COLUMBUS – The top guns took over and simply would not be denied.
Kyle Connor scored a pair of goals, both of which were set up by Mark Scheifele, to propel the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a must-have game on Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at Nationwide Arena.
Connor is up to 36 goals on the season, while Scheifele took another step towards recording the first 100 point output in his career, moving to 94 points in 76 games.
Most importantly, the offensive exploits allowed the Jets to ensure they would remain three points out in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.
“Yeah. It is awfully fun playing with 81,” said Scheifele. “He is an amazing shooter. He knows where to go. He is an absolute treat to play with.
“He does so many little things so well. Even before the goal, he dances a pretty good defenceman and then makes a good pass to me, and I get a pretty good chance. And then he just knows where to go from there. He is phenomenal to play with.”
About the only thing the dynamic duo didn’t do on this night was find a way for Connor to complete the hat trick, though Scheifele tried to find him on two separate occasions with the Blue Jackets net empty.
“We’ve talked this whole stretch since the break, your best players have to be your best players,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “They had some great looks in Dallas, especially KC, so it was nice to see them finish them off. When they can make those plays and do those things, it’s fun to watch.”
Although the Jets, who improved to 33-31-12, temporarily moved within one point, they will finish the evening three back with six games left in the regular season, since the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are facing off against one another in one of the late games on Saturday night.
PAUL VERNON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, left, celebrates with teammate forward Mark Scheifele after Conner’s goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
“At this time of year, everybody is fighting for their lives. And (even if) you’re not, you’re either one of those teams that may be eliminated, you fight for jobs,” said Connor. “There’s always something on the line. It’s the NHL. And there’s no easy games in this league. And obviously, (the Kraken) are a team that needs every point as well, and they’re right there in that fight.”
Let’s take a closer look at what transpired:
Surviving the slow start
The Jets had been hoping to come out of the gate better than they did in Dallas in the 3-0 loss to the Stars on Thursday, but that plan got derailed when Mason Marchment got Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg off balance and found former Brandon Wheat Kings blue-liner Ivan Provorov for a goal that came 77 seconds into the contest.
“We thought that was a little bit of a hook on that play. It wasn’t (called), but that gets you on your heels,” said Arniel. “I thought after that, they were coming hard and were really aggressive, and it felt like we really got back to playing fast, we got out of our zone quick and really in the second period did a fantastic job of moving it north in a hurry. And then obviously holding on to pucks once we got in the zone. That was a real solid game. We just wipe away that one goal and we did a lot of great things and deserved the two points.”
Staying sharp
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck went more than a full period between seeing shots, but he managed to stone Conor Garland on a rebound opportunity late in the second period that ensured the game would stay tied.
“Sometimes those games can be tough. I know he always talks about it, especially the second, (when) we’re all over them. You may get one grade A and you’ve got to be ready,” said Connor. “He did a great job of just staying in the moment.”
PAUL VERNON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets forward Alex Iafallo, right, reacts to teammate forward Kyle Connor’s goal past Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves, centre, and defenceman Denton Mateychuk during the third period in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
After a tripping minor to Scheifele with 8.3 seconds remaining in regulation, Hellebuyck stoned Adam Fantilli on a point-blank chance to prevent the game from going to overtime.
“Yeah, we don’t want to get him one of those games where he gets bombarded, especially with us travelling home,” said Arniel. “It’s nice that he doesn’t have to get too much work. But at the end of the day he loves it. I think he’d rather have 45 shots. Coaches wouldn’t, but he would. That’s a tough part of the game, too, is when you don’t get any action and all of a sudden somebody comes down there and you haven’t seen a shot in a while. That’s just part of being a goalie, staying mentally focused and into it.”
Hellebuyck, who made his sixth consecutive start and 53rd of the campaign, finished with 15 saves.
Since the Jets won’t play on consecutive days until Tuesday, April 14, there’s a good chance Arniel will continue to ride Hellebuyck for the foreseeable future.
The key play
Scheifele found Connor in the slot for a one-timer at 10:55 of the third period that proved to be the game-winner.
The three stars:
PAUL VERNON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, left, stops a shot in front of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli and Jets forward Mark Scheifele during the third period in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
Kyle Connor, Jets, Two goals.
Mark Scheifele, Jets, Two assists.
Neal Pionk, Jets, One assist, two hits.
The compliment
Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness offered up praise for Dominion City product Denton Mateychuk when asked about the smooth-skating defenceman following the morning skate.
“He’s highly skilled, highly competitive,” said Bowness. “He’s not the biggest guy out there, but he’s fearless. He’ll take out anybody. He’s a great skater, (with) great vision. You’ve got to remember, this is his first full year (in the NHL). For a young D, there’s a lot we’re throwing at him, but he’s handling it really well. He’s a great kid, a great teammate and a wonderful guy to work with.
“He’s fun to watch play because he puts his heart and soul into every shift and I love that.”
PAUL VERNON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Aniel, centre top, looks on during the third period against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
Mateychuk was promoted to the top D pairing with Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski and has taken another important step in his development during his second NHL season.
He’s up to 13 goals and 30 points in 70 games this season.
Extra! Extra!
It’s the fourth time in his career that Connor has hit 35 goals.
After suffering a sixth consecutive loss, the Blue Jackets held a closed door meeting that lasted nearly half an hour. They remain tied with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings for points in the Eastern Conference standings (but percentage points back due to playing one more game) and one point behind the New York Islanders in the chase for third spot in the Metropolitan Division.
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Following the morning skate, Arniel provided a quick update on the status of Jets defenceman Elias Salomonsson, who remains in concussion protocol after taking the reverse hit from Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson.
“Yeah, still a little off,” said Arniel. “So he’s still in protocol.”
PAUL VERNON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger, left, collides with Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo, right, during the first period in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
With Salomonsson out indefinitely, the Jets made one lineup change, inserting Jacob Bryson on the third pairing with Haydn Fleury. Bryson had one shot on goal and three shot attempts in just more than 12 minutes of ice time.
The Jets returned centre Danny Zhilkin to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League during the weekend since they are no longer in double emergency conditions. Zhilkin has one assist in six NHL games this season.
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Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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