In a listless game between two non-playoff teams, numerous Winnipeg Jets set personal milestones in a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night.
Kyle Connor notched a goal and two assists to set a new Jets 2.0 record for points in a season with 92. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his career best 28th goal of the season, and Eric Comrie made 35 stops for his first career shutout.
“It feels really good,” said Comrie. “It’s a happy moment for myself, but I mean, a lot of hard work went into that, but a lot of hard work with the guys (that) played tonight. They played a fantastic game. And they made it really easy for myself to see the puck, and just make a lot of easy saves, cause they were playing as good as they could tonight.”
It took four waiver claims, a trade, and 23 career starts before Comrie’s first NHL shutout.
“We’re all happy for him,” said Connor. “He’s a type of teammate you cheer for every single day. You see it in practices. I’m sure you guys watch it all the time. You know, he’s always one of the last ones to come off, putting in all the work. So, it’s pretty cool to see it pay off.”
“That’s the way this team plays in front of Eric,” interim head coach Dave Lowry said. “Good for Eric. Like, this is a kid that has put in his time. He’s done a lot of work and very deserving.
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“I think he’s a consummate teammate and this is a kid, that he is the hardest working guy. He comes every day. He loves the game.”
With Connor’s 92nd point, it breaks the old mark held by captain Blake Wheeler who recorded 91 points on two separate occasions in both 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. Connor’s goal into the empty net gives him 46 on the season.
“It’s not like I’m popping champagne cause I hit a certain amount of goals,” said Connor. “You expect it out of yourself. You put in all the hard work and so when the results come, you’re ready for it, you’re ready for this stage.”
The Jets have beaten the Flyers in their last five trips to Winnipeg and the home team has now won 11 straight times when the Jets and Flyers square off.
Just past the five-minute mark of the opening frame, the Flyers were called for a too-many-men penalty, and ten seconds later the home side made the visitors pay.
Dubois took a feed in the corner from Connor, drove to the net and tucked the puck through goalie Felix Sandstrom for his 28th of the season, a new career-high.
The rest of the first period was fairly uneventful. The best scoring chance after the Dubois goal went to Brenden Dillon, who joined the rush while the Jets were shorthanded, but he shot the puck into the chest of Sandstrom.
A power play early in the second proved fruitless for the Jets, who did not generate a single shot on goal, but a few minutes later two Philly penalties in eight seconds gave Winnipeg an extended 5-on-3.
After hitting the post on his first chance early in the advantage, Nikolaj Ehlers buried his next opportunity to give Winnipeg a 2-0 lead with his 28th of the season.
Connor assisted on the goal for his 91st point of the season, tied with Blake Wheeler for most in one season in Jets 2.0 history.
With just under five minutes left in the period, the Jets would pad their lead. Ehlers carried the puck into the Flyers zone and waited for Wheeler to skate away from a weak Keith Yandle backcheck.
Once the captain was free, Ehlers fired a perfect bullet of a pass right to Wheeler’s blade and he made no mistake, redirecting it five-hole on Sandstrom for his 15th of the year.
After two periods, both teams had registered 19 shots on goal but Comrie, making his third start in a four-game span, had kept a clean slate.
As the minutes ticked away in a boring third period, all that remained to be seen was whether Comrie would pick up his first NHL shutout and if Connor could grab hold of the Jets’ single season points record.
Philly’s best chance to break the goose egg came when Josh Morrissey took a penalty with less than three minutes to go and the Flyers pulled their goalie to have a 6-on-4 advantage.
Not only did Comrie hold down the fort to kill it off, but Connor intercepted a pass and skated the puck into the empty net for his 46th of the season and 92nd point of the season, giving him the 2.0 single season mark.
Moments later, the final horn sounded and Comrie’s teammates rushed off the bench to celebrate with him.
READ MORE: Jets beat Avalanche 4-1, sending them to fourth straight loss
The Jets continue their season-ending four-game homestand Friday night against the Calgary Flames. Pregame show begins at 5 p.m. on 680 CJOB with the puck dropping just after 7 p.m.
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