Spunky Jets mow down Wild

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This article was published 30/12/2023 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When you go to the hard areas, the rewards will eventually come.

The Winnipeg Jets showed a willingness to do the difficult things as they faced the Minnesota Wild for the first time this season and by the time the final buzzer sounded, it was a tidy 4-2 victory for the home side before a sellout crowd of 15,225 — the first of the season — at Canada Life Centre Saturday afternoon.

Jets forward Nino Niederreiter scored twice to lead the offensive attack, getting to the front of the net to deliver both of the markers.

This is a skill that isn’t overly prevalent in the NHL these days, but it’s one of the places where Niederreiter thrives.

“There’s timing, but there’s also strength,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “You’ve got to be physically strong sometimes to get to the net. Everyone in the league today is taught to box out, don’t let guys get to the net. You’ve got to fight your way through that. Nino’s strong enough, when there’s opposition, to fight his way through that and you’ve got to have some hands to put the puck in the net.”

With the victory, the Jets improved to 9-1-2 in December, 21-9-4 overall and expanded their lead in the Central Division standings over the Wild to 10 points.

The two teams meet again in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., to close out 2023.

But first, let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this battle between rivals:

EL NINO STAYS HOT: Niederreiter notched a pair of blue-paint specials Saturday to move to 12 goals on the season, which leaves him tied for second on the Jets with Mark Scheifele.

“I think that’s where my office is,” said Niederreiter. “I like to be in the paint. I try to get in there as (much) as possible. It’s always going to create chances.”

Wayne Gretzky liked to set up shop behind the net, but Niederreiter has made a career of finding the space in front of the opposing goalie.

“Well, I try,” said Niederreiter. “I feel like my whole career I have tried to score goals there and just get in there and create some scrums and hopefully bang some home.”

Niederreiter had a glorious opportunity to complete the hat trick during the third period, but he was robbed by the left pad of Marc-Andre Fleury, who came on in relief of Filip Gustavsson (lower-body injury).

“Definitely a good save,” said Niederreiter. “But I’ve got to make sure I put that home. It’s pretty simple. It was a great pass, I had a wide-open net and I’ve got to put that home.”

FOURTH LINE DOESN’T MISS A BEAT: With David Gustafsson out for a second game with a lower-body ailment, Dominic Toninato was back at centre on the fourth line with Morgan Barron and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and the trio came up with an important insurance marker two minutes and 26 seconds after the Wild made it a one-goal game 20 seconds into the third period.

“The timing of that made it extra special,” said Toninato, who has appeared in nine games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. “It was good, it was a big goal… It’s an opportunity you’ve got to take advantage of. You never know how much opportunity you are going to get so every chance you get you have to take advantage of it and just be ready when your name is called.”

Toninato is up to two assists in two games, his most recent point set-up a smart pass to Jonsson-Fjallby for his second goal of the campaign. Although the flow of the game was disrupted by the eight minor penalties called in the second period, the Jets’ fourth line was ready when called upon during the third period, providing some quality minutes.

“When they come in, they do the job that we ask them to do,” said Bowness. “Get (on) the forecheck. Give us some forechecking momentum. Spend some time in that zone, wearing that team down. And they’ve done that, for the most part, over the last couple of weeks.”

THIS IS NOT A RECORDING: Make it 24 consecutive games for Winnipeg allowing three goals or fewer, another testament to the defensive structure the team has committed to this season.

It’s been helped by a strong stretch of goaltending and that also continued Saturday as Connor Hellebuyck finished with 34 saves as he improved to 17-6 while his goals-against average was lowered to 2.35 and his save percentage bumped up to .919.

“He was pretty calm,” said Niederreiter. “He made the saves when he needed to. He’s a big reason why we are successful in the D-zone. He keeps things calm in front of the net.”

Laurent Brossoit is set to make his ninth start of the campaign Sunday.

PLINKO SPECIAL: The Jets ran into some bad puck luck with five shots off the iron Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks but things went in the other direction in Saturday’s first period.

Alex Iafallo fired a slapper from just inside the blue line that caromed off the skate of Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, off the skate of Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson and then into the net.

It was the sixth goal of the season for Iafallo, an important development as the Jets look for a bit more production from the unit of Iafallo, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti. Although Perfetti was held off the scoresheet, he was heavily involved in the offence, generating six shots on goal and a game-high 10 shot attempts.

EXTRA, EXTRA: There was an important development prior to the game, as Jets left-winger Kyle Connor was spotted on the ice with a few of the other scratches, just 20 days after suffering a knee injury in a game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Bowness said the timeline for Connor to return hasn’t changed.

“He’s still weeks away,” said Bowness. “Just nice to see him on the ice.”

Logan Stanley and Declan Chisholm were Winnipeg’s healthy scratches on defence. Bowness said there was a chance Rasmus Kupari (shoulder) could return to the lineup during the upcoming road trip that includes stops in San Jose, Anaheim and Tempe, Ariz. Defenceman Ville Heinola isn’t quite as far along in his recovery but he continues to make progress.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld