Mix more potent with Perreault, Little flying

By: Tim Campbell Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Sunday, Apr. 5, 2015

THE wait for the return of their services was excruciating for Winnipeg Jets' fans.

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THE wait for the return of their services was excruciating for Winnipeg Jets' fans.

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This article was published 05/04/2015 (3819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE wait for the return of their services was excruciating for Winnipeg Jets’ fans.

Both No. 1 centre Bryan Little and dangerous forward Mathieu Perreault are finally back in the lineup, past their return games and now looking like they’ll be a big asset in the regular season’s final, important week.

Perreault was particularly good Saturday, sparking the Jets to a 5-4 decision over the Vancouver Canucks with three assists.

“He has been (good). Bryan Little as well, better than he was in his first,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said after Saturday’s win. “His hands are coming back to him.

“It’s a big chunk of time to take off to come back into this kind of game, this speed and pace. He looked like he was back, getting on the puck and having enough time with it to make some of those small-area plays that he can with his skills.”

Little missed 11 games and returned last Tuesday.

Perreault was out longer, since Feb. 16, and missed 16 games. He came back last Sunday against Chicago but now looks a lot closer to the groove he was cutting before the injury.

On Saturday, Lee Stempniak was the beneficiary of Perreault’s excellence for a pair of goals.

One was an open net from a cross-ice pass in the first period and the other was the eventual game-winner in the third as Perreault stole Vancouver rookie Jannick Hansen’s clearing attempt in the offensive zone and put Stempniak one-on-one with Canucks goalie Eddie Lack.

Right move, left move and five hole and the Jets were ahead 5-3.

“You want to be a difference-maker in big games and Lee and Matty, they both had great games,” said their centre, rookie Adam Lowry. “There was a couple of great passes by Matty there and that last goal by Lee, that was some nifty hands there. It’s obviously nice to contribute in a big win like this.”

Perreault’s ice time has jumped in each game since his return, from eight minutes 40 seconds to 13:48 to 16:12 on Saturday.

“I’m starting to feel better and better,” he said, now with four assists in his three games back. “And getting more minutes, too. Tonight was a bit more than the last two games. And trying to create some chemistry with Lows and Stempniak. It’s only a couple of games but tonight is definitely our best.”

Perreault said after the game the Jets recognize they will make life a little easier on themselves if they have a better grasp of their previous defensive focus.

“We’ve got to clean a few things up in the D zone but we’re happy with the win,” Perreault said.

The bonus of the new line’s chemistry offset the errors on Saturday.

“Lee’s a real good shooter,” Maurice said. “He’s got that ability. He missed a couple tonight, some glove shots he put over the net that he knew where he was going with them.

“Adam can control, get in and create enough offence with his size. Matty Perreault is a key piece to what those guys do. We got a goal from each line tonight and they got the two. Perreault gets three assists. He has that kind of Frolik-factor — wherever we play him, that line seems to generate offence.”

— Campbell