The Winnipeg Jets are on a roll.
After a three-point night Tuesday, Kyle Connor scored three times Thursday night for his fifth career hat trick as the Jets doubled up the Nashville Predators 6-3 for their third straight win.
Connor also added an assist and his linemate Mark Scheifele also had a four point night as the Jets opened the five-game homestand on a winning note to give them at least a point in eight of their last nine games.
“Great way to start a homestand for sure,” said Connor. “We built off the end of that road trip. I think we came home, got off to a great start, and yeah, I mean, contributions from everybody. I thought we played our systems really well. 5-on-5 we’re playing really well.”
It was the second straight game a player tied the Jets record for most assists in a game. Scheifele had four assists against the Preds after Alex Iafallo also had four helpers in their last contest.
Both Scheifele and Connor have seven points in their last two games, but it’s their play in their own end that interim head coach Scott Arniel was glowing about after the Jets third goal came directly off a turnover caused by Scheifele in his own zone.
“You can’t discredit that it’s a big thing that Schife has talked about,” he said. “He wants to be on the ice against the other team top players. And he has to do those things. KC the same thing. They want that challenge and they know that if they’re going to do it, they gotta be good and hard when they don’t have the puck.”
Cole Perfetti scored once to extend his point streak to five games and the power play struck for the fourth straight match.
“The thing that works the most is when you do have somebody in net presence,” said Arniel. “Now all it does is creates a huge opportunity for Mo (Josh Morrissey), and (Neal) Pionk to fire those shots from the top.
“That net presence has been a big part of it. I think there’s some other areas too. Our faceoffs have been, knock on wood, have been really, really good.”
The Jets are now a perfect 4-0 against Central Division teams this season.
While the top line did lots of damage again, it was Winnipeg’s third line that got to work early in this one, opening the scoring just over four minutes in.
Nino Niederreiter got the play started as he carried the puck into the Nashville end, finding Adam Lowry as they pushed up the ice. Lowry sent a behind-the-back pass to Mason Appleton near the corner and his centering pass hit Tyson Barrie in front and bounced past Juuse Saros.
Winnipeg’s lead lasted less than three minutes thanks to a slick play by Filip Forsberg.
It started with Brenden Dillon turning the puck over just outside the Jets end. Forsberg wound up with it and skated into the Winnipeg zone, burning Dillon as he made his way towards the slot before using a toe-drag to evade a sliding Nate Schmidt. He then ripped a wrister through Laurent Brossoit’s five-hole to even it up at the 6:43 mark.
Near the halfway point of the period, Rasmus Kupari was hit in the corner by Jeremy Lauzon and had to go to the locker room, prompting Lowry to drop the gloves with the Nashville blueliner. Kupari was back on the Jets bench within a few minutes while Lowry found himself a goal short of a Gordie Howe hat trick with lots of game left to play.
But before he could score, he got in another fight. After Lowry served his major, he threw a couple big hits, prompting Cole Smith to drop his gloves and grab Lowry, who in turn dropped his before a short fight ensued. Smith was assessed an instigator penalty on the play, sending Winnipeg to the power play where they were unable to cash in.
The game remained tied through the end of the first with Winnipeg holding a 14-7 edge in shots on goal, but the Jets wasted no time restoring their lead as the second period got underway.
The Jets top line cycled the puck behind the Predators net where Scheifele lured multiple players towards him, freeing up Kyle Connor in front. Scheifele fed him for a one-timer that beat Saros to make it 2-1 just 65 seconds into the period.
It wasn’t long before Connor struck again, this time with a highlight reel goal.
As Connor streaked towards the Predators blueline with a head of steam, Scheifele slipped him a perfect pass in stride. Connor blew past Alexandre Carrier, cut to the middle, outwaited Saros and slipped the puck under his pads to make it 3-1 at the 3:48 mark.
Winnipeg’s second power play of the night came with 11:23 to go in the period when Marc Del Gaizo sent the puck over the glass in his own end. Nashville killed off all but 30 seconds of it before Gustav Nyquist received an interference penalty, putting the Jets on a 5-on-3 and Winnipeg took full advantage.
With four seconds left in the Del Gaizo minor, Saros turned aside a blast from Scheifele but the rebound landed right on the stick of Perfetti, who roofed it to make it 4-1.
The man advantage ended when the Jets were called for too-many-men, but two seconds before Nashville could start its first power play of the night, Forsberg beat Brossoit with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle to cut Winnipeg’s lead in half.
Amazingly, with one second left in the bench minor for too-many-men, the Jets were called for the same infraction again, giving Nashville another shot to cut into the lead but Winnipeg killed it off.
The Jets carried the 4-2 lead into the third period after outshooting the Predators 14-8 in the second.
The Predators earned their third power play chance with 13:07 to go when Nikolaj Ehlers was called for holding. The Jets killed it off but moments after Ehlers returned to the ice, Dillon was called for slashing.
Forsberg had a great chance to cut the lead to one but his one-timer missed an open net, which proved costly as Ryan O’Reilly was called for interference shortly thereafter.
Winnipeg took a three-goal lead with 7:09 to go when Dillon beat Saros with a blast from the point through a good screen from Lowry. It was originally called off because officials thought that Lowry interfered with Saros but after further discussion, the goal was allowed to stand.
Philip Tomasino added a touch of intrigue when he tipped in a point shot with 3:44 to go, and shortly after the Predators pulled Saros for the extra attacker.
But the Jets cleared the puck and Connor won a footrace, depositing the puck into the open net to finish off his fifth career hat-trick.
Brossoit made 21 saves as he earned his first win of the season, while the Jets killed off all five Nashville power plays, the second straight game in which the Jets didn’t surrender a power play goal after allowing at least one in 10 of their first 11 games.
The Jets will look to make it four wins in a row Saturday afternoon when they host the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is slated for 2 p.m. with pregame coverage on Power 97 beginning at noon.
Comments