Jets defeat Kings 5-2

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2015 (3866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The string section is nailing it, the brass and woodwinds positively humming along. And the percussionists are keeping near perfect timing.

But that hasn’t stopped Kevin Cheveldayoff from adding pieces to the orchestra that is his Winnipeg Jets (New York Rangers’ Lee Stempniak, see story, page C3) all the while watching his squad make sweet music in a 5-2 thumping of the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.

The win improves the Jets to 32-20-12 for 76 points, six points ahead of the Kings in the sprint for Western Conference playoff spots.

Coupled with Thursday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues, it could be said the Jets have served up two of their top performances, with today’s NHL trade deadline just hours away.

“The last six periods have been pretty darn close to the way we want to look,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice. “I’m happy with the way we played.”

He should be. The Jets not only got production from three different lines against the Kings, they limited their opponent to just 20 shots on goal, blocking 14 attempts and taking away shooting lanes all afternoon. In short, grabbing three of four points against Western Conference heavyweights such as the Blues and Kings is a return to the defence-first blueprint Maurice has been hammering on for months.

Wally Pipp and friends

The Jets welcomed back Blake Wheeler after a two-game stint on injured reserve and Maurice opted to slot him in on the third line alongside Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn, because he had liked the handiwork of his Top 6 in the shootout loss to St. Louis and didn’t want to mess with a good thing.

The prompted Wheeler, asked Saturday about appreciating the game more after being out for a week, to joke: “You ever heard of Wally Pipp?”

(Pipp, FYI, was the New York Yankees first baseman who sat out a game due to a headache and was replaced by some guy named Lou Gehrig).

The reworked forward lines again gave the Jets balance up front and it was obvious on the black and white of the scoresheet. Andrew Ladd, working on the top trio with Bryan Little and Michael Frolik, scored twice; Drew Stafford opened the scoring and Jiri Tlusty hit the post as the two continue percolating chemistry with centre Mark Scheifele, and Wheeler scored into an empty net and drew an assist on Tyler Myers’ critical goal that put the Jets ahead for good.

The tally: Ladd-Little-Frolik finished with two goals and four points; Tlusty-Scheifele-Stafford combined for a goal and two helpers while Thorburn-Lowry-Wheeler was good for a goal and three assists.

Steady as he goes

Michael Hutchinson made his fourth straight start and fifth in the last six games, for the Jets. While he wasn’t busy, he was steady. The Kings got very few second chances due to his rebound control and the defensive work of the Jets. Hutchinson improved to 19-7-5 with a 2.29 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. He is 5-0-3 in his last eight starts.

While Maurice is quick to include Ondrej Pavelec in any discussion about the Jets’ goaltending, it’s clear the rookie has grabbed the No. 1 role and could see a pile of work in the team’s remaining 18 games. The Jets have just two more back-to-back scenarios: March 23 and 24 in Edmonton and Vancouver and April 6 and 7 in Minnesota and St. Louis.

Home cooking

The win over the defending champs means the Jets are now 8-1-2 in their last 11 at the MTS Centre. They have picked up points in seven straight home games — 5-0-2 — making this latest run the most productive since the team put down roots here after leaving Atlanta.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait

wfpjetscoverage:01032015:wfpjetscoverage