Nino notches pair on big night

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This article was published 05/11/2024 (335 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nino Niederreiter made sure his milestone game was a memorable one.

Suiting up in his 900th NHL game, Niederreiter delivered a pair of insurance markers as the Winnipeg Jets defeated Utah HC 3-0 on Tuesday at Canada Life Centre.

With the win, the Jets extended their winning streak to four games and improve to 12-1 on the season.

“I certainly believe in our group,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “You look at the success we had last season, in the regular season, we felt like we could build off that.

“Did I think we’d be sitting here 12 -1? I mean, who knows, but at the same time, I really feel confident about our group.”

Niederreiter has now scored at least one goal against 33 different NHL teams and is up to seven for the campaign.

“It’s a cool stat, but I think it also says that I’ve been traded a few times,” said Niederreiter. “But I guess it gives me the chance to do that.”

With the Jets leading 1-0, Niederreiter made a subtle play at the defensive blue line that reinforces what head coach Scott Arniel has been saying about smart plays away from the puck leading to offensive opportunities.

With the puck coming around the left-wing boards, Niederreiter won a battle with Utah HC defenceman Michael Kesselring by lifting his stick.

That allowed Josh Morrissey to swoop in, grab the puck and start an odd-man rush.

Niederreiter hustled up the ice, took a pass in the high slot from Mason Appleton and faked a shot to freeze Karel Vejmelka before depositing the puck into the open net.

“Obviously the game wasn’t very pretty and there wasn’t a lot of flow out there,” said Niederreiter. “We just knew we had to stick with it and do the little things right. Eventually, you create your own luck and that’s what happened there.” The Jets continue a four-game homestand on Thursday against the Coloardo Avalanche in what will be the first meeting between the two teams since the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Let’s take a closer look at this one:

POWER PLAY STRIKES AGAIN – It seems like the storyline that simply won’t go away, but the Jets’ league-leading power play got them on the board at a time when it looked like goals were going to be tough to come by.

There had been several times at even strength when the Jets were guilty of passing when they probably should have been shooting, but some strong puck movement on a power play late in the second period helped tire out the Utah HC penalty killers.

With five seconds to go in the hooking minor to Dylan Guenther, Mark Scheifele found Morrissey for a one-timer from the point and Gabe Vilardi got to the front of the net and tipped it home.

“The biggest thing is that they’re realizing that when there is pressure coming, we’ve got to get away from the pressure,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “They’re recognizing what the opposition is doing.”

For Vilardi, it was his fifth goal in the past seven games — and his first of the season with the man-advantage.

The Jets have now scored at least one power-play marker in each of the past six games and they’re up to 16 on the season — with nine coming from the top unit and seven scored by the second.

They also bumped their top-ranked power-play percentage to 44.4 per cent.

PENALTY KILL ALSO COMES THROUGH – The Jets started the season with a penalty kill that was ranked fourth in the NHL, but a recent rough patch had them in the middle of the pack.

Rough patch is a relative term — the Jets surrendered four power play goals during the previous three games.

By going four-for-four while shorthanded on Tuesday, the Jets took an important step toward stabilizing things, increasing their penalty-killing efficiency from 76.0 per cent to 79.3 per cent.

THE GOOSE EGG – One day after expressing his frustration with the latest goalie interference ruling, Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to record his second shutout of the season and 39th of his NHL career.

Hellebuyck became the sixth goalie to make 10 starts this season and continues his sensational start to the campaign.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is 9-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

AFTERBURNER

Key play — With scoring chances relatively tough to come by, the Jets power play provided them with a boost late in the second period, with Vilardi supplying a perfect redirection.

The three stars

Jets, LW Nino Niederreiter — Two goals and two points in his 900th NHL game.

Jets, G Connor Hellebuyck — 21 saves for his second shutout of the season.

Utah HC, G Karel Vejmelka — 25 saves in his 10th career start against the Jets.

EXTRA, EXTRA – Jets left-winger Kyle Connor saw his 12-game point streak come to an end Tuesday, but not before rattling a shot off the post with 33 seconds to go. Connor generated three shots on goal and five shot attempts against Utah and continues to lead the Jets in goals (nine) and points (19).

Jets captain Adam Lowry chipped in a pair of assists, earning helpers on each of Niederreiter’s goals. Lowry also threw a big hit on Kesselring in the first period. “With that hit, he definitely set the tone early on,” said Niederreiter.

The line of Lowry, Niederreiter and Appleton has outscored opponents 10-1 at five-on-five play this season.

Former Jets forward Kevin Stenlund seems to be settling in nicely with his new team after capturing a Stanley Cup in June with the Florida Panthers. After signing a two-year deal worth US$4 million (and an AAV of US$2 million), Stenlund is centring the fourth line and doing an outstanding job in the faceoff circle.

The Jets healthy scratches were forward David Gustafsson and defencemen Haydn Fleury and Dylan Coghlan, who has yet to see any game action this season. Gustafsson has been limited to one game and Fleury suited up in the first four but has been out for the past nine.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld