Teammates happy Gustafsson’s hard work pays off with first goal of the season

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This article was published 25/01/2025 (250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

David Gustafsson jumped over the boards and was set to apply some pressure on the forecheck when a wild bounce off the stanchion forced the Winnipeg Jets centre to quickly alter his route and head directly to the slot.

As the puck was rolling towards him, Gustafsson wasn’t thinking about anything other than making sure that his shot was going to find the back of the vacated net, since Utah HC goalie Connor Ingram had gone behind the goal to try and knock down the seemingly routine dump-in by Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo.

Ingram scrambled back toward the crease and made a last-ditch, diving effort to get his goal stick on the puck, but Gustafsson buried his shot to give the Jets a 2-1 edge in what would become a 5-2 victory on Friday night.

The goal was the first of the season for Gustafsson and his fifth in 131 NHL games.

“When something like that happens, you can just kind of zone out. All that matters is getting the puck in the net and seeing a wide-open net, you should be able to do it. But, (Ingram) was close to getting a paddle or stick on it,” said Gustafsson.

“It means a lot. I feel like I really deserved that lucky bounce that I got. I’ve been working hard now for a while without (seeing) any results for it. So, it was nice to get that one.”

DeMelo, who made a smart defensive play in the neutral zone to get the play started, was quick to concede he didn’t call his bank shot, but he was excited about how things played out.

“I’ve been on the other end of that and it sucks,” said DeMelo. “I was just really happy for Gus to get that goal. He’s battled hard, kind of been in and out (of the lineup), the injury and things of that nature. He’s a guy that puts his head down and works every day.

“I’m sure it maybe wasn’t how he thought he’d get his first (goal) of the year, but hopefully that kind of kickstarts him and gets that confidence going offensively.”

You can understand why Gustafsson feels that way.

After suiting up against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 20 in the fifth game of the campaign, Gustafsson didn’t see his next action until Dec. 1.

An extended stretch of healthy scratches can be tough to deal with for any player, but Gustafsson maintained a positive demeanour and kept working hard for the next time his number was called.

“Honestly, there’s no other option,” said Gustafsson.

“We’re doing really good as a team. And if I come in here being mad about not scoring points, that’s not (being) a very good teammate. And as long as we’re winning, I’m happy. That’s our goal.”

In just his third game of the season, Gustafsson got into his first NHL fight with Trent Frederic and suffered a concussion as he was knocked out by the Boston Bruins forward, causing him to miss four more games due to injury.

Gustafsson returned to the lineup on Dec. 21 against the Minnesota Wild and has seen regular duty since that point as the Jets dealt with a number of other injuries.

“It’s been a little bit of a rougher road for him, in the sense of trying to get in and stay in the lineup,” said Jets forward Morgan Barron, who often skates alongside Gustafsson on the fourth line.

“He’s one of the guys that puts in the work, whether he’s playing or he’s not playing, whatever it may be. It’s great to see him get it. He definitely deserves it. He makes a lot of plays out there that people don’t recognize.

“Defensively is what he’s depended on and it’s consistently for him, but he’s more than capable of chipping in offence. It’s great to see.”

Gustafsson is riding a modest two-game point streak after recording his first point of the season on Wednesday when he set up Barron for the game-tying goal just past the midway point of the second period against the Colorado Avalanche.

“I’ve been getting a lot more confidence with how I’m playing right now. Maybe earlier in the season, I would have just dumped that puck down, or not done anything with it,” said Gustafsson.

“But now, I saw an opportunity and I went for it. Those are small steps forward you’ve got to take.”

Up next: Flames at Jets

The Jets, who sit atop the Western Conference with 69 points, face the Calgary Flames on Sunday at 5 p.m.

It’s the third and final meeting of the regular season between the two clubs — and second in eight days, as the Flames got an excellent performance from goalie Dustin Wolf (who made 38 saves) in a 3-1 victory last Saturday.

“Wolf was really good,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel.

“We did a good job of getting into Calgary’s zone and getting zone time, but probably us having multiple threats in the sense of whether it was traffic at the net or battling to get inside for the rebounds (would lead to more goals).

“I thought (Wolf) saw a lot of what was coming at him and we can do a better job of screening him and taking away his vision and that might help us get those numbers up.”

Arniel wasn’t ready to announce whether it would be Connor Hellebuyck or backup Eric Comrie between the pipes against the Flames on Sunday and with no morning skate scheduled due to an earlier start time, the answer won’t be known until we see who leads the Jets onto the ice for the pre-game warmup.

Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey skipped Saturday’s workout as he dealt with the flu bug that has been making its way around the team, so his status for Sunday is up in the air.

Given the implications in the Central Division of the blockbuster deal between the Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes that sees Finnish winger Mikko Rantanen among those changing addresses, it wasn’t surprising that the trade caught the attention of several members of the Jets.

“It is always nice to see those guys leave, even though we have to play Carolina next week (Rantanen) is elite,” said Arniel.

“(Martin) Necas is one hell of a player himself coming into to play on that team, but Rantanen is one of those top five or six guys in the league when it comes to goal scoring. He is a big man, and you are never upset when you see those guys go to the east. It is an interesting move, but we won’t see Colorado the rest of the year.”

DeMelo isn’t disappointed to see Rantanen departing either.

“I’m happy I don’t have to see him four times a year. It’s a big trade and we’ll see how it unfolds for both teams,” said DeMelo.

“He’s a fantastic player and I’m sure he’ll do well in Carolina.”

The Jets will face the Hurricanes for the first time this season on Feb. 4.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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