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SAN JOSE — The low-hanging fruit was within reach.

The Winnipeg Jets could have criticized San Jose for its exorbitant cost of living, its monolithic tech-bro culture or the fact that the city has earned the nickname, “Man Jose”, because the transients who move out here to work for Apple, Google and Facebook are predominantly male.

But instead of regurgitating overused stereotypes in the lead in to Tuesday’s game against the Sharks (26-14-6) at SAP Center, the Jets (28-13-7) stated the obvious: a trip to California in the middle of winter isn’t too bad.

“In great for us,” Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers said. “We’re in minus-30 weather. Even though it isn’t super hot here (in San Jose) right now, it’s still nice to get away from that cold for a little bit.”

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The Sharks created media storm in Winnipeg earlier this month when an NBC Sports California promotional video surfaced online, featuring Tomas Hertl, Justin Braun and Tim Heed characterizing the capital of Manitoba as the worst NHL city to visit.

They called Winnipeg “cold and dark” and Braun suggested that the city lacked working WiFi.

The entire saga proved to be a colossal misunderstanding as Braun was simply joking around in a question and answer session shot back in training camp, unaware that his words would later be used to create division between his team and the city of Winnipeg.

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But there’s no mistaking how the Jets feel about playing road games in San Jose.

“Anytime we come down to California and get a little natural vitamin D in us, we enjoy it,” center Matt Hendricks said.

It isn’t just the warm-California weather that the Jets appreciate about San Jose, though. The team is impressed by the Sharks rabid fanbase, which says a lot considering that Jets fans are among the most enthusiastic in the league.

“It’s a great place to come play hockey,” said Hendricks, who played in a playoff series against the Sharks with the Colorado Avalanche in 2010. “The Shark Tank, the atmosphere, it’s a lot of fun. Neil Young’s in the crowd once in a while, too, so that’s pretty cool.

“It’s just crazy. The excitement, the energy and the noise. It’s a loud place to play, it can be intimidating. I have some great memories coming into this building.”

Jets captain Blake Wheeler offered one more benefit of spending a night or two in San Jose.

“You typically get a pretty good signal on your cell phones,” Wheeler joked.

2. Ehlers and Timo Meier formed a potent one-two punch in junior hockey.

Friendship will become rivalry at the Tank Tuesday night.

After scoring a combined 93 goals and 191 points during the 2014-15 season with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Halifax Mooseheads, Timo Meier and Ehlers are preparing to put their friendship on hold Tuesday night when their teams clash at the Tank.

“We’re really really good friends,” Ehlers said. “But there’s going to be about two, two-and-a-half hours tonight where we’re not the best of friends.”

Meier and Ehlers formed one of the Canadian Hockey League’s most dominant lines that season, skating primarily with Utica Comets center Danny Moynihan. The thunder-and-lightning duo wound up being the perfect compliments for each other’s skillsets.

Ehlers gave the line tremendous speed and high-end skill while Meier brought a power game to the group, winning battles, digging out pucks and cleaning up the garbage around the net.

“You can see his speed. It’s pretty incredible,” Meier said of Ehlers. “For me, (I wanted to) create some space for him out there, to go on the forecheck. Obviously, he does it all.”

Ehlers claims he was the line’s Wayne Gretzky while Meier played more of the Jari Kurri role.

“He has a great shot. He can shoot from anywhere,” Ehlers said. “I was more of a passer. When he was in the right spot, I could pretty much lay it in to him and he could just pretty much put it in.

“That’s how it worked.”

Both players are now finding success in the NHL. Ehlers is second on the first-place Jets in goals (19) and fourth in points (38). Meier is coming along after a slow start, reaching the 10-goal mark with seven goals in his last 17 games, locking down a spot on the Sharks top line.

The former-teammates ate dinner together Wednesday, watched videos from their junior hockey career and shared a few memories.

Ehlers picked up the tab.

“It was to say sorry,” Ehlers said. “I totally forgot to come see him in Winnipeg (on Jan. 7).

“It was more of a sorry than anything else.”

3. Aaron Dell will get his third start in four nights.

With Martin Jones on the shelf with a lower-body injury, Aaron Dell will make three-consecutive starts for the first time in his NHL career.

Dell made 64 saves on 67 shots in the Sharks wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks over the weekend.

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Sharks reach agreement with depth centerman on two-year deal Head coach Pete DeBoer is giving the crease to Dell without hesitation. Dell is 12-3-2 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average this season.

“His record speaks for itself. There’s nothing more than that,” DeBoer said. “He’s been fantastic.”

The Sharks coach said he’s “hopeful” that Jones will return for Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers at SAP Center, his team’s final game before the All-Star break.

He said that Jones Donskoi will miss his second-consecutive game with a flu bug Tuesday.