Scheifele hat trick powers Jets past Rangers 4-2

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This article was published 19/03/2024 (566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK — It’s one thing to pummel a pair of 98-pound weaklings, as the Winnipeg Jets had done over the past two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks by a combined score of 12-1.

It’s another entirely to trade swings with a legitimate hockey heavyweight in their own backyard — and end up standing tall in the end.

Such was the case on Tuesday night, where the Jets skated away with a well-deserved 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

“We knew we were getting a real good hockey team. If you don’t play to your strengths and you don’t do the right things it can be a long night for you,” said associate coach Scott Arniel, who ran the bench while Rick Bowness is back in Winnipeg dealing with a medical issue.

“I think it just shows when we get committed to our game we’re tough to beat as well.”

This one had a bit of everything. A wicked back-and-forth pace, elite skill on full display, physicality, momentum swings, outstanding goaltending and some incredible individual efforts. The kind of game, in fact, that leaves you wanting more.

Prior to puck drop here inside the World’s Most Famous Arena, several cliches had been trotted out by fans and pundits to tee up the highly-anticipated tilt. Among them: Huge test. Measuring stick. Statement game. Now that the action is complete, allow us to throw out one more. How about possible Stanley Cup Final preview?

The Jets certainly made a compelling case they have the chops to go on a long and successful playoff run this spring in how they played against a squad that also appears built for the big stage.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” said Arniel.

“They played a real solid game. They really tried to take a lot of what (New York) wanted to do out there, we really wanted to make them play in their end of the rink. I thought for the most part we did that.”

As of now, this was the last time the Jets and the Rangers face each other this season. Unless, of course, they end up on a collision course in early June.

Winnipeg improves to 44-19-5, which has them currently as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. New York, which began the night as No. 1 in the Eastern Conference, falls to 45-20-4.

Here’s a further breakdown from Madison Square Garden.

1) Beast mode – Remember when Mark Scheifele went on a rampage during the second round of the 2018 playoffs, essentially carrying the Jets to a thrilling series victory over the President’s Trophy winning Nashville Predators to advance to the Western Conference Final?

The guy wearing No. 55 on Tuesday night sure looked awfully familiar. Scheifele took this game over, recording his eighth career hat trick and perhaps giving a tantalizing glimpse of what might still be to come this season.

“Obviously that was fun,” Scheifele said of goals No. 20, 21 and 22 on the year. “Always fun playing at MSG against a good team like the Rangers. That was a huge win. Anytime you go up against one of the best, you want to see where you where you fit in.”

His first goal came after some terrific work from linemates Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo, who tipped Nate Schmidt’s point shot just enough to essentially tee it up for Scheifele.

Of course, he wasn’t nearly done on the night.

After Alex Wennberg and Connor (with his 30th of the year) traded power play goals less than three minutes apart near the midway mark of the frame, a dazzling individual effort from Scheifele gave the Jets some breathing room.

He stole the puck from Chris Kreider inside his own zone, then hit the turbo-booster for a clear-cut breakaway which ended with him going blocker-side on Igor Shesterkin.

“Anytime there’s a breakaway you’ve got to find a little extra juice,” Scheifele joked. “I kind of knew Kreider’s in a vulnerable spot and didn’t know exactly where to go with it so just took a took a shot at it and obviously it worked out.”

New York got back within a goal with 1:54 left in the third period when Alexis Lafreniere scored with Shesterkin out for an extra attacker. But Scheifele ensured there’d be no comeback when he made a great hustle play to pot an empty-netter.

“I think certainly he’s underrated,” Arniel said of Scheifele.

“This year he’s having such a great year at both ends of the rink, without the puck as well. That’s nine straight 20 goal years. So he’s in elite company. We know what he’s about, we know what he does for our hockey team and how special he can be.”

2) You can count on Connor – Connor Hellebuyck wasted no time when asked by the Free Press if there was a save or two that stood out in this one.

“Forty of them,” he said.

Indeed, the rubber was flying early and often, and Hellebuyck once again showed why he’s not only a Vezina Trophy favourite, but arguably a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate.

“Getting hot at the right time and making sure I stay that way,” Hellebuyck said. “My details are right, I’m working hard and the guys in front of me are making my life really easy. Our details are right and things get very predictable when that’s happening.”

Hellebuyck, who along with Scheifele signed an identical seven-year contract extension last fall, downplayed a suggestion he might get a little extra motivation for a big game like this.

“Any time you come into a building like this one, the crowd gets into it, it has just a more energetic feel. That being said, it was just another game,” he said.

“That’s what we really gotta focus on, just making sure we’re playing the right way, our way, and really forcing our will on other teams.”

3) Solid supporting cast – They may not have shown up on the stats sheet in quite the same way, but there were plenty of other Winnipeg efforts worth applauding in this one.

Iafallo had maybe his best game of the season for the Jets, doing all kinds of terrific worker-bee type stuff beside Scheifele and Connor.

Veteran defenceman Brenden Dillon looked like a man on a mission in this one, throwing a huge hit on the first shift and even creating a great scoring chance when he cut hard to the net with the puck, only to be poke-checked by Shesterkin.

The checking line of Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton was terrific as always, keeping New York’s big guns in check most of the night.

And how about the quiet but effective work of the fourth line, comprised of David Gustafsson, Morgan Barron and Vlad Namestinkov? Arniel actually had them out for a couple shifts late in the third period, with the outcome still very much up for grabs.

“I think when you give them some of that responsibility, they want to go out and make sure they (are effective) at those times of the game,” said Arniel.

“You know what, they were real good. We’ve got a real busy schedule till the end of the month. We need four lines, and those guys were real good again for us.”

4) Extra, extra — The Jets went 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Rangers went 1-for-3.

Winnipeg made one lineup change from Sunday’s 6-1 victory over Columbus which kicked off this five-game road trip, putting Dylan Samberg in and taking Logan Stanley out. Samberg make a sensational play to break up a 3-on-1 rush by New York, which instantly turned into a 4-on-2 for Winnipeg.

Stanley, defenceman Colin Miller, and forwards Cole Perfetti and Rasmus Kupari were the healthy scratches.

The Jets are slated to practise in Newark on Wednesday, then will face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. They’ll continue to remain in New York through Saturday, when they face the Islanders, then finish off this eastern swing on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Capitals.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg