That’s one, now keep it rolling

It felt like a giant group therapy session, with both the Winnipeg Jets and their fans experiencing a cathartic release of pent-up angst Friday night as a 27-day, 11-game winless streak finally came to an end.

Folks were still basking in the afterglow a day later.

“Our crowd going crazy, singing and doing the wave. Everyone felt like, finally, this had ended,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Saturday following his team’s optional practice at Canada Life Centre.

“In a province, a community, a city like this there’s a lot of blue-collar people and that’s what they ask. I know that from being here for a long time. You work, you battle, you compete, you do those things and you’ll get a good response from the fans here.”

Now comes the next big test.

The Jets continue their five-game homestand Sunday afternoon, and they can’t afford to get comfortable after one important — but ultimately meaningless — win if it isn’t followed by more of the same. They remain last in the NHL standings at 16-22-5 and still have considerable ground to make up over the final 39 games.

“Let’s just focus on the New Jersey Devils and build on what we just did,” Arniel said of the message to his group.

“For me, it is just a big 200-pound weight that was on our shoulders that got lifted off. Now, let’s go and be free. Let’s be kids again and enjoy the moment. Do the same with structure, do the same things again with detail, go and compete and keep doing it that way and hopefully that win helped us a lot between the ears more than anywhere else.”

The 22-20-2 Devils aren’t exactly arriving on a high. They’ve dropped three straight games in regulation by a combined score of 16-2, with the lowlight a 9-0 pounding at the hands of the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

There’s also some off-ice intrigue, with top defenceman Dougie Hamilton expected to be a healthy scratch against the Jets. The veteran, who makes US$9 million for two more seasons after this one, has been the subject of trade rumours that are sure to intensify.

As for the Jets, there was some potentially encouraging injury news Saturday. Defenceman Neal Pionk and forward Morgan Barron were among a handful of players to hit the ice after missing Friday’s 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings with injuries suffered the night before against Edmonton.

Pionk (lower-body) was wearing a regular sweater, while Barron (upper-body) was in a yellow non-contact jersey.

“We’ll see. We’ll see how today went, for tomorrow,” said Arniel. “Honestly, they’ll wake up tomorrow and we’ll have a better idea. Today I have no idea, we’ll have to see how today plays into how they feel.”

Defenceman Haydn Fleury, who suffered a broken nose and other upper-body injuries in Tuesday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, has not resumed skating at this point.

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to be back in net for the Jets after backup Eric Comrie stopped 23 of 24 shots against the Kings.

One player likely to remain in the lineup is rookie Danny Zhilkin, who has impressed in his first two NHL games. His line with Cole Koepke and Tanner Pearson has scored in both outings, and Arniel even trusted Zhilkin with penalty-kill duty Friday.

“He has got NHL speed. He can skate and he thinks the game real well,” said Arniel.

“We talked about him when he first came up that was one of the things the coaches said, ‘His hockey IQ is good,’ and it’s hard when kids jump in, especially their first game in the NHL, they jump in January and it is fast moving water and it can be (hard) for guys and I think he has handled it real well.

“I like that line. They have given us good minutes. To me it is what you hope you are going to get from that line and he is a young guy that has taken advantage of the opportunity that has been put in front of him.”

Zhilkin was still all smiles as he met the media on Saturday afternoon.

“Being on the ice for that big win was, you know, unbelievable,” he said. “And you know, to make my debut, I was working hard for this moment. It’s pretty special, for sure.”

The 22-year-old nearly scored his first NHL goal on his first shift against Edmonton, ringing a shot off the post early in the opening period.

“The puck got loose, in the circle area. I got it on my stick and was like ‘Oh my God, I have the puck.’ And then I tried to get it on net,” said Zhilkin.

“It would have been nice (to score), but it’s OK. I mean, hopefully chances keep coming.”

He credited Pearson and Koepke for helping to make his transition from the AHL to the NHL as smooth as possible.

“Cole and Tanner, they play with a lot of speed and a lot of grit to their game. So they’re a great linemates to play with,” said Zhilkin.

His phone has been buzzing with messages from family and friends. His parents, who moved from Russia to Canada when he was nine, had been back home for the holidays. His father’s flight landed in time to catch Friday’s game, and his mother is expected back soon.

The Jets got scoring from all four lines on Friday, which is a terrific development for a team that had no shortage of slumping skaters.

“The win helps some of it mentally, obviously. But just for those guys to go out and have success as lines (and) not just our top guys doing it. They feel like they’re contributing, they feel like they’re a part of it, and that’s what you want,” said Arniel.

He likes what he’s seen from a revamped second line of Jonathan Toews, Cole Perfetti and Gabe Vilardi. Toews scored, while Perfetti and Vilardi each had two assists.

“Chemistry is probably the biggest thing, first and foremost. It builds as they get to know each other,” said Arnel.

“Gabe has helped that line in the sense of what he does well in games. (Perfetti), for me, his vision, Last night some of those plays he made, that’s the Cole Perfetti that we’ve come to expect. And I think he’s feeling good about himself. Like we talked about with JT, he’s really started to move in the right direction as a second line centre.”

Vlad Namestnikov returned after being a healthy scratch against the Oilers to score his first goal in 30 games against the Kings, playing on the third line with Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter. And the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo kept rolling, with Scheifele scoring twice to grab the team lead with 22 (one more than Connor).

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