Hellebuyck, Wheeler power Jets past Canucks 5-0

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2021 (1622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets were once heralded as a team with no quit, winning far more often than they lost and rarely ever losing back-to-back games. Now, as the Jets inch closer to the playoffs, a single victory is cause for celebration.

Such is the case for a Jets team that has lost so often in recent weeks that a convincing 5-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks — a team already eliminated from playoff contention and one that had its season upended owing to a COVID-19 outbreak — is viewed as a significant step in the right direction. When you’ve lost nine of your previous 10 games, all in regulation, you take any opportunity to flip the script — trade what’s been mostly misery into some good feelings.

It took the help of a spirited speech from head coach Paul Maurice prior to the game to put his team in a positive frame of mind. It not only left an impression, but also managed to turn the Jets into a full-force for 60 minutes.

“What we went through is really, really important. And we have a far, far better chance of winning now than we did three weeks ago. And none of that has anything actually to do with the words that I used,” Maurice said after the game. “That was the kind of underlying feel that I had going to the room, just to convey that to the team. We have a chance and an opportunity to kind of come out of this two or three weeks that we’ve had and be a much, much better team. And none of it’s going to make it easy or look good. We’ve had to scratch and claw here.”

One major positive was the Jets were not only able to control five-on-five play, a goal they’ve desperately been chasing for more than a month, they also made good on their chances. Winnipeg’s top line of Blake Wheeler (2G, 2A), Mark Scheifele (1G, 1A) and Kyle Connor (1G, 2A) combined for nine points, all of which came at even-strength, while Mason Appleton made good on his 11th of the year after being denied on a pair of breakaways.

Connor Hellebuyck returned to the net to record 24 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Braden Holtby wrapped up his evening in Vancouver’s net stopping 31 of 36 shots in the loss.

The Jets had scored just 17 goals in their previous 10 games. Finding the back of the net five times can only be good for the team’s collective psyche.

“You start to just feel like it’s never going to happen. I mean we even had a few in the first period that looked from the bench like they were going in and hit a stick or a post or whatever it might be, it just kind of feels like it’s just never going to happen,” Wheeler. “So you’ve got to give the guys a lot of credit for pushing and just keep doing the right things and doing the same things, because ultimately when it comes to playoff time it’s a lot harder to score goals. And that’s the way you score goals, just keep doing the same things over and over again with that blind faith that you’re going to get rewarded for it.”

The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak at home, improving the Jets overall record to 29-23-3. It also secured Jets third place in the Canadian division, meaning they’ll meet the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs, which is to start next Wednesday or Thursday. The Jets wrap up their regular-season schedule Friday when they welcome what will surely be a watered-down version of the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Canucks were officially eliminated from the playoffs midway through Monday’s 3-1 win over the Jets, after the Montreal Canadiens salvaged a single point in an overtime loss to the Oilers. Still with five games left to play this year, as the NHL scrambles to fit in those final games after Vancouver was put on the shelf for more than a week while battling the coronavirus, the loss drops the Canucks to 21-27-3.

The night was delayed in order to honour Paul Stastny playing in his 1,000th game, 74 of which he’s donned a Jets jersey. The ceremony incorporated the entire team, with Stastny joining his teammates at centre ice for a group celebration to cap off the pre-game festivities.

“His teammates respect the hell out of him for it. It was a night that was kind of a galvanizing sort of moment for our team,” Wheeler added. “We wanted to have a good night for him. We wanted it to be a memorable night for him.”

That provided some much-needed jump for the home side, with the Jets dictating play for a majority of the opening 20 minutes.

Connor opened the scoring 7:48 into the period, besting Holtby with a shot that slipped between the pads. The goal was set up by a sneaky redirect from Wheeler, who got just enough of a Dylan DeMelo pass to spring Connor up the left side.

It was Connor’s team-leading 24th of the season and second in as many games after going pointless in eight straight. Winnipeg will need Connor to maintain his scoring touch if the Jets stand a chance against Connor McDavid and the Oilers in the first round. Edmonton has defeated the Jets in six straight games, outscoring Winnipeg 21-7, with McDavid totalling six goals and nine assists during that stretch.

Wheeler scored the first of his two goals just minutes into the second period, after picking up a rebound and driving the net before making a nice deke to the backhand. Scheifele put the Jets up 3-0 after tipping home a Jordie Benn shot from the point. It was Benn’s first point as a Jet since being picked up at the trade deadline last month.

The Jets had struggled to find the back of the net in the third period over their losing stretch, scoring just three goals in 10 games. So finding the net twice — one from Wheeler and the other by Appleton — not only was a break from what’s been the norm but also signified the closest the Jets have come to a complete game in some time.

“Appleton’s goal, you take a look at the screen that Lowry set, Scheif’s shot tip, and then there’s some other things that will happen. The Wheeler goal, pass to Kyle Connor back to Wheeler, that’s special stuff. That comes out occasionally but it can’t be what you rely on,” Maurice said. “I thought that our offensive zone play, with the exception of about 10 minutes of the second period, was right on, exactly what we needed.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton