A pair of NHL teams on winning streaks clashed last night at the Canada Life Centre in Manitoba….so lets find out whether it was the Winnipeg Jets or New Jersey Devils that came out victorious.

RECAP

When action got underway with the opening puck drop, the hometown True Northers ended up taking an “over the glass” penalty and that allowed the Devils to gain early momentum. The visitors used the extra space to build up an early lead on the shot counter, but the Jets’ defenders did a good job limiting high danger chances against. Eventually Winnipeg got their legs under them and the flow of play evened out as the game closed in on the middle of the 1st period. That was when Dawson Mercer, playing against his former club, received a pass from Cole Perfetti before skating into the high slot, then spinning and firing a dart to the top left corner (great screen by Fetts), beating New Jersey’s Jake Allen to give the fans at the CLC something to cheer about. WPG 1-0. That lead held up until late in the opening frame, when the Devils got into trouble by taking 2 penalties in 14 seconds. Winnipeg was able to create a bunch of looks on the opposing tender during the long man-advantage, but it looked like they weren’t going to be able to capitalize on the extra space…..yet just as the PP time ticked down, Kyle Connor attempted to fire a pass to Perfetti in the goal crease and the puck ended up deflecting in off a defender’s skate. WPG 2-0. The Jets ended up heading into the 1st intermission with a 2 goal lead despite being outshot 11-8.

The 2nd period started off horrendously for the True North fans, as New Jersey was able to knot up the contest with a pair of goals in just 44 seconds. TIE 2-2. After that, the middle frame turned into a defensive slog as neither squad was able to create much offense (shots 6-5 NJ) even though both teams had a powerplay opportunity.

The Jets regrouped during the intermission and came out flying in the 3rd period, resulting in them outshooting the Devils 12-4 and spending large chunks of time in the New Jersey zone. However, it wasn’t until the midway point of the frame that Winnipeg was able to break the tie, when the opposition took an unforced too many men penalty. While the True North’s top powerplay couldn’t add another goal on the game, the 2nd unit continued to push. During a cycle, Viggo Bjorck spotted Alex Iafallo to the right side of the net and fed him the puck. The veteran winger didn’t keep it long, as he wisely opted to send a cross crease pass instead of shooting against a well-positioned Allen and that found Mercer wide open for his 2nd marker of the contest. WPG 3-2. Although there was still 8 minutes to play, NJ was never really able to seriously threaten the lead before Winnipeg was able to seal the victory with an empty netter.

POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 4 – New Jersey Devils 2

*****

Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all): WPG 3.65 – NJD 2.46

Expected Goals (5on5): NJD 1.53 – WPG 1.48

Other than the Brayden Yager trio struggling in the xG battle, the rest of the Jets’ forwards were able to edge out the Devils. Though because Winnipeg scored 2 PP goals & one when they were down a man with the goalie pulled, we did lose the 5 on 5 goal scoring race 2 to 1.

Despite the unflattering stats for the 2nd line, I think the Jets may be close to finding an optimal line up for their top 9. So maybe the constant carousel of players will come to an end and the skaters will be able to start building some chemistry.

Josh Morrissey is back and while he didn’t get involved offensively that much last night, his return allows Winnipeg to get much closer to their ideal defensive pairings. Dylan Samberg & Neal Pionk didn’t let JoMo’s return stop them from contributing on both ends of the ice and that is a great sign for future success.

Congrats Nico Daws on your first win as a Jet (.905 sv%)…..and against a team that thought so little of him that they were willing to trade him. Must feel nice for both him & Mercer, putting up such solid performances against their former mates.

*****

BOJA’s Observations:

4th straight game winning the Expected Goals battle for Winnipeg……4 straight wins. Playing some decent hockey right now…even in the earlier winning period, the Jets were not expected to win a few of those games.

Also a season low xG’s for the New Jersey Devils tonight. The True Northers have only allowed over 3 Expected Goals once during the 4 game winning streak, giving the fans some hope that this season won’t be as painful as it was during the long 9 game skid.

Secondary scoring issues solved? In the past 4 games, Dawson Mercer, Morgan Barron, & Viggo Bjorck have picked up 4 pts each and easing the pressure to score for the Jets’ top line.

Special teams have also awoken recently and last night was no different. Winnipeg killed all 4 shorthanded situations they faced and added a pair of powerplay goals.

Oh, I can’t forget to talk about Kyle Connor. Not sure if it has anything to do with the situation revolving around the former teammate who was hiding in the dressing room last night, but the lad is motivated this season. While KFC’s 22 pts in 19 games only puts him in a tie for the 25th most points this season, it is far from the craziness that the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid is doing (48 pts in 19 gms). Yet the Jets’ sniper moves up the list when it comes to goal scoring, as his 15 goals has him tied for 3rd with the Anaheim Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier (on pace for 66 goals).

Well, it was an entertaining game to watch and really that is all you can ask for as a hockey fan. I personally could have lived without the trolling of our former goalie (silence would have been a more effective message, in my opinion) hopefully the fans at the CLC were able to let their frustrations show and then move on. I would rather focus on the opposite side of that transaction and was ecstatic for Mercer & Daws getting the chance to show their former coaches & managers what they lost when they opted to trade them.

Before signing off, I will provide an update on Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, as the Manitoba Moose continue to roll along in 2026-27 as they matched the Jets’ 4 game winning streak by pulling out a shootout win over their division rivals. Danny Zhilkin continues to shine in the minors, scoring a goal and pocketing one in the shootout, while Brad Lambert also contributed a helper and the game sealing shootout goal (nice move). I am also getting excited about the play of goalie Dominic DiVincentiis. The Moose tender has 5-3-0 record this year with a pair of shutouts, sporting impressive 1.99 GAA & a .938 sv% ratings. This year’s strong play continues how Dom did in last season’s playoffs and when you include those numbers, the goalie has allowed 23 goals on 414 shots (.944 sv%) while posting 3 shutouts in 13 contests. Nothing against Clay Stevenson or Nico Daws…..but they might have some competition for that back up role. Being waivers exempt this year, I am hoping that the True North squad will give the 22 yr old goaltender a look in the NHL this season. If you want to check out last night’s highlights…..here they are:

The Winnipeg Jets will have a day off as they prepare to head out on a short road trip to visit a couple of Central Division rivals, beginning in Dallas before stopping in Chicago on the way back north. Can they keep up the winning ways??

Hope everyone has a great Remembrance Day holiday…..I’m sporting my poppy with pride and really can’t imagine the things all those soldiers had to go through in past wars, so definitely thankful for what they did. That level of appreciation also extends to the people currently in the armed forces, who put their lives on the line so that we can live in our peaceful little bubbles.

UP NEXT: WINNIPEG JETS @ DALLAS STARS – THURSDAY, NOV 12TH @ 7:00 PM