Winnipeg Jets vs San Jose Sharks Match Player Stats On Oct 16, 2021

San Jose's Tomas Hertl and Rudolfs Balcers each scored in the third period as the Sharks won their season opener, edging the visiting Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Saturday night.

Knotted at 2 to start the final frame, Hertl -- who also had an assist -- netted a power-play goal and Balcers scored at even strength 1:37 later to build a 4-2 lead at 5:02.

Jansen Harkins cut it to 4-3 at 13:28, but Winnipeg could not get the equalizer and lost in San Jose for the first time in five outings.

In fielding a 23-man roster consisting of seven rookies, the Sharks got a goal from veteran Andrew Cogliano in his first game with the team.

Making his NHL debut, Jasper Weatherby -- a fourth-round draft pick in 2018 by the Sharks -- tallied his first career goal and added an assist.

Adin Hill allowed three goals on 23 shots in his first career appearance in net for San Jose.

At 19 years, 4 days old, William Eklund -- this year's seventh overall NHL draft pick -- posted an assist in his league debut and became the fifth-youngest Shark ever to play his first game.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Copp potted goals for the Jets, who started the season 0-2 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves in his second consecutive start.

The Sharks -- the last NHL team to make their season debut -- found themselves in a hole 4:20 into the contest when Dubois cleaned up a rebound on the doorstep for a 1-0 Jets lead.

The clubs tallied three times on special teams in a second period that was more energetic than the first.

With San Jose's first power play carried over after Neal Pionk's high-sticking penalty on Erik Karlsson, Copp cashed in from the low slot on a feed from Adam Lowry just 69 seconds in to hand the Jets a two-goal advantage.

The Sharks answered on their penalty kill by producing the season's first goal. Cogliano's wrister at 3:38 finished a two-on-one and cut the deficit in half.

From the left circle with San Jose on the power play, the 23-year-old Weatherby scored for the first time in the league when he zipped in a marker at 13:17 to even the match at 2.

--Field Level Media