Jets take hot streak to Vegas

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This article was published 07/11/2017 (2862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — They jetted into town in the early-morning hours, no doubt riding an emotional high following another big win.

They’ll now enjoy three days taking in the many sights of Sin City before they face off against the expansion Golden Knights on Friday for the first time, in front of what is expected to be a raucous crowd — including hundreds of Jets fans who’ve made the trip to cheer them on.

Yes, life is pretty good these days for members of the Winnipeg Jets, who are sitting pretty right now at 8-3-3.

That put them fifth in the National Hockey League in terms of winning percentage.

To hear the captain explain it, this week is all about team bonding and setting the stage for even more success down the road.

On Tuesday, players had a full day away from the rink, no doubt faced with countless tantalizing options about how to spend their free time. Golf? A Cirque du Soleil show? Fine dining? Seeing if their on-ice good fortune carries over to the casino?

“When you get breaks in the schedule, you have to enjoy your teammates. It’s a great way to get to know some of the guys that you don’t know as well. That’s how you establish who you are as a team. The really strong relationships are formed off the ice, so I think it’s a great opportunity for us to get to know each other, get a breather and get ready for a tough Vegas team,” Blake Wheeler said following Monday’s impressive 4-1 win against the Stars in Dallas.

The Jets return to the ice today for a practice in Summerlin, a picturesque community just outside Las Vegas at the foot of Red Rock Canyon and the Spring Mountains.

They’ll take their act to the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday with another practice at T-Mobile Arena, which will be the scene of Friday’s game.

A huge following of Winnipeggers is expected to flood Las Vegas in the coming days, with several fan gatherings planned in the area.

Many will then follow the team to Phoenix for Saturday night’s game against the Coyotes.

The Jets have not lost in regulation in their past eight games (5-0-3), and have just one regulation defeat in their past dozen (8-1-3) after a disappointing 0-2 start to the year.

As well as the team has been playing, head coach Paul Maurice said this break in the schedule comes at a perfect time.

The Jets just finished off a busy stretch of seven games in 12 days, which included stops in five different cities. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was a workhorse, starting six of those games, including five in the past eight nights.

“I have a real strong memory of very, very tight, tough games. The game in Pittsburgh and the game in Columbus, hard battles. The divisional games with Minnesota and Dallas, you walk away 4-1 you think it was easier than it was, but what I like is these have been tough games and we’ve battled hard. Haven’t had control of the whole game by any means, we’re not blowing anybody out of the water, but we’re battling hard,” Maurice said following Monday’s win in Texas, which pushed the Jets’ record to a perfect 4-0-0 within the Central Division so far this season.

Nobody has been hotter than Wheeler, who has jumped to third in the NHL scoring race after posing 13 points in his past five games.

Wheeler insisted after Monday’s game, in which he assisted on all four goals, that he doesn’t care about personal accomplishments.

“I really believe he’s being honest when he says that. His approach is not about offence, it’s about playing the game and winning games,” Maurice said.

Linemate Mark Scheifele has also been hot.

He leads the Jets with nine goals, including five in the past three games, and his 18 points put him in the league’s top 10 in scoring.

“I’ve said it before, I love playing with (Wheeler). He’s my favourite player I’ve ever played with, so we’re happy with the way it’s going right now and we’ve got to continue it,” Scheifele said following Monday’s game.

“He’s first of all a great guy and a great guy to talk to, a great guy to learn from, especially when I was younger. We’ve kind of bonded over the last few seasons.

“You see what he does each and every practice, each and every game, he pushes it to the limit. He works his hardest and he’s a guy that’s pushed me ever since I came to this team and continues to push me each and every day to be the best I can be. He’s definitely a very big mentor of mine.”

Maurice said the one-two punch of Wheeler and Scheifele seems to only be getting “better and stronger.”

“I think we could say probably right from the day those two guys got together there was some real good chemistry. Blake is always driving to get better and Mark’s like that, too. Just their reads off each other, I find their game is becoming more direct. It’s a simpler game, and because of that with that speed that they have, it’s pretty darn fun,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg