipline, and defense are costing the Sharks big time early in this game.

Before the end of the period, the Jets tallied again on the powerplay. Neal Pionk picked up the puck at the point after the Sharks failed to clear it. Alex Iafallo deflects Pionk's shot in front, and the Sharks are down 4-1 before the first intermission. This was on pace to be a double-digit score from Winnipeg.

Winnipeg would make it five early in the second. Kyle Connor would enter the offensive zone alone off a pass from Neal Pionk. Connor picks the corner 106 seconds into the period, ending the night for Mackenzie Blackwood. Vitek Vanecek comes in for the remainder of the game. San Jose's issues continue to mount.

San Jose would cut into the lead to make it a little more respectable. Wheeling in the offensive zone, a partial block from a point shot allows Carl Grundstrom to pick the puck up and swing it over to Luke Kunin. He goes through the five-hole to double the Sharks scoring total for this game. It's Kunin's first of the year, and it's not as embarrassing halfway through the second.

Cole Perfetti would score to make it 6-2. A gorgeous move around a Sharks defender would let him snap the puck home on the powerplay. The Jets have the third powerplay goal of the game for them, and the first time the Jets have solved Vitek Vanecek restores their big lead. Poor penalty killing from Ryan Warsofsky's team saw the Jets take advantage again. It's something that will need adjusting.

As soon as that went in, Fabian Zetterlund would get a pass in the neutral zone and fire the puck past Connor Hellebuyck to make it a two-game goal streak for him, and the Sharks restore some respectability to this scoreline. It's not been a good performance, but you can live with this. There was no quit from the Sharks tonight, but they kept taking penalties, which cost them.

Winnipeg would grab another on the man advantage before the end of the night. Working the puck back to the point, Winnipeg was able to move around the horn and open up a shooting lane for Perfetti again. His shot beats Vanecek through the legs, and the team in teal is back down by 4. It's been a difficult and long night for the Sharks.

Winnipeg would add an eighth in the final minute as Vladislav Namestnikov skated in and fired one up and over Vanecek's blocker. It didn't change anything; it just added more salt to the wound. Eight goals were given up by the Sharks, who dropped to 0-3-2 in the season and went back home to host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. It's another poor game from the Sharks.