DENVER — Martin Jones post-injury struggles continued in Denver Thursday night, raising questions about whether he’s still the Sharks best option in goal.
Jones surrendered goals on three-consecutive shots in the first period of the Sharks 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche (25-16-3), putting his team into an early hole that it couldn’t climb out of despite a late charge.
The Sharks goalie allowed Nathan McKinnon to extend his scoring streak to eight games at 7:03 of the first, letting the puck slip through his five hole as he was being screened on the shot by defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Less than one minute later, Jones let McKinnon score his second of the game, allowing his one-timer from the left circle to beat him to the far post on an Avalanche power play.
Carl Soderberg scored on the Avalanche’s next shot, finding daylight between Jones and the near post after he received a below-the-goalline pass from former-Shark Matt Nieto on the doorstep.
Jones also surrendered a goal on the first shot he faced in the second. Mikko Rantanen gave the Avalanche a 4-0 lead at 1:34 of the second by redirecting a Mark Barbeiro point shot past Jones.
The Sharks goalie’s subpar start continued a troubling trend that began back on Dec. 2 when Jones returned from what was labeled a “minor injury” that sidelined him for two games.
Jones, who stopped just 17 of the 22 shots he faced Thursday, entered the game with an .892 save percentage in 13 starts since he suffered an undisclosed injury on Nov. 25. The 28-year-old netminder posted a .930 save percentage in 17 starts before the injury.
In addition to Thursday’s nightmarish start, Jones gave up four or more goals in six-consecutive starts during the month of December. He got pulled from a game against the Dallas Stars on New Year’s Eve after giving up four goals on 22 shots in 40 minutes of work and he got the hook after just 13:48 Saturday night, surrendering three goals on six shots.
As Jones struggles to regain his pre-injury form, Aaron Dell continues to rise up to every challenge he faces. He saved a point for the Sharks Tuesday, making 15 saves on 16 shots in the third period after the Arizona Coyotes tilted the ice with a late charge. He earned the Sharks an extra point by stopping all three shooters he faced in the shootout.
In 18 appearances this year, the Sharks backup goalie has recorded a 2.12 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. He made 61 saves on 63 shots when he received back-to-back starts for the first time in his career while Jones was injured.
At this point, Dell is clearly the more reliable option in goal, suggesting that a goaltender’s controversy could start brewing in San Jose if Jones doesn’t turn things around quickly.
Despite Jones’ early struggles Thursday, the Sharks battled back to make it a game in the third period.
Timo Meier got the Sharks on the board at 9:44 of the second, scoring a power play goal by punching in his own rebound after he redirected a shot from Kevin Labanc. Vlasic cut the Avalanche’s lead to 4-2 just 29 seconds into the third, crashing the net to put in the rebound of another Labanc shot on the rush.
Joe Thornton made it a one-goal game at 4:53 of the third, scoring his 12th on a two-on-one play with Brent Burns.
Ironically, Nieto iced the game against his former squad by scoring his ninth at 16:46.
With the win, the Avalanche extended their longest winning streak since 2005-06 to eight games while snapping the Sharks three-game winning streak. The Avalanche have outscored opponents 33-13 during the streak.
The Sharks completed their three-game road trip with a 2-1 record.
