Jets fill net in Dallas

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This article was published 10/12/2014 (4017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DALLAS — They scored first, which is nothing new. And then they scored often, which kind of is.

And when the dust settled at American Airlines Center Tuesday night, the Winnipeg Jets had themselves yet another victory on the road, 5-2 over the Dallas Stars.

The win improved Winnipeg’s road record this season to a sparkling 9-4-3 and they are now 5-0-2 in their last seven games as part of a run that has seen the Jets playing some of their best hockey of the season.

That despite a litany of injuries on their blue-line and, beginning last night, the loss of forward Evander Kane to a two-game suspension.

Matthieu Perreault’s goal at 5:23 of the first period represented the ninth time in the last 10 games the Jets had scored first — a remarkable statistic that is a big part of the reason the Jets are also 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

And where this Jets team once did all their winning with hockey’s version of “small ball” — a tight and conservative defensive style, combined with just enough offence to win — last night’s effort was the second time in three games the Jets have scored five goals or more, coming on the heels of a 6-2 win over Colorado last Friday that was the most goals in a game for the Jets since opening night.

Buff shines

There’s been no Jets player hotter lately than Dustin Byfuglien, who picked up another two assists on Winnipeg’s first two goals and now has four points (two goals, two assists) in the last three games since he’s been back on defence.

Byfuglien has made no secret of the fact his preferred position is on the blue-line and you have to wonder if his inspired play of late is aimed at least in part at trying to convince his head coach to make the move back to defence a permanent one.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice has said he views Byfuglien primarily as a forward, but has also said in the past week he’s become convinced that at this point in his career, Byfuglien can shine at pretty much any position he puts his mind to playing.

If Byfuglien keeps playing as he has, Maurice will have a difficult decision to make when his three injured defencemen — Toby Enstrom, Zach Bogosian and Grant Clitsome — heal up in the coming weeks.

Powering up

With another power-play goal here on Tuesday, a once anemic Jets power-play that was 0-25 at one point in November is now 7-for-23 since ending that drought on Nov. 25.

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Add to that a short-handed goal by Michael Frolik near the end of the second period — the fifth short-handed tally for Winnipeg this season — and Winnipeg’s special teams have also played a major role in that 6-2-2 run over the last 10 games.

Up next

The Jets move from Dallas to Denver, where they will play Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche for the second time in six days in a game that has the potential for some fireworks.

The Jets, of course, spanked the Avalanche 6-2 at the MTS Centre last Friday in a game that will be remembered for two things: Brian Little’s long-awaited hat trick for the Jets and a fight-filled third period in which no punches were pulled.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek