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Connor Hamilton \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n
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Winnipeg Jets centre Jonathan Toews scored the game-winning goal in the Jets 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The pathway to a playoff spot for the Jets remains pretty straightforward \u2014 win out and hope that the Predators and Kings chalk up a couple of losses.<\/p>\n
What the Jets have done remarkably well coming out of the Olympic break is putting the blinders on and zoning in on the next opponent.<\/p>\n
The Flyers have won three of their past four outings, but got drilled 6-3 by the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, so Rick Tocchet\u2019s group figures to be in a surly mood Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Of course the Jets have been paying attention to what is happening on the out-of-town scoreboard, but those results mean little if they don\u2019t take care of their own business.<\/p>\n
With the exception of the hiccup against the Dallas Stars last week, that\u2019s precisely what the Jets have been doing.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Connor Hamilton \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Winger Alex Iafallo has been promoted to the Jets’ top line.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A renewed commitment to the defensive structure that had become their calling card during the past several seasons has been apparent, the latest example coming in Thursday\u2019s win over the Blues \u2014 who were held to just three shots on goal and one high-danger chance in the third period.<\/p>\n The Jets are playing faster in all three zones, which means the forecheck has been more effective and the team is spending more time on the offensive rather than getting bogged down defending for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n Jonathan Toews providing the game-winning goal on Thursday was the latest example of secondary scoring showing up when the Jets have needed it most. Alex Iafallo, who has been promoted to the top line, is also providing complementary offence, notching his 13th goal of the season to even the score with the Blues in the first period.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Connor Hamilton \/ The Associated Press<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele is now just 1 point shy of 100 for the season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jets centre Mark Scheifele chipped in a pair of assists and moved to 99 points for the season.<\/p>\n He\u2019s one point shy of Marian Hossa for the most points in Jets 2.0\/Thrashers franchise history and enters weekend action tied with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for fifth place in NHL scoring.<\/p>\n Only Connor McDavid (133), Nikita Kucherov (128), Nathan MacKinnon (126) and Macklin Celebrini (108) have more points for their respective teams so far this season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is the last guy off the ice a lot,\u201d Jets forward Brad Lambert said of Scheifele this week. \u201cSomeone with (903 career) points who continues to work that hard and continues to find things to improve in his game, it is special to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Matt Slocum \/ The Associated Press Files<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Travis Konecny is the leading scorer for the Philadelphia Flyers this season with 27 goals and 67 points.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Flyers haven\u2019t spent much time above the playoff line this season, but they\u2019ve found an identity under Tocchet and they\u2019ve been led offensively by Travis Konecny (27 goals, 67 points) and Trevor Zegras (25 goals, 66 points), whose resurgence after coming over in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks has been impressive.<\/p>\n Right-winger Owen Tippett leads the Flyers in goals with 28, while Elkhorn product Travis Sanheim is having another solid season on defence (10 goals, 36 points to sit seventh in team scoring while playing in all situations and averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game).<\/p>\n After signing with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent following several seasons as the Calgary Flames\u2019 backup, Dan Vladar has carried the mail, making 50 appearances (and 49 starts).<\/p>\n Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is set to make a ninth consecutive start and he\u2019ll be between the pipes for the 20th time in the past 22 games.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Patrick Doyle \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will make his ninth consecutive start Saturday when the Jets take on the Flyers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In case you\u2019re concerned he could be running on fumes, the Jets have done a good job of limiting the quality and quantity of the shots and scoring chances he\u2019s been facing of late \u2014 giving up 24 shots or fewer in each of the past six outings.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck has said over the years he prefers to be in a rhythm during the stretch run and enjoys a heavy workload; his results suggest he\u2019s got plenty left in the tank.<\/p>\n During a recent interview, Hellebuyck expanded on listening to his body and recognizing when he might need a chance to recharge and when he needs to be on the ice to work on the finer details of his game.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cI do very much enjoy the management side of the game. For me, it\u2019s not just, you\u2019re playing every single night, get your rest and play,\u201d said Hellebuyck. \u201cThere\u2019s more to it. When are we going to activate the muscles, when am I going to get a little lift in? When is rest more important, when is the morning skate important? All of that management is really fun to me because that\u2019s where you can make small strides that actually make a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Hellebuyck is methodical in his preparation and his competitive spirit isn\u2019t the only thing at work either.<\/p>\n \u201cExperience does play a huge role. For me, I am a bit of an overthinker, so to have something else to think about and not nitpick my goalie game is kind of nice,\u201d said Hellebuyck. \u201cMy mind has got to be somewhere, so I might as well keep it task oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Matt Slocum \/ The Associated Press Files<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Gabriel Vilardi is the Jets nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n VILARDI NOMINATED: Forward Gabe Vilardi is the Jets nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the player who \u201cbest exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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