Jets secure shootout win over Rangers

NEW YORK — This time, the Winnipeg Jets didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Head coach Scott Arniel invited plenty of second-guessing Saturday when he kept his team’s biggest offensive weapons on the bench in favour of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist — two questionable choices who both misfired in a costly 5-4 extra-time loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Less than 24 hours later, Arniel was back in the same spot, staring down another breakaway competition to settle the deadlocked score. This time, there was no hesitation. Out came the big guns — Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi — and both delivered, lifting the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

“I like the fact two good shooters, KC and Gabe, picked the corners nice,” Arniel told the Free Press inside Madison Square Garden.

The Jets were facing a Rangers goaltender making his NHL debut in Dylan Garand, so they didn’t have much of a scouting report on his habits and tendencies the way they would with most big-league netminders.

Maybe that worked in Winnipeg’s favour. The Jets had lost four of five shootouts this season, scoring just once on 13 total attempts — a goal by Vilardi, who admitted some improvisation was required against Garand.

“If it’s a newer goalie, like the guy today, I wasn’t sure. I have a few different moves that I like to do in those situations,” he said.

“It’s kind of a cat-and-mouse game in the shootout, right? You want to see who moves first. If you go slow, then maybe the goalie oversteps or doesn’t follow the puck at the right speed kind of thing? Everyone has different mindsets towards the shootout.”

Winnipeg improves to 29-29-12 after going 1-1-1 on this quick three-game Eastern Conference road trip. They are at 70 points through 70 games, keeping them within sniffing distance of the final Western Conference wildcard playoff spot.

“Proud of all the guys that we pulled that one off,” said Arniel.

Several teams ahead of the Jets have been scuffling along lately, which has allowed them to stay in this race, which is more like a turtle derby at this point.

“Outside of Nashville it seems like whenever we stub our toe all the other teams stub their toe, as well,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry.

“We have gotten a lot of help from the out-of-town scoreboard, but we have to start stacking some wins and take care of our own business. Getting three of four (points) this weekend — especially after the start on Saturday, getting down two (goals) just two minutes in and a quick turnaround, back-to-back, against a rested team — bodes well.”

New York falls to 28-33-9.

ALL HE DOES IS WIN: Eric Comrie is making a compelling case for more playing time.

The backup goaltender was terrific in this game, stopping 27 of 29 shots during regulation and overtime and then turning aside both breakaways during the shootout.

Comrie has now won six consecutive starts dating back to January, which is the longest streak of the year for a Winnipeg goaltender. He’s given up nine goals in that span, for a 1.50 goals against average, stopping 149 of 158 shots for a .943 save percentage.

The only two pucks that beat him Sunday — off the stick of Tye Kartye early in the second to tie the game 1-1, and a power play blast by Mika Zibanejad later in the middle frame to tie the game 2-2 — can be filed under the category of “no chance” to stop.

“His streak of great play continues,” said Lowry.

Connor Hellebuyck had started 11 of 13 games coming out of the Olympic break and was really looking tired of late. He gave up 13 goals over his last three games this week, going 0-1-2 in the process.

Could Comrie’s surge along with Hellebuyck’s struggles lead to some goaltending plans being changed for upcoming games, especially with the Jets in desperate need of results?

“We’ll see. We’re going to see how this plays,” said Arniel.

“The schedule is so crazy. We do have a two-day break coming (next Sunday and Monday) and that will be the end of it for the rest of the year, We’ll look at it and see how we’re lined up, making sure that both goaltenders are more than likely going to get an opportunity.”

SLUMP BUSTER: Lowry is the first to admit he hasn’t produced the way he’d hope this season. Offseason hip surgery, which caused him to miss the first few weeks of the year, has been an obvious factor.

But the proud veteran centre still has a knack for coming up big, as he did Sunday when he opened the scoring in the first period following a beautiful Tic-Tac-Toe passing play with linemates Vilardi and Cole Perfetti.

It was just Lowry’s fifth of the year — and his first in 25 games.

“There have been some chances the last few games, tipped one off the post,” Lowry said of thinking his puck luck was about to change.

“I felt like that one was going to fall and sometimes when you go a long time without scoring you stop shooting the puck and you stop wanting the puck around the net. So that was a heck of a play by Perfetti and a heck of a play by Vilardi to allow me to tap that one in.”

NEW HEIGHTS: Vilardi gave the Jets their second lead of the day early in the second period when he pounced on the power play, scoring his 27th of the season.

That ties the career-high he set last year (in one additional game than he’s played so far this year), but the young winger wasn’t celebrating the milestone.

“Doesn’t mean much,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter that we’re in a playoff push right now, and that’s bigger than my personal goals and points and whatnot. So that’s my job to produce. So I’m gonna keep trying to do that and keep trying to set career highs every year.”

Vilardi is now up to 58 points, which is just three off the career high he set last year.

KEY PLAY: The decision by Arniel to send his best shooters over the boards for the shootout.

THREE STARS:

1. WPG RW Gabe Vilardi: 1 goal, 1 assist

2. NYR G Dylan Garand: 35 saves in his NHL debut

3. WPG LW Cole Perfetti: 1 assist, and at least two, possibly three posts hit.

EXTRA, EXTRA: The Jets were furious in overtime when Mark Scheifele was called for interference, believing a very similar infraction (essentially a pick play) had just happened against them seconds earlier.

“Our penalty kill came up big,” said Arniel. “That was huge. It gave us a chance to get to the shootout.”

Winnipeg went 1-for-4 on the power play, while New York went 1-for-3.

Defencemen Jacob Bryson and Ville Heinola were the two healthy scratches for the Jets.

Winnipeg flew home following the game and will spend Monday away from the rink. They return to action on Tuesday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at Canada Life Centre.

“It is a sprint to the finish,” said Lowry.

“The margin for error is slim for us and we know the position we are in and we know the teams coming up. We’ve got to take care of the one game in front of us and not look too far ahead and hope you are getting help on the out-of-town scoreboard. There are a lot of really good teams coming up for us and we are going to need to play our best hockey here.”

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre