Jets ride power play to victory

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This article was published 06/03/2025 (189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PHILADELPHIA — Message received.

As his team was in the midst of a stretch where goals were tough to come by, Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel reinforced offence has consistently come as a result of a strong commitment to defending.

He urged his team not to abandon those core principles while chasing additional offence after being held to two goals or fewer during four of the past five games and notching 10 goals during that stretch.

On Thursday, the Jets offence came out of this mini-slumber, with the sound defensive structure playing an important role in a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

“We did a great job taking the middle of the ice away. We tracked back well,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “They’re a good transition team. I thought we really limited them (in) that rush game. And then that power play was big in the first period, and really got them on their heels.”

The Jets snapped a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) in the process and improved to 43-16-4 for the season.

“We got back in the win column,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “I wouldn’t say the last couple games we’ve played awful, but to get our power play scoring like that, it was a good game.”

The Jets continue a four-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents on Friday against Brenden Dillon and the New Jersey Devils.

SLUMP BUSTER

Jets winger Kyle Connor had been in a bit of a goal-scoring funk, despite generating plenty of high-quality chances in the seven games since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, but his only goal in the past 9 games was an empty-netter against the Ottawa Senators.

Connor showed off his wicked shot at 5:28 of the second period, ripping a shot past Flyers goalie Sam Ersson to extend the lead to 3-0.

“KC’s been getting some A-1 quality, those games at home he had lots. Those guys, that’s one thing they don’t stop doing, they don’t stop shooting and putting themselves in a position (to score),” said Arniel. “When it isn’t going in, don’t get away from the net, get closer to the net and that’s what KC did. He had some real good looks from the inside.”

Connor is up to 32 goals this season, three behind Scheifele for the team lead.

THE REVIVAL

Remember when the power play went six games without a goal?

Well, that zero-for-17 stretch seems like a distant memory after scoring on each of its first two opportunities Thursday.

Scheifele scored on a rebound to open the scoring, then he found Nikolaj Ehlers to complete a nifty passing play that made it 2-0 before the first period had come to a close.

That gave the Jets four goals in the past five opportunities.

Crisp puck movement was at the core of this recent revival.

“We always talk about… that we want an attack mindset, a retrieval mindset, and then it’s the details of support,” said Arniel. “And that’s what it was. It all hit home.”

For Ehlers, the goal was his 20th of the season, a milestone he has now hit for the eighth time in his 10 NHL seasons.

RUN SUPPORT ACHIEVED

Not scoring much has been a common thread for the Jets when backup Eric Comrie is between the pipes, but that wasn’t the case in this one.

“It’s always nice to score and (Comrie) has been playing amazing all season,” said Scheifele. “He made a lot of big saves and kept it further out of reach than it could have been.”

The only thing the Jets didn’t do was preserve a second shutout this season for Comrie, as Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov scored 2:42 to go in in the game.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t have finished that one off, but we finally gave him some run support,” said Arniel. “We finally scored some goals for him and early on too, (which) probably helped him relax a little bit. This is a busy time and he has to be a part of it.”

With 19 games left in the regular season, Comrie is up to 16 starts and improved his record to 7-8-1, with a 2.45 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

This was his third start in seven games since the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Helly’s going to play a lot of games. He’s a very good goalie, probably the best in the world,” said Comrie, praising his goalie partner, Connor Hellebuyck. “I think he could win the MVP this year, but we’ll see. He’s been great.

“But it’s been really fun to get some rhythm, get some games going.”

KEY PLAY

Kyle Connor took a pass from Mark Scheifele, drove the net and ripped a shot past Ersson to make it 3-0 at 5:28 of the second period, dashing the hopes of a comeback for the Flyers.

THREE STARS

1) Mark Schiefele, Jets, scored a goal and added two helpers.

2) Gabe Vilardi, Jets, Chipped in three assists.

3) Kyle Connor, Jets, had a goal and an assist, plus got the play started on the Jets’ second power play goal.

THE ANTICIPATION

This was the final game before the NHL trade deadline for the Jets and Arniel wasn’t interested in dealing with hypotheticals in the final hours before the final moves were made.

The Jets pro scouting staff is on site in Philadelphia and the expectation is still a forward — likely a centre — and a defenceman will be acquired before the trade deadline.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Jets D-man Dylan Samberg was back after a one-game absence for family reasons and made an immediate impact, with six blocked shots, two shots on goal and five shot attempts in just under 22 minutes of ice time. He was also on the ice for both of the Jets goals at even strength.

Jets captain Adam Lowry rounded out the scoring for his team and is up to 12 goals for the season. His career-high is 15, set during the 2016-17 campaign.

In the early afternoon, the Jets have made a move which they hope will bolster their goaltending depth, acquiring Winnipegger Chris Driedger from the Florida Panthers for Kappo Kahkonen. Driedger, 30, has spent the bulk of this season with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League, posting a record of 10-6-4 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .878 save percentage in 20 games. He’s appeared in 67 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken and Panthers.

Kahkonen was signed by the Jets as a free agent on July 1 and appeared in 22 games with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, going 6-14 with a 3.29 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. Driedger will report to the Moose and share the crease with Dom DiVincentiis, who is having a strong season as a rookie pro.

Earlier in the day, the Jets signed 2023 fifth-round pick Jacob Julien to an entry-level contract that kicks in next season. Julien, 20, has 10 goals and 45 points in 58 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Julien is a big two-way centre and he’s expected to join the Moose next season.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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