<h2>Moose fall twice to Stars</h2>The Manitoba Moose fell two times in as many games to the Texas Stars this past week. The visitors took the first of the two contests, winning a Sunday afternoon game by a commanding 6-2 final, before once again finding a win over the Moose with a 3-1 victory two days later.The games were Manitoba's 10th and 11th losses in a span of 12 games. Things have not been pretty for the Moose this season, which currently sit at 7-19-1 on the year.Sunday's game saw the Stars pull out to a 3-0 lead before Manitoba could even find a goal. They did, off the stick of Mason Shaw, but his marker - paired with the first goal of the year from Ashton Sautner - was not enough for a Moose victory, as Kaapo Kahkonen made just 23 stops on the 29 pucks fired his way in the 6-3 loss.“We do things right for 10 minutes, and then the next 10 we don’t do things right and we pay the consequences," Shaw said post-game. "We got off to a good start, but if you don’t do that for 60 minutes you’re not gonna be successful."On Tuesday, it was more of the same, with Texas once again jumping out to a 3-0 lead, all before the Moose could find a way to score. Eventually, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby got the hosts on the board in the third period, it was far too little, too late. Thomas Milic turned aside 20 of the 23 shots he faced on the night.“We've got to start finding a way to win," Jonsson-Fjallby said. "I think we all feel this was at least a small step forward. We played way better today, it was a much tighter game."Next up for Manitoba is a Friday night affair with the Calgary Wranglers on the road, before the Moose face of against Calgary again in the second half of the weekend set on Sunday night. Members of the Game On photography staff were on site for the two games, and a selection of their photos can be found below:*Photos courtesy of Steve Sasaki and James Carey Lauder<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3407.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_4330.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6334go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5992go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8573go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_4534.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_4820-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3288.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5987go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_6702.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5273go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_5230.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9454go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5608go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_6600.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9750go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_6179.jpg">

GALLERY: Moose Drop Two-Game Series with Texas

<h2>Jets fall 4-2 to visiting Red WIngs </h2>The Winnipeg Jets are ice-cold. Dare we say as cold as Winnipeg’s frigid weather. A Jets team that played with so much passion and pizzazz for the first three months of the season has fallen into a January funk that has put a damper on what had been a brilliant first half.&nbsp;Saturday night in front of 14,527 of the faithful at Canada Life Centre, the Jets started slowly and ended with a thud as the lowly Detroit Red Wings came to town and knocked off the No. 1 team in the NHL 4-2.&nbsp;Dylan Larkin had a pair of goals and Alex Lyon was solid in goal for Detroit, but that wasn’t the story. This Jets team that was so dynamic for so long has fallen into an offensive funk. Since New Year’s Eve, when they lost 5-2 in Colorado, the Jets have come home and lost 4-3 in overtime to Anaheim and then, on Hockey Night in Canada, they fell 4-2 to the same Red Wings team that they whipped 6-2 in Detroit on Oct. 30.&nbsp;At the midway point of the campaign, the Jets are now 27-12-2, but they’re 0-2-1 in their last three and 0-1-1 after the first two games of their current season-long, eight-game homestand.“Yeah, a couple unfortunate bounces, hit a bunch of posts as a team. You beat the goalie, but you can’t beat the post,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. “The effort was there. Sometimes you’re not going to get those bounces.”The Red Wings opened the scoring on their second power play in the first six minutes of the opening period when Dylan Larkin scored his 15th of the year at 6:25. At this point, it appeared it was going to be a long night for the Jets. Eight minutes into the game and the Jets had found themselves shorthanded twice, had lost star D-man Josh Morrissey after he was hit in the face with a shot and was sent to the room for repairs and the Wings had outshot them 10-1. It was ugly, especially against a team that was not only 25th in the league, but also a club the Jets had whipped 6-2 in Detroit on Oct. 30.After Cole Perfetti and Logan Stanley each hit the post behind Detroit netminder Alex Lyon and Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor both missed glorious scoring opportunities, the Jets escaped the first period down 1-0. On the bright side Morrissey was sewn up and got back into the game, but on the downside, Colin Miller took a puck to the face and struggled to get down the corridor to the locker room.Detroit outshot Winnipeg 17-7 in the opening 20 minutes and were it not for Hellebuyck, it could have been disaster.At the 3:33 mark of the second period, the Wings picked up third power play of the game when Tyler Motte fell down and for reasons known only to referee Chris Schlenker, drew a tripping penalty on David Gustafsson who never touched Motte. The Wings took advantage of their good fortune exactly one minute later as Lucas Raymond scored his 16th of the season from Patrick Kane. Detroit led 2-0 and the Jets looked completely cooked.&nbsp;However, at 5:48, the Jets got a little puck luck. Morrissey took a pass from Mark Scheifele at the point and fired what seemed to be a harmless shot that went through four players in front and the right between Lyon’s legs to make it 2-1. Nino Niederreiter also drew an assist as the offensively-slumping Jets finally got on the board.&nbsp;Winnipeg completely dominated the second period and should have blown the game wide open. But thanks to Schlenker and his whistle (and more often the lack of a whistle) and a good effort by Lyon in the Wings’ goal, the Jets trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes. Winnipeg outshot Detroit 10-3 and made the Wings look like an AHL team for the final 10 minutes, but it didn’t show on the scoreboard.&nbsp;In the third period, the Jets came out pancake flat. They just had no jump at all and it cost them at 7:14 when Alex DeBrincat was the last to touch a puck that got past Hellebuyck off the skate of Jets defenceman Ville Heinola. At this stage, with Detroit leading 3-1 the near-sellout crowd at Canada Life Centre sounded more like pallbearers at a morgue than a group of supporters at a hockey arena.At 11:43, the Jets got their second power play opportunity of the night and did nothing. In fact, they didn’t even manage a shot on goal. It was brutal.Then, out of the blue at 16:46, the Jets caught another break. Vladislav Namestnikov got the puck back to Neal Pionk who fired a low shot at Lyon that was tipped past the Detroit netminder by Nikolaj Ehlers. It was 3-2 and the Jets had some life.The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for a sixth attacker with two minutes to play and while they had a couple of decent chances, the Red Wings finished it off when Dylan Larkin scored an empty netter at 19:31.It was a disappointing loss for a team that should be so much better. The Jets were outshot 29-23, won only 40 per cent of their faceoffs and didn’t have a sniff of a power-play goal on two chances.The Jets will get another chance to right the ship on Tuesday night when the Nashville Predators come to town for a 7 p.m. start.The Jets had better pick it up or this will be a very long homestand.Photos from Saturday's game vs. Detroit are courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder: <img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00354.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00425.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00612.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00478.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1629go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2091go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5716go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2913go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8046go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9944kc.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9058go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00676.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6385go.jpg">

Winnipeg Upset 4-2 at Home by Detroit - Jets are as Frigid as the Weather

<h2>Jets fall again to the Lowly Ducks</h2>The Winnipeg Jets never have an easy time with the Anaheim Ducks.&nbsp;Thursday night at Canada Life Centre, the Ducks got a goal from Troy Terry, his second of the night, as Anaheim beat Winnipeg for the second straight time. Back on Dec. 18, in Anaheim the Jets blew a 2-1 lead in the dying minutes to fall 3-2. Thursday night at home, the Jets led 3-2 with two minutes to play and fell in overtime.At least they notched a point. Winnipeg is now 27-11-2 on the season and have lost their last two games.&nbsp;As it often is, overtime was wild. The Jets were putting on the pressure when Anaheim goaltender John Gibson dislodged his own goal to stop play. The Anaheim net was dislodged again late in the overtime period, but this time the whistle didn’t blow, and Terry took the puck the other way and beat Hellebuyck for the game winner.&nbsp;“We came out really well in the first, obviously a great start. Just they're a hardworking team, young group, and there were some, it's the same stuff that happens any game, where you lose a little bit of momentum," Josh Morrissey said post-game."I thought we actually did a good job of kind of losing momentum, getting it back and playing a pretty solid third period until giving up that tying goal. Those are some things we can clean up."It didn’t take the Jets long to get going. Just 33 seconds after the opening faceoff, Gabriel Vilardi dug the puck out from the Anaheim corner, got it to Kyle Connor, who slipped it back to Mark Scheifele alone in front and suddenly it was 1-0 Winnipeg.The Jets made it 2-0 at 17:17 when Josh Morrissey sent Alex Iafallo down the left wing and into the Ducks zone. Iafallo sent a beautiful pass across the crease to captain Adam Lowry who ripped it upstairs on Anaheim goaltender John Gibson. It was Lowry’s 10th of the season.&nbsp;However, Anaheim always plays the Jets tough, and the Ducks were no different on this night. At 18:58, Leo Carlsson fired a shot off the post, off Hellebuyck and into the net to make it 2-1. Anaheim outshot Winnipeg 10-7 and had the better of the play for the final seven minutes of the frame.In the second period, the Ducks tied it up at 2-2 at 6:52 when Troy Terry’s seemingly harmless shot from the circle went between Hellebuyck’s legs.&nbsp;The period finished with the two teams even at a pair of goals each although Winnipeg dominated the middle frame, outshooting Anaheim 12-4 and controlling the play. Still, one flukey goal can have a huge impact and Terry’s fluke certainly did.&nbsp;“I thought our second period was probably our worst period," head coach Scott Arniel said bluntly. "I thought in the first, we were great and we had all kinds of opportunities, got the lead and then, in the second period, through the neutral zone, we turned some pucks over and kind of let them get into some rush situations and in the third, we went out and dominated. We got the lead again late and gave up that (tying goal). A little bit of the mental side of things. With four (games) in six (days), I’m not using that as an excuse but when you start seeing those kinds of mistakes, it has to drop into there somehow.”In the final 20 minutes, the Jets played well, but just couldn’t get a break around the net. Then, at the 17:16 mark, Alex Iafallo – the hardest working player all night – found a loose puck behind the net and wrapped it around Gibson to give the Jets a 3-2 lead. Nino Niederreiter and Josh Morrissey drew the assists.But the Ducks just don’t quit when they play Winnipeg and at 18:10, Radko Gudas drilled a blistering shot from the point that Hellebuyck didn’t see until it was coming back past him off the back of the net. It was Gudas’s first goal of the year, and it sent this one to overtime.&nbsp;The Jets, who are still in first place overall in the NHL, will play again at home on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CST when the Detroit Red Wings come to town for the first and only time this season.Photos from Thursday's game vs. Anaheim are courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04573.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04627.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04586.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04696.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04801.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04838.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04874-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04886.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04979.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04996.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04996.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04998.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05053.jpeg">

Anaheim Comes From Behind Again, Beats Jets 4-3 in Overtime

<h2>Jets win at home again, improving to 14-3-1 at Canada Life Centre</h2>It was a trap game. A decent team that just happens to be 30th in the NHL rode into Winnipeg looking to upset the No. 1 team in the league.Sadly, for the Nashville Predators, the Winnipeg Jets would not be trapped.Gabriel Vilardi scored two goals, Nik Ehlers and Kyle Connor each had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck recorded his league-leading fifth shoutout of the season as the Jets whipped the visiting Predators 3-0 in front of another sellout crowd at Canada Life Centre.With the win, the Jets recorded their fourth straight victory and improved to 14-3-1 in front of the home crowd this season. Now 27-10-1, the Jets are the top team in the NHL with one game remaining in 2024. The Jets are 7-2-1 in their last 10.&nbsp;“This is a great, the fans were outstanding tonight,” said Hellebuyck who now has nine shutouts in the calendar year of 2024. “We played hard tonight. Our team worked hard. We ground it out and got another big win. It’s fun playing at home.”Although the first period was scoreless, there was still plenty of offence. The shots were 9-9 and while Hellebuyck was forced to make a couple of outstanding saves, Jets forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor had tremendous scoring chances.In the second period, the Jets continued to create chances but Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor just couldn’t find the target. Even with two power plays and a handful of great scoring chances, the Jets couldn’t beat Juuse Saros.&nbsp;Then, at 17:15, Dylan DeMelo ripped a blistering shot, bar down that hit the bottom of the crossbar and deflected off Saros into the back of the net to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. On a night when the team’s high-scoring stars couldn’t buy a goal, DeMelo scored his first of the season from Morgan Barron (his second assist of the year) and Logan Stanley.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Nashville 8-7 in the period (17-16 after 40 minutes) and probably should have been ahead 4- or 5-0. But Saros and some bad puck luck kept the Jets from blowing it open.&nbsp;Nashville opened the third period with the man advantage after Stanley was sent to the box for slashing at the 20-minute mark of the second period. The best scoring chance during the Preds power play was a two-on-man the other way as Morgan Barron and Vladislav Namestnikov had a great opportunity that was foiled by Saros. However, shortly after the Jets killed the penalty, Nashville had five beautiful scoring chances and they missed the net on all but one. It was still 1-0, five minutes into the period, but the Preds were making noise.&nbsp;However, that was about the time the Jets got their Mojo back. Winnipeg started taking the play to Nashville again and only Saros kept the visitors in the match.Eventually Winnipeg would add to its lead. At 13:44, with the Jets enjoying a two-man advantage, Kyle Connor fed Nikolaj Ehlers who fed Gabriel Vilardi who was all alone in front and suddenly – bang, bang, bang -- it was 2-0 Jets.A mere 59 seconds later, with the Jets still a man-up, Vilardi scored his second of the game and 17th of the year as Connors and Ehlers drew the assists once again.&nbsp;For the final five minutes, the Jets played lock-down defence to secure Hellebuyck’s fifth shutout. Hellebuyck’s goals against average dropped to 2.02 and with 22 stops, his save percentage rose to .932. He is now 24-5-1 in 30 starts this season.With two points, Connor moved into sixth overall in scoring in the NHL with 22 goals and 51 points. The three stars were DeMelo, Vilardi and Hellebuyck.&nbsp;The Jets play again on Tuesday night, New Year’s Eve as they head to Colorado to play the vaunted Avalanche in what could be a game for the ages. It starts at 7 p.m. CST and it’s on TSN 3.Photos from Monday's game vs. Nashville are courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03578.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03568.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04005.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a0956go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9796go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03742.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3294go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6758go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03720.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3057go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04056.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a4088go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a4442go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04105.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04137.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5055go.jpg">

Jets Shut Out Predators 3-0 for Fourth Straight Win

<h2>Team Canada snub puts on a show</h2>There are a few people around the National Hockey League who don’t think Mark Scheifele is good enough to play for Team Canada at the 2025 Four Nations’ Face-Off.Those people, namely Don Sweeney and Jon Cooper, have not been paying attention.The week after the Canadian team was named and players such as Travis Konecny, Sam Bennett, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel were named to the squad ahead of the sixth-leading scorer among Canadian players in the NHL, Scheifele was on fire.In the past week, the 31-year-old centre had four goals and six points in two games to lift the Jets to a first-place record of 26-10-1. The Jets won both games and are now 8-2-1 in their last 11.&nbsp;Because of his superb play, he was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. It was the first time this year and the eighth time in his career that Scheifele has been chosen as one of the Stars of the Week.He had three goals and four points (his 10th career hat-trick and second of the year) in a 5-2 win over the Leafs in Toronto on Dec. 23. He also notched his sixth game-winning goal of the year. He became the first player in franchise history to wear only a Jets uniform to record 10 career hat-tricks. (Ilya Kovalchuk had 10 with the Atlanta Thrashers)Scheifele followed that performance on Dec. 28, with a goal and an assist in the Jets 4-2 comeback victory over the red-hot Ottawa Senators. It was his 13th multi-point performance of 2024-25 in just 37 games. The 31-year-old Scheifele has 22 goals and 44 points this season, good enough for 15th overall in the league in scoring and sixth among Canadian players.&nbsp;He has placed among the Top 10 league leaders in game-winning goals (t-2nd; six), shooting percentage (minimum: 1 SOG/GP – 5th; 25.9 percent) and goals (t-5th; 22). He has already reached 20-goal plateau this season, the 10th straight season in which he’s scored at least 20 goals.The 31-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., who was the Jets first ever selection (seventh overall) in 2011, is on pace to surpass his single-season highs in goals (49) and points (98).He had a brief period when he slumped this season but that was chalked up to a painful wrist injury that affected his shot. For the most part, Scheifele has been sensational this season.However, he wasn’t “good enough” to make Team Canada and that just might have been the best thing to happen to the Jets this season. The snub has lit a fire under Scheifele that has made him one of the best players in the league for the past month – and certainly for the past week.

Jets' Star Center Takes League's Top Honour

<h2>Jets beat up Senators 4-2 at home</h2>RECAP:After falling behind 2-0 on Saturday evening, the Winnipeg Jets woke up and played some rock solid hockey for the second half of their all-Canadian affair with the Ottawa Senators, scoring four-straight goals, beating the visitors 4-2 from Canada Life Centre. Opening a stretch of games that will see 10 of 11 played at home, including a season-high eight-game homestand, the Jets gave their home fans something to talk about - despite trailing 2-0 at one point.Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and three points, while Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each scored and added an assist, while Connor Hellebuyck earned his league-leading 23rd win of the season.Gabe Vilardi scored a pretty power play marker to give Winnipeg the lead midway in the third, before Ehlers ripped home his 30th point of the season just two minutes later, putting the cherry on the top of the Jets' 26th victory of the season. Next up is a clash with fellow Central Division opponent the Nashville Predators on Monday. That game is set to be aired live on Amazon Prime at 6:30 PM central time. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873176220101427710">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873176220101427710</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873181777680056382">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873181777680056382</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873182125052313808">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873182125052313808</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873186029664125145">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873186029664125145</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873195746784362891">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873195746784362891</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873195858579341433">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873195858579341433</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873201096308736124">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873201096308736124</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873203489268220071">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873203489268220071</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873203895985684492">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1873203895985684492</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Ottawa is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02697.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02764.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09922.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02948.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03025.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03036.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03107.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03118.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03215.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03254.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03372.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03382.jpeg">QUOTEABLE:Forward Nikolaj Ehlers on his team picking up another win at home:“There’s so many games left. We’re not even halfway.”Mark Scheifele on losing the puck before scoring his goal:“Yeah, I was actually pretty pissed at my self that I bobbled it, Oatesie isn’t going to be pumped about that one. I don’t think the goalie was expecting a little chip backhand short side, so sometimes you have to be lucky.”WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will host the Nashville Predators on Monday before hitting the road for a Tuesday night test in Colorado on the second half of a back-to-back. The Jets will then return home for the start of a season-high eight-game homestand to start the month of January.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 4 Ottawa Senators 2

<h2>Jets proving their doubters wrong as they enter the unofficial second half of the 2024-25 season</h2>After scoring three goals in front of family and friends in Toronto following the Jets' final game before Christmas, Mark Scheifele made a modest yet telling statement:"They don't hand out awards at Christmas, but we're happy to get a couple days off and get recharged and going for the next half of the season," he said. "I am just very happy with our team and happy to be a part of it."He’s certainly right when it comes to trophies at the Christmas break. None await the Jets. However, when a team in the smallest market in the league (by a mile) finds itself in first place overall at the break, there is definitely reason for Scheifele to be happy with his team.This local squad is pretty sensational. That 5-2 win in Toronto on Monday was proof of that (and yeah, yeah, the Leafs didn’t have Auston Matthews).&nbsp;And sure, I’m not naïve, I’ve heard all the comments on all the TV sports shows and podcasts from Ottawa to Vancouver – “The Jets fast start was a fluke.” “They really aren’t that good.” “They started 15-1 and they’re a mediocre 10-9-1 since then.” “There are a lot of teams right behind them with games in hand.” “They can’t beat Vegas.” “They won’t beat Colorado or Dallas when it counts.”&nbsp;Yep, I’ve heard all of them and there are moments when I reluctantly agree with many of those sentiments. I mean, those two ugly 4-1 home losses to St. Louis and Columbus this month have been sobering. However, it’s Christmas. It’s a nice time to remember that the Winnipeg Jets are the No. 1 team in the NHL and praise the people who have given this small, barren winter city at the gateway to the prairies something to cheer about as 2024 draws to a close.Individually, the Jets have some of the most exciting players in the game.Kyle Connor is seventh in the league in both scoring and goals. He’s second in power play goals. He’s even a rock-solid plus-eight. He might not be the best player in the league, but he could be the most electrifying. Every time he touches the puck, there is a chance he’s either going to score or create a scoring chance.Mark Scheifele is 15th in scoring and seventh in goals. He has two hat-tricks this season. Just like his linemate Connor, he plays 20 minutes a game and is a plus-four. He’s become one of the best two-way players in the game -- and yes, I’m sure there is some new-fangled stat that probably proves otherwise, but when you watch him play, he’s the first forward back more often than not.As an aside, Scheifele should have been chosen to play for Team Canada in February’s Four Nations’ Face-Off. Anthony Cirelli? Brandon Hagel? GM Don Sweeney? AGM Jim Nill? For goodness sake. And yes, I’ve heard all the excuses for passing on Scheifele and every one is bullfeathers.Adam Lowry struggles to score – he gets so many great chances – but he’s simply a beast -- one of the best faceoff men, penalty killers and checkers in the game. Period.&nbsp;Gabriel Vilardi has 14 goals and 17 assists and is as good a first-line puck-control, cornerman as there is in the NHL. He’s in the Top 20 in power play goals and, most importantly, he has played all 36 games. Those who know Vilardi’s history will know how sensational that is.Josh Morrissey is the most exciting defenceman in the NHL. No, he may not be the best, but he’s a brilliant skater and puckhandler who can create scoring chances with the best forwards in the game. He’s 10th in the NHL in assists, and the fourth leading scorer among defencemen in the league. He’s also a plus-10 and plays 24 minutes a night.Connor Hellebuyck is the best goaltender in the world. Full stop. So far this season, he leads the NHL in goals against average (2.07), save percentage (.927), shutouts (4) and minutes played. There are others that are very good, but this two-time Vezina Trophy winner has no equal.There are more, of course. Dylan DeMelo, Alex Iafallo, Morgan Barron, Cole Perfetti, Neal Pionk and Nikolaj Ehlers and Dylan Samberg when they’re healthy, have all contributed mightily to a success that many thought was impossible after the Jets failed in the 2024 post-season and went through another summer of “Will Chevy sign this guy or will this guy leave?”&nbsp;Ah yes, Chevy. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has done a remarkable job getting this team to the top of the league. Smart trades, great drafts, some shocking long-term signings and the move from Rick Bowness to Scott Arniel behind the bench, have all contributed to this exciting 36-game run to the top.&nbsp;So yes, Scheifele was right on Monday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena when he said there would be no awards at Christmas. However, he didn’t mention that he and his teammates gave Winnipeg the best present any group of hockey fans could ask for – first place overall in the NHL.&nbsp;And yes, being Winnipeggers we are all well-aware that this brilliant start could turn to crap in 2025. However, for some reason, I’m still enthusiastic.If nothing else, this team is fun. And when you purchase a hockey ticket, fun is a big part of what you’re buying. And it’s also going to be trip watching Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Morrissey and Connor take more steps toward Winnipeg hockey immortality.The Winnipeg Jets might not win the Stanley Cup, but they have a tremendous hockey team that just might shock a few people before this long, grinding season ends.

Jets at the Top Following Christmas Break

<h2>Jets stomp Leafs with 5-2 road effort</h2>TORONTO, ONT. – On Monday afternoon, the Winnipeg Jets stopped a streak they never wanted in the first place.Heading into Toronto for a daytime Holiday Classic, the Jets hadn’t beaten the Leafs since Dec. 5, 2021.&nbsp;But that’s now in the past. Thanks to Mark Scheifele’s hat-trick and two goals and two assists from Kyle Connor, the Jets went into Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and on national TV, whipped the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. Granted, the Leafs played without their superstar Auston Matthews, but in fairness, injuries have struck the Jets recently, as well.The Jets, now 25-10-1, lead the league in wins (25) and points (51) and have built a seven-point lead over the second-place Minnesota Wild in the Central Division heading into the Christmas break. They have won two in a row and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and 7-4-1 in the month of December.That 15-1 start might not have been the fluke that the rest of the National Hockey League thought it was."They don't hand out awards at Christmas, but we're happy to get a couple days off and get recharged and going for the next half of the season," Scheifele said post-game. "I am just very happy with our team and happy to be a part of it." The first period started quickly. Both teams were ready to play and despite the early 2 p.m. EST start, there were no sluggish legs. Toronto came our quickly, hit the Jets in their own and had outshot Winnipeg 8-2 by the 12-minute mark. However, the visitors kept grinding and took control of the game when Mitch Marner was sent off for hooking at 15:10.&nbsp;Winnipeg began firing shots at Leafs netminder Joseph Woll and at 16:04 the Jets’ Kyle Connor fired a shot into a wide-open cage. KFC’s perfect opportunity arrived after a shot from the point by Josh Morrissey was deflected by Gabriel Vilardi off of Woll and right onto the stick of Connor. It was Connor’s 20th goal of the year, his ninth on the power play and extended his points-streak to five games. Morrissey, with his team-high 29th assist, and Vilardi got credit for the helpers.&nbsp;That was the only goal in the first as the Jets outshot the Leafs 11-8.In the second period, it didn’t take long for the Jets to extend the lead to 2-0. Mark Scheifele picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, went into the Leafs zone in a two-on-one with Connor, stopped, waited and then placed a perfect pass through the Leafs crease and Connor skillfully tipped it into the empty side at 1:16. It was Connor’s 21st goal and Scheifele’s 21st assist.&nbsp;However, things changed quickly when Mason Appleton was charged with a double-minor for high-sticking (which should have been a holding call against the Leafs, but hey, this is the NHL). The Leafs’ John Tavares scored his 16th of the season at 5:25 to make it 2-1, but the Jets cut their losses at one goal, which was a credit to the penalty killing unit.At that point, both teams settled into what was becoming a nice hockey game. Lots of skating, plenty of good plays, some solid chances and yet very few shots. Toronto outshot the Jets 10-7, but neither team dominated the period.However, on the downside, with a minute to go in the period, Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury turned awkwardly on his right knee while fighting for the puck in the corner and could barely get up. Despite pressure from the Leafs, Fleury eventually got up and tried to play defensively but could barely stand. At the whistle, he was helped to the bench but did not return.Head coach Scott Arniel said it may not be as bad as it looked and Fleury would be considered day-to-day moving forward. Early in the third-period, the Jets made it 3-1 on one of the most beautiful plays of the season. Just inside the Leafs blueline, Gabriel Vilardi made a tremendous play to knock down a bouncing puck and get it on to his backhand. With a Leafs defenceman all over him, Vilardi whipped a backhand pass through Woll’s crease onto the stick of a streaking Mark Scheifele who tipped it into the open side of the net. It was a brilliant goal, Scheifele’s 19th of the year, and gave the Jets a 3-1 lead at 3:27. Vilardi and Connor drew the assists.At 9:01, Dylan DeMelo picked up a delay of game penalty and just a few seconds later the Jets had a two-on-one and with a wide-open net, Alex Iafallo hit Woll’s mask and then the crossbar behind the Leafs netminder.Then, just moments after the Jets killed the penalty, they made it 4-1 when Josh Morrissey and Scheifele came out of the Jets zone with numbers. Morrissey hit Scheifele with a perfect pass, but Woll played Scheifele’s deke effort perfectly. However, Woll never got possession of the puck and as it lay on the goal line, Scheifele jammed it in at 11:57. It was Scheifele’s 20th goal of the year as Morrissey drew his 30th assist.The Leafs came back at 13:42 as John Tavares scored his second of the game and 17th of the year with a beautiful wrist shot to make it 4-2. That made for some exciting moments in the final six minutes, but the Leafs couldn’t muster a goal and the Jets got an empty netter at 19:39 as Scheifele finished the game with the 10th hat-trick of his career and his second this season.&nbsp;Connor picked up his second assist of the afternoon and finished with two goals and two assists while Scheifele had three goals and an assist. Connor now has 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points, seventh in the NHL while Scheifele has 21 goals and 21 assists, 14th in the league in scoring.&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's a team effort," Connor said. "Top to bottom, we need everybody in this group. The PK was good, we gave up the one, but overall, I thought it gave us some momentum. Power play, everyone chips in. I think our ability to roll all of our lines and still be hungry and not be satisfied with anything. We also have been able to take a day-to-day approach, learning what we can improve on - wins and losses - we have done a great job implementing the adjustments that we need to."Each team had seven shots in the third period and each team had 25 shots for the game. Scheifele, Connor and Tavares were the three stars.&nbsp;The Jets immediately returned home to start the Holiday break. They will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. at Canada Life Centre when the Ottawa Senators come to town.

A Christmas Present for Jets Fans: Winnipeg Blasts the Leafs in Toronto

<h2>moose win one, lose one over the weekend</h2>The Manitoba Moose have snapped an ugly losing streak, winning one of two weekend games against the Rockford IceHogs at Canada Life Centre.Hosting their Western Division rival Rockford on Friday, the Moose earned their first win in nine games, snapping an eight-game skid.Recent Jets demotee, Dylan Coghlan scored Manitoba's lone tally on the night, before Nikita Chibrikov and Jaret Anderson-Dolan potted shootout markers, as the Moose relied on 33 saves from Kaapo Kahkonen in goal for their seventh win of the season.It was a different storyline on Sunday, with Manitoba dropped its 17th game in regulation of the season, falling by way of a 5-1 final. The IceHogs got all five of their goals before the third period even began, before Anderson-Dolan found a power play marker late in the third. Thomas Milic did not fare well on the night, turning aside just 14 of the 19 shots sent his way.Game On photographer Steve Sasaki was in attendance for both games, with his full album of artwork available to view below:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8987.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9234.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9359.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9623.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9613.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9623.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9685.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_0530.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_0867.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_0877.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1445.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1970.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1931.jpg">

GALLERY: Moose Split Weekend Series with Rockford

<h2>Jets win big divisional tilt in final home game before christmas</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets have earned their 24th win of the season, beating their closest geographical rival, the Minnesota Wild 5-0 on Saturday.Cole Perfetti had three points, Neal Pionk had two, while Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves for his league-leading fourth shutout and league-leading 21st win of the year.The Jets scored twice in the first period, thanks to Nikolaj Ehlers and Morgan Barron, before Pionk added another in the middle stanza - Winnipeg's second power play marker of the game. Then it was Perfetti and Vlad Namestnikov who added third period tallies, helping the Jets run away with their eighth-straight victory over the Wild, to which they have outscored their opponents 31-12.Winnipeg is now 6-2-1 in its last nine games and remains atop the NHL with 24 wins and 49 points in 35 games played, with just one more test before the Christmas break. That game is a rare 1:00 PM central showdown with the always entertaining Toronto Maple Leafs in Ontario. It will be aired live on TSN.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870625472473661821">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870625472473661821</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870627178737467445">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870627178737467445</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870628250939982300">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870628250939982300</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870630634785550711">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870630634785550711</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870639609081655381">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870639609081655381</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870642801555489264">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870642801555489264</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870653603947675672">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1870653603947675672</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Minnesota is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01085.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01154.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01177.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01251.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01296.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01314-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01380.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01427.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3333go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01636.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01537.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5606go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6004go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6672p.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01762.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6761go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a7169go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a7263go.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Morgan Barron on his disbelief that the Jets have beaten the Wild eight times in a row:“No, I can’t. They’re obviously a good team. You can see where they are in the standings. I’m surprised that you said eight in a row because it feels like a battle every time that we play them.”Scott Arniel on Adam Lowry's injury concern:"He was just banged up a little bit there. He got banged up on one of his shifts. He should be fine."WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will travel to Toronto for a 1:00 PM Monday afternoon test with the Maple Leafs in the team's final game before the short Christmas break. That one can be viewed live on TSN.

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