Jets 5, Sharks 2: Blake Wheeler scored twice and added an assist as host Winnipeg moved into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists, captain Andrew Ladd had one of each and Adam Lowry also scored as the Jets pushed one point ahead of Calgary. Ondrej Pavelec made 36 saves while starting consecutive games for the first time since November and Drew Stafford added two assists.

Joe Pavelski snapped his scoring slump with both goals for the Sharks, who opened a critical seven-game road trip by seeing goaltender Antti Niemi surrender three goals on eight shots in the opening 13:01 before being pulled. Joe Thornton assisted on both goals for San Jose, which trails the Jets by six points with 12 games remaining.

Lowry opened the scoring just 70 seconds into the contest, throwing a shot from the goal line that rattled off Niemi’s pads and into the net. Scheifele made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at the 9:39 mark, converting a cross-ice pass from defenseman Tobias Enstrom in the right circle, and Ladd ended Niemi’s night a little more than three minutes later, redirecting blue-liner Jacob Trouba’s blast for a power-play goal.

Pavelski poked a rebound of Thornton’s shot past Pavelec 1:06 into the second period, but Wheeler squelched any San Jose momentum six minutes later, stuffing a rebound of Stafford’s shot by Alex Stalock (12 saves). Wheeler, who has five goals and four assists in his past five games, added his 22nd of the season with 9:12 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pavelski had scored just once in his past 12 games following a hat trick Feb. 13 against Arizona before netting two against the Jets. His second of the night and 34th of the season came with 2:25 remaining in the third period. … Pavelec, who had lost the No. 1 goaltending job to Michael Hutchinson, has stopped 51-of-54 shots in the past two contests. … Thornton’s two assists give him 46 for the season and 800 points in his 10 seasons in San Jose.