Jets thump Blue Jackets

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This article was published 09/01/2024 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness, asked by the Free Press on Tuesday about his team’s incredible run to the top of the NHL standings, was quick to pour freezing cold water on the notion of anyone around here taking an early January victory lap.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” said the veteran bench boss following the morning skate. “Until you win a Stanley Cup, there’s always room for improvement on everything. That’s the way we live here.”

A few hours later, his players went out and showed they aren’t allowing unprecedented success to get to their heads, putting together the type of honest, workmanlike performance that has become their calling card in a dominating 5-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canada Life Centre.

Structured. Disciplined. Balanced. Committed. These are the hallmarks of a Jets team that is rewriting its own history book pretty much every time it hits the ice.

“This is special. It’s fun to be a part of this,” said Jets centre Cole Perfetti, who led the way with two goals and an assist.

“Coming to the rink every day. Knowing what we need to do, what we need to take care of. At this point of the season, we’re expecting every team’s best game now and we’re ready for that. The effort is there from everyone, every night. No one is taking a shift off, no one is taking any seconds off. The detail is there.”

Winnipeg has tied a franchise record with seven straight victories, while extending a franchise record with a 13th straight game of not losing in regulation (11-0-2) in that stretch. They are an incredible 15-1-2 in the last 18 games, and now have gone 30 straight contests without giving up more than three goals, the second-longest streak in the NHL’s modern era.

Overall, the Jets are 27-9-4 and looking down at the other 31 teams across the league. They’re also now 11-0-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. Considering they went 15-17-0 in those games last year, that is quite a turn of events.

Columbus, a rebuilding club with plenty of injuries, falls to 13-20-9.

“We’re trying not to focus too much on that big picture,” Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon, speaking following the game, said of the nose-to-the-grindstone approach.

“It just shows the commitment we have to the team this year. Everyone is laying out, blocking shots, sacrificing ice time here or there, playing up and down the lineup. I think for our team as a whole, we’re not focusing on who’s scoring the goals or how we’re getting it done. We’re just finding different ways to win every night.”

Here’s what stood out in this latest triumph:

1) SCARY SCENE: Everything was going great for the Jets until early in the third period, when star forward Mark Scheifele crumpled to the ice after a Josh Morrissey slapper was deflected into the side of his head. He was in obvious pain, needing some assistance to make his way off the ice and straight down the tunnel.

Jets co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman, clearly concerned, quickly left his press box suite to go check on his franchise player.

Scheifele, who had recorded his 400th career assist earlier in the night, did not return to the game, but everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he appeared on the ice for post-game handshakes. All signs indicated he will be OK, aside from a few stitches, and was simply held out as a precaution.

“I think I had both hands on my head in shock. You obviously don’t know what it is right away. You just see the puck hit him in the head. My stomach kind of dropped. Obviously, an amazing player but a great guy. You hate to see that happen,” said Perfetti.

“When I saw him come on the ice there, it was a sigh of relief. Obviously he’s in some pain but he’s able to skate around. That he was good to do that was a relief. A scary situation.”

2) COLE’S BIG NIGHT: The kid continues to impress, as 22-year-old Perfetti potted a pair of goals — the first two-goal night of his NHL career — to give him tallies in three straight games and 14 on the year. That’s tied with Ehlers and Scheifele for the active lead on the team. Injured forward Kyle Connor still leads the way with 17.

Perfetti also chipped in with an assist on Gabriel Vilardi’s power play goal later in the final frame. He’s now up to 29 points through 40 games, which is just one shy of the career-high 30 he had last year in 51 games.

The 10th-overall pick from 2020 is really starting to come into his own.

“Coming home from the road trip, with a lot of travel, three games in four nights there, was kind of tiring. It took a little bit to get our feet going,” said Perfetti.

“We scored early, but it took a little bit to get the feet going. It might not have been our fastest effort, but the detail was right and the effort was there. It’s just another game of us playing the right way and taking another step in the right direction. That was a really good effort from everyone.”

3) HO-HUM CONNOR HELLEBUYCK: The Vezina Trophy favourite continues to shine in net, stopping all 29 shots he faced for his second shutout of the year. Hellebuyck hasn’t lost in regulation in 13 starts (11-0-2)

His father, Chuck, who became a bit of a local social media sensation during last week’s fathers/mentors trip, was in the building to witness this one. He got a huge cheer from the crowd when shown on the scoreboard during the second period, followed by chants of “Chuck! Chuck!” for the adoring fans.

“He should stay and keep tweeting and updating his life. It’s hard to let that go,” Perfetti joked.

“We’re on a bit of a heater here and Helle’s playing great. It starts with him every night, he’s coming in bringing his A-game. Makes our lives a little bit easier. He’s been amazing. So has LB. Both guys back there have been really, really good. Made our lives easier. It’s fun. Makes life easy when you have two goalies like that.”

One of Hellebuyck’s toughest stops of the night came early in the third period, when he robbed Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier right on the doorstop. He then saved his best for last, turning aside a re-directed shot from in tight with just over a minute left on the clock.

4) THE D DO IT AGAIN: Bowness is always preaching about the importance of getting his defencemen more involved in the offence, so he no doubt was pleased by Tuesday’s events.

First, Dillon opened the scoring just 3:12 into the game when he jumped into the rush, joining Scheifele and Ehlers on a three-on-two rush. You wouldn’t think the veteran blue-liner would be the finisher of that trio, but he certainly was in this case.

“Bones is really encouraging us, and I think we’ve got a real mobile back-end that is only going to add to our offence,” said Dillon.

“On that play, Fly does a great job of threatening with his speed. I think that’s what draws both those defenders in. Me and Scheif almost had a 2-on-0 there at the net. I thought I had him back-door, but we’ll take the bounces and give him 400th assist instead.”

Dillon buried an Ehlers feed for his sixth goal of the year, in his 40th game of the year. That matches the career high he set a decade ago, at the age of 23 while playing with the San Jose Sharks, over the course of 80 games.

Then, midway through the second period, defence partners Nate Schmidt and Dylan Samberg got up in the play, with Samberg feeding Perfetti for basically a tap-in to make it 2-0.

“Really good. Really good. The roommate connection, I guess,” Perfetti, who lives with Samberg, said of the dish.

“No, he’s been playing great. He’s been moving the puck really well and seeing the ice really well. That’s a great play to activate from down the wall. I was holding my ground and just hoping. We made eye contact, so I had a feeling he was going to try and make the play. He fed it through a little hole there and it was a great pass. That was awesome.”

A few minutes later, Morrissey unleashed a rocket from the slot after taking a pass from Adam Lowry, scoring his seventh of the year.

5) EXTRA, EXTRA: The Jets went 1-for-3 on the power play, and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

• Attendance was 12,512.
• Defencemen Logan Stanley and Declan Chisholm were the two healthy scratches for Winnipeg.
• The Jets sent forward Rasmus Kupari to the Manitoba Moose on Tuesday for a conditioning stint as he takes the next step in his recovery from a shoulder injury he suffered back on Nov. 14 against the New Jersey Devils. With the young skater ready for game action, this allows him to spend up to two weeks on the farm getting back up to speed without Winnipeg having to expose him on waivers. However, he still counts towards the 23-man Jets roster and gets paid his NHL salary.
• The Jets will practise on Wednesday to get ready for the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. That game will mark the official midway point of the regular-season schedule.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg