Jets take care of business

PHILADELPHIA — This was a nod to the past and in many ways, a look at the present and into the immediate future.

On a night the Winnipeg Jets’ top centre — and first draft pick in the 2.0 era — moved into a tie with Blake Wheeler for the franchise record for points by scoring a pair of goals, the fact Scheifele was set up by longtime linemate Kyle Connor to hit the significant milestone was fitting.

Connor’s crisp pass for a blistering Scheifele one-timer was the marker that accomplished the feat in what turned out to be a tidy 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at xfinity mobile Arena.

“Wheels is a guy that taught me so much, so to be tied with him is a huge honour,” said Scheifele, who is up to 812 career points. “It’s obviously very humbling. Not long ago I was just starting in the league. It’s obviously very humbling and I just want to keep getting better.”

Scheifele, who is up to five goals and eight points in four games this season, has been an offensive sparkplug as the Jets improved to 3-1.

Scheifele will soon stand alone atop the list — and Connor will likely be riding shotgun when the next milestone occurs.

“Obviously, he’s hopefully breaking it next game, but it’s pretty incredible,” said Connor. “We all know what he means to this franchise. Being one of the first picks coming back here, and leading us through the whole playoffs, every kind of run we had he’s been the guy. And he’s a leader on this team.”

The significance of the moment is not lost on Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who has coached Scheifele during the past four seasons and watched him embrace the challenge of becoming a better 200-foot player while reaching a new offensive level.

“That is a heck of an accomplishment,” said Arniel. “Obviously, in the 2.0 era, he was the first player drafted and he has lived up to it all. He is a great player in this league and I think he is finally getting the recognition that he deserves. The guys that can score that many points, consistently, year after year, you tip your hat to him.”

As for his scorching start, Scheifele was quick to praise his linemates and he dismissed a theory that the net might look bigger when you’re rolling like he is these days.

“No, not really,” said Scheifele. “If you’re in the right areas, good things happen. I’ve just been very lucky.”

Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this one:

TIGHTENING UP: Following the morning skate, Arniel lamented that the Jets were giving up far too many quality scoring chances through the first three games, but felt the group was on the verge of a breakthrough on that front.

Turns out he was doing more than just trying to will it into existence, since Arniel has seen the work being put in by his group in recent days.

The Jets limited the Flyers to six high-danger chances at five-on-five on Thursday and allowed only two shots on goal in the third period — a return to the clamping down this team has done on countless occasions during the previous two seasons.

Signs of the blueprint were on display, even though the Jets gave up an extra-attacker goal during a delayed penalty call with 2:21 to go in the game.

“Yeah, definitely a little closer. I thought we were a bit more spot-on for the most part,” said Scheifele. “Obviously, there are still some areas to fix, but that was a lot better, for sure.”

Arniel was encouraged by the commitment to the details in all three zones.

“I thought the first period was our best period of the year, with the puck pressure, the reloads, the communication, not spending a lot of time in our end,” said Arniel. “It was a little bit sloppy and loose in the second, but I thought that we got back to it again in the third. That was a lot closer to what we need to do.”

THE KEY PLAY: After the Flyers trimmed the deficit, Morgan Barron responded with a goal on the ensuing shift to restore the two-goal lead.

THE THREE STARS

Mark Scheifele, Jets – By scoring a pair of goals, the top centre moved into a tie for the franchise lead for points.

Kyle Connor, Jets – By chipping in a pair of helpers, Connor moved to three goals and seven points.

Morgan Barron, Jets – Stays hot by scoring his third goal in four games and winning three of his four draws.

THE (SEASON) DEBUT – Arniel didn’t want anyone to sit out too long, so Parker Ford became the latest player on the roster to get into game action in the fourth game of the campaign.

Ford drew into the lineup for Nikita Chibrikov, who was a healthy scratch, and played right wing on the fourth line.

Ford drove to the net on the Jets’ third goal, forcing Flyers forward Noah Cates to turn his back to the play — before Barron’s shot caromed in off him.

Although he played right wing, Ford ended up taking draws on his strong side and finished the evening four-for-seven (57 per cent) while adding a hit, a shot on goal and three shot attempts.

“He is versatile,” said Arniel. “He has detail to his game and does what he has to do to make sure that he has success.”

POWER PLAY STRIKES AGAIN – Scheifele’s second goal came with the man-advantage, giving the Jets a power play goal in each of the past three games — after going zero-for-four in the season opener to move to three-for-12 overall.

“We’ve sped up the recent games here. When we’re at our best, you’re moving and moving towards the puck. We’re moving in unison,” said Connor. “And the guys are arriving at the right area. We’re supporting each other. So, it’s (about) moving our feet. Being supported and also predictable and not being a one trick pony being able to score with everybody out there.”

EXTRA, EXTRA – Prior to the game, the Jets reassigned defenceman Kale Clague to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. The move allows Clague the opportunity to meet the Moose in Grand Rapids for Friday’s game against the Griffins. Clague was on the trip as insurance after Haydn Fleury blocked a shot off his kneecap in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld