The Western Hockey League has its league championship series set in place for the coming week. With the Edmonton Oil Kings easily taking care of business against the Winnipeg ICE last week, the team sat in limbo waiting for their Western Conference opponent as the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers battled it out in a full seven-game Eastern Conference Championship series.

Despite Kamloops pulling ahead to a 3-2 series lead, Seattle stormed back with two straight victories, earning the series win and a place in the WHL final.

The seven-game series is set to begin on Friday, June 3. Edmonton's Rogers Place will serve as host to Thunderbirds in games 1, 2, and if needed five, six and seven. The accesso ShoWare Center in Seattle will be the home rink for games 3 and 4. Due to arena scheduling conflicts, Game 6 will be Seattle's third home game, despite being played in Alberta.

It will be both Edmonton and Seattle's fourth appearance in the WHL Championship, with the Oil Kings having last won in 2014, while the Thunderbirds took home the 2017 cup.

This series between Seattle and Edmonton will be the first time the two teams duke it out in the WHL Championship series. The winner of the WHL's Ed Chynoweth Cup will move on to Saint John, New Brunswick, where it will take on the Sea Dogs as well as the winners of the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the return of the Memorial Cup.

2022 WHL Championship Series 
Game 1 – Friday, June 3 at Edmonton (Rogers Place – 8 p.m.)
Game 2 – Sunday, June 5 at Edmonton (Rogers Place – 8 p.m.)
Game 3^ – Tuesday, June 7 at Seattle (accesso ShoWare Center – 9:05 p.m.)
Game 4^ – Wednesday, June 8 at Seattle (accesso ShoWare Center – 9:05 p.m.)
Game 5*^ – Saturday, June 11 at Edmonton (Rogers Place – 9 p.m. )
Game 6*^ – Monday, June 13 at Edmonton (Rogers Place – 8:30 p.m.)
Game 7*^ – Tuesday, June 14 at Edmonton (Rogers Place – 8 p.m.)

* = if necessary
^ = TSN National Broadcast

TSN will broadcast the 2022 WHL Championship Series, beginning with Game 3 on Tuesday, June 7 (time &amp; location TBD). Games 1 and 2 of the 2022 WHL Championship Series will be available on WHL Live on CHL TV. For more details on TSN national broadcasts, please refer to your local cable listings.

Oil Kings to Host Thunderbirds in WHL Championship Final

<h2>Vilardi HAS two goals and two assists to lead Jets</h2>The Winnipeg Jets are now on a three-game winning streak and back into the No. 1 spot in the National Hockey League.&nbsp;On Sunday night – WASAC Night – at Canada Life Centre, the Jets’ big line dominated the Calgary Flames in an impressive 5-2 victory.&nbsp;The Jets got two goals and two assists from first star Gabriel Vilardi, a goal and two assists from Kyle Connor and a goal and an assist from Mark Scheifele as they controlled the game for most of the evening and got backup netminder Eric Comrie his fourth win of the season. Comrie had gone a franchise-record eight straight games without a win despite playing well as the Jets just couldn’t seem to score when playing in front of him. On Sunday night, all that changed.&nbsp;And with the win came some pretty impressive numbers:&nbsp;1.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Jets extended their winning streak to three and moved back into a tie with Washington for first overall in the NHL with a 34-14-3 record.2.&nbsp;&nbsp; They improved to 20-5-1 at home this season – the best home record in the NHL.3.&nbsp;&nbsp; They improved to 19-0-2 when leading after the first period and 25-0-1 when leading after the second. They are the last remaining team in the NHL to have yet to lose when leading after an intermission.4.&nbsp;&nbsp; They held their opponent to fewer than 30 shots for the 12th straight game.5.&nbsp;&nbsp; They scored five or more goals for the 16th time this season. That leads the NHL and better yet, the Jets are 16-0-0 when they score five or more.&nbsp;The Jets’ numbers have been very impressive recently, but nobody’s numbers have been better than the Scheifele-Connor-Vilardi line. Connor is now seventh in the NHL in scoring with 27 goals and 63 points. Scheifele is 12th with 28 goals and 56 points and Vilardi has moved up the ladder to 34th with 22 goals and 47 points.&nbsp;“To be honest, that whole line is pretty good,” said a relieved Eric Comrie. “They score a lot of goals. They know how to score, and they know how to play the game. It’s a pleasure to watch them play. It’s also a lot of fun.”&nbsp;The Jets opened the scoring at 5:28 of the first period when Connor went flying down the middle of the ice, split the Calgary defence (he nearly broke both of Daniil Miromanov’s ankles) with an incredible move and then beat Flames netminder Dan Vladar with backhanded roof job. It was Connor’s 27th of the season as Vilardi and David Gustafsson drew the assists.&nbsp;At 10:17 of the second period, Mason Appleton made it 2-0 Winnipeg as he was in the right spot to bang a loose puck past Vladar. It was Appleton’s seventh of the year, and it came unassisted.&nbsp;Calgary’s MacKenzie Weegar made it close at 15:08 with a blast from the point, but Vilardi scored his first of the night, a power-play tally at 19:09, after taking a great pass from D-man Dylan Samberg. Scheifele also drew an assist as the Jets went to the intermission leading 3-1.&nbsp;Vilardi scored his second of the night, once again on the power play, at 3:07 of the third period. After taking a nice pass from Connor right near the crease, Vilardi made a quick move in front and then beat Vladar high on the glove side. It was now 4-1 Winnipeg, and the Jets were coasting.&nbsp;Calgary’s Nazem Kadri made it 4-2 at 4:27, but Scheifele scored his 28th of the year with a blistering wrist shot at 7:08 to put it away. Vilardi and Connor drew the assists.&nbsp;Vilardi, clearly the best player on the ice, extended his points streak to three games, tied a career-high with four points in a game, is now just one goal shy of his career season-high (23) and fourth in the NHL in power play goals with 11.&nbsp;The Jets went two-for-two on the power play and are now three-for-three with the man advantage in their last two games. Calgary was one-for-three on the PP. Winnipeg outshot Calgary 27-22 and won 54.2 percent of the faceoffs.&nbsp;Winnipeg now heads out onto the road to face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Game time in Winnipeg is 6 p.m.

Brilliant Night by Comrie, Vilardi and the Big Line lead Jets to 5-2 Win Over Calgary

<h2>HELLEBUYCK EHLERS SUPERB AS JETS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT</h2>In recent weeks, the Winnipeg Jets have been criticized (mildly, by a few “experts”) for not having enough secondary scoring. Meanwhile, the big line – Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi – has been sensational, notching 30, 26 and 24 points respectively in the team’s last 20 games.&nbsp;Friday night, almost magically, the secondary scoring appeared as the Jets whipped the visiting Utah Hockey Club 5-2.&nbsp;In fact, second-line winger Cole Perfetti lit up Canada Life Centre with the first hat-trick of his career as the Jets scored three goals in the third period to improve to 33-14-3 and remain first in the West and second overall in the NHL.&nbsp;“I’m just trying to focus on the input, on the small things, on doing every little detail as best as I can,” Perfetti told reporters after the game. “I know the play will develop. Nik Ehlers and Vlad Nemestnikov made some great plays, so I just went to the soft areas of the ice to find the open spots. And when it's your night, things kind of just bounce your way. I haven't had those bounces lately, but I’m just trying to be consistent with my game. I know I’ll get rewarded eventually.”&nbsp;With the win, the Jets improved to 19-5-3 at Canada Life Centre and have earned points in 13 of the last 15 home games. The Jets also improved to 19-3-2 and remain the only team in the league to be undefeated after leading at the end of the first and second periods.&nbsp;Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck dropped his league leading goals against average to 2.02 and became the first NHL goaltender to win 30 games this season. Hellebuyck is now 30-7-2 and has an eye-popping .926 save percentage after a league leading 39 games between the pipes.&nbsp;However, this night was about Perfetti. Jets head coach Scott Arniel was thrilled for his young forward: “When guys buy in to what you're preaching, and with Cole recognizing that he shouldn’t get farther away from the net, but stay close -- ‘Get inside, win your battles,’ making sure he's good defensively -- when you build that stuff throughout your team, that's how you have a winning hockey club."&nbsp;After a back-and-forth first period, Perfetti opened the scoring at 17:52 of Period 1, after taking a perfect pass from Gabriel Vilardi just to the left of Utah netminder Connor Ingram. Perfetti made no mistake as he caught the corner of the gaping cage to score his eighth of the season and first in 15 games. Ehlers and Vilardi drew the assists.&nbsp;In the second period, Utah’s Nick Schmaltz tipped home a Michael Kesselring shot to tie the game at 1:13, but Winnipeg’s David Gustafsson got himself a little puck luck. Dylan DeMelo dumped a shot into the Utah zone that Ingram was going to play behind the net, but the puck took a crazy bounce off the end boards, bounced in front and Gustafsson pumped it into the open net.&nbsp;The Jets led 2-1 after two periods and had outshot Utah 21-14, but they were still in a tight one. It got even tighter at 1:19 of the Barrett Hayton ripped a nice wrister into the corner past Hellebuyck to tie the game at two.&nbsp;However, at 5:51, Perfetti went to one of those soft spots on the ice and found himself with a loose puck and a wide-open Utah net. He made no mistake as he gave the Jets a 3-2 advantage and they never looked back. Namestnikov and DeMelo drew the assists on Perfetti’s second of the night and ninth of the year.&nbsp;Ehlers put the game away at 12:16 of the third when he stole the puck from Kesselring at the Jets blueline, went in alone on Ingram and made a beautiful deke and tucked the puck into the corner. Ehlers 15th of the year, unassisted, made it 4-2 and all that was left was to get Perfetti the hat.&nbsp;Of course, it was Ehlers who made a brilliant play. With the net empty, the Dashing dame outraced to Utah players to a loose puck then feathered a perfect pass to Perfetti who softly directed it toward the open cage. It was 5-2 Winnipeg, and the hats came flying onto the ice.&nbsp;After starting the week with a 3-1 loss at home to Calgary and then taking a 5-2 drubbing in Utah on Monday night, it was a big win for the Jets who have now won two in a row and are 6-2-1 in their last nine.&nbsp;Although Perfetti was the first star, Ehlers had a brilliant game. He had a goal and two assists and was a plus-three. He also had four shots and two hits in just 14:56 minutes of ice time. Linemate Namestnikov had an assist and was also plus-three.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Utah 29-19 and wone 54.5 per cent of the faceoffs. The Jets penalty kill held Utah to one power play goal in three tries while the Jets scored on their only power play as NHL officiating continued to dazzle with its inconsistency and, oftentimes, confusion.&nbsp;The Jets play again on Sunday night when they look for revenge against the Calgary Flames at Canada Life Centre. Game time is 6 p.m.

Perfetti Pots a Hattie as the Jets whip Utah 5-2

<h2>Moose fall to Marlies 3-0 on Friday</h2>After picking up four-straight wins and earning nine of a possible 10 points in their last five games, the Manitoba Moose fell back down to earth on Friday night.Hosting the Toronto Marlies in the first test of a two-game weekend series, the red-hot Moose had their winning streak snapped, as the visitors shut out the host 3-0 in a rather lopsided affair.Falling to 11-20-1-1 on the year, Manitoba gave up the first goal to Toronto just 5:33 in with Matthew Barbolini earning the opening tally. Jacob Quillan doubled the Marlies' lead before the period expired. The visitors added another on an empty net strike as time ticked down, sealing the deal for Toronto.Kaapo Kahkonen turned aside 27 of the 29 shots he faced, while none of his teammates managed to find the twine on the night. They will look to turn things around on Sunday after a day off on Saturday.“We had a great road trip and we didn’t carry that into the first period, for whatever reason," Moose forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who had three shots on net, said. "I thought we had a good response in the second and third, and generated a ton of chances. We need to keep that feeling we had on the road going.”&nbsp;Next up for Manitoba is the second half of the two-game series, as the Moose host the Marlies once again on Sunday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 2:00 PM central time.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:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_7833.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_7893.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8331.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_7934.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8553.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8737-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_7893.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_7934.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8999.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8861.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8981.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_8517.jpg">

GALLERY: Moose Shut Out by Marlies in Series Opener 

<h2>Jets fall to 31-13-3 on the season</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets fell to 31-13-3 on the season with a frustrating loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday.It was Hockey Day in Canada and the Jets packed their sold-out barn with rowdy, country music loving fans for the first annual Country Night.The boys in red, white and blue just couldn't find a way to score. Despite putting up 39 total shots on net, just one found its way through the young Dustin Wolf, who picked up his 16th win of the season - quite possibly his most impressive yet.Winnipeg fell behind 1-0 in the first period, gave up another in the second, before cutting the deficit in the half midway through the third.But with Eric Comrie on the bench for the extra attacker, Blake Coleman picked up his second point of the game on an empty-netter he fired from his own zone, finishing off Winnipeg's late-game push.The loss concluded the Jets' season-high, eight-game homestand, to which they went 4-2-2 for 10 of a possible 16 points. Not great, but not awful either.Comrie, again, was unable to pickup a win in eight tries. After starting the year 3-0-0, he has gone 0-7-1. But his teammates have hardly scored for him, putting up just 12 goals in those eight games, after scoring 17 in the first three. Next up is a two game road trip through Utah and Colorado. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880771431216336997">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880771431216336997</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880795705704665397">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880795705704665397</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880812247699861824">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880812247699861824</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880817973663010933">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880817973663010933</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Calgary is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09983.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09904.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00090.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08289.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08269.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00162.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09908.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09889.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09938.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09963.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09983-2.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Adam Lowry on Eric Comrie:“I feel for the guy. He’s played amazing all year, he’s great in the locker room, works so hard day-in-day-out, he’s the first guy on the ice, last guy off. At some point, we’ve got to find a way: off shin pads, or bang in a few for him because he’s battling his heart out for us. We are not getting the results for him that he deserves.”Kyle Connor on Eric Comrie:“Yeah. He’s played amazing the whole year. It’s definitely unfortunate, but we don’t look at that. We see the work he does and the goaltender that he is. We’re not worried at all.”Scott Arniel on Eric Comrie:"Yeah, he is taking it hard on himself. And he shouldn't, because he's given us a chance every time he goes in there. Guys are great with him. They really are. They really are and they know that they've got to get him some run support. Hopefully we have one of those ones where we break out big time where we can get him that win by us supporting him with some goals.""He's extremely popular in that room. He's one of the last guys off the ice. He'll take shots with the guys until the very end. He's loud, he's fun, he's real good, him and Helle have a fantastic relationship. Honestly, the guys are just... They're more upset, again, that we didn't get him the win."WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg now hits the road for two games and will face Utah and Colorado before returning home to play the Hockey Club next Friday night at Canada Life Centre. Both games this week feature 8:30 PM central start times and can be viewed live on TSN.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 1 Calgary Flames 3

<h2>Jets Improve to 31-12-3 on the season.</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets have done it again.This time it took until the 59th minute to find the game-winner - much unlike that of Tuesday's six-goal affair.Taking on the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg fell behind in the first period, tied things up in the second, before getting a last-minute winner. And the goal came off the stick of defenceman Dylan DeMelo, of all people.It was his second marker of the campaign and surprisingly his third career game winning goal. It was an extra special night for DeMelo, who was skating in career game No. 600.Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord was great on the night, but allowed the late game-winner, while Connor Hellebuyck was his usual self, and picked up win No. 28 of the season in the process. Mark Scheifele scored his 27th goal of the season on a second period power play, while it was Matty Beniers who got the lone Kraken goal on the evening.Next up is the final test of the season-high, eight-game homestand, as the Calgary Flames pop in for a Saturday night visit at Canada Life Centre.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880063838705344693">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880063838705344693</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880079247936745537">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880079247936745537</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880097076668953065">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1880097076668953065</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Thursday's game vs. Seattle is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00320.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00485.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09523.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09511.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09493.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08233.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09586.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09653.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09627.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09693.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09675.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09798.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09757.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Dylan DeMelo on his goal scoring celebration:“It was great. In our initial huddle, guys were going nuts. Profanities and all that fun stuff. Then you come to the bench and just see everybody’s face just lighting up. So that was great. But then there’s 30 seconds and we need to get right back into it to get the win. Come into the room and everybody is all jacked up. We’ve got a special group. Everybody makes you feel special, no matter your role here. Like I said, it was a special night.”Scott Arniel on Nikolaj Ehlers' giveaway and diving recovery:"He'd better get his butt back to make the play. He's the one that obviously created it. But yeah. He was so mad at himself when he came to the bench. That was a play where, if he does get it to Mo, they've got two forwards standing at the blue line. But, at the end of the day, I probably had a tough swallow there for a minute to see the rush coming the other way but, you know what? He got back and did what he had to do... And that's why he's on that checking line." WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will continue the lengthy homestand with the final test on Saturday night. The Hockey Night in Canada showdown will be an all-Canadian affair with the Calgary Flames showing up for the 6:00 PM battle.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 2 Seattle Kraken 1

<h2>Jets move to 30-12-3 on the year</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets improved to 30-12-3 on the season with a character win from Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.Taking on an up-and-down Vancouver Canucks team, Winnipeg got out to a strong start by way of three Kyle Connor goals. That's right, he pounded home three goals in less than 14 minutes to give Winnipeg a wild 3-0 lead through 20 minutes.Neal Pionk, Nino Niederreiter and Mark Scheifele also added single tallies, as the Jets defeated Vancouver 6-1 on the night. If it weren't for a boneheaded Logan Stanley defensive giveaway, it would have been a second-straight shutout for star netminder Connor Hellebuyck. He still played brilliantly, stopping all but one puck sent his way - a perfectly placed shot by Nils Hoglander.Six Jets had multi-point nights, including Connor with three goals and an assist and Gabe Vilardi who assisted on each of Connor's tallies. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879339547017744756">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879339547017744756</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879339609974567229">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879339609974567229</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879341635735269780">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879341635735269780</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879343033130643964">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879343033130643964</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879343524304535951">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879343524304535951</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879350574157861359">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879350574157861359</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879360563119288698">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879360563119288698</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879364776075334114">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1879364776075334114</a> PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Tuesday's game vs. Vancouver is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9906go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07643.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07786.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07567.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9872go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07676.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07819.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07856.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1703go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1854go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07871.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07825.jpeg">QUOTEABLE:Kyle Connor on playing defensive hockey too:“I think every single guy in this room takes a ton of pride and that’s definitely something that was a learning curve for this group I think. It’s just years of building the culture and all that and being comfortable coming in the next day, win or lose, and looking at what we need to be better at and pushing each other in the group and understanding that there’s always ways to improve. Even as a line, the progression that we’ve seen playing with Scheif over the years, and I think we keep taking steps. It’s fun to be a part of.”Cole Perfetti on Kyle Connor's breakaway move:“I’ve seen that move a few times. Seen it a few times in a game as well. It’s either that or, well, I’m not going to say, he’s got a couple moves, but that one you see a lot. He can make goalies look silly for sure.”WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will host Seattle on Thursday night, before taking on the Calgary Flames in the final test of the extended eight-game homestsand. Currently 3-1-2 through six games, the Jets will look to remain above .500 as the long stretch comes to a close.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 6 Vancouver Canucks 1

<h2>Jets move to 29-12-3 on the year</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets improved to 29-12-3 on the season with a 3-0 shutout over the visiting Colorado Avalanche from Canada Life Centre on Saturday night.Connor Hellebuyck picked up his league-leading sixth shutout and league-leading 26th win of the year, doing so with 22 saves against a red-hot Avalanche team.Entering the game, Colorado was 8-1-1 in its last 10 games, while Winnipeg had dropped four of its last five outings.The win was much needed in Winnipeg, for a team that actually hadn't won many games at its home rink in some time.Nikolaj Ehlers scored the first and last goal of the game, wiring a wrister past Mackenzie Blackwood just 1:08 into the game, giving the Jets a very early lead.Mark Scheifele would then collect his 25th goal of the year in the second period, moving into a tie for second place in goal scoring across the entire NHL. Ehlers finished things off with an empty netter on a sacrificial neutral zone play from captain Adam Lowry. The win moved Winnipeg back into first-place, league-wide. But the Jets will likely be looking to do it all again on Tuesday night with a two-day break between games for the first time in a while. That contest will be against the Vancouver Canucks and will feature a 7:00 PM central start time. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878224719167525197">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878224719167525197</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878236549638139916">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878236549638139916</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878255783646765546">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878255783646765546</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878256088438452525">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1878256088438452525</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Colorado is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01604.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06994.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06987.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07009.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07053.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06940.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07167.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07135.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07182.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07169.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01912.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on Connor Hellebuyck:“Yeah, he's been fantastic all year. And not just this year, for me he’s been one of the top guys in the league for a while. I think that that is earned. It's consistency over time, giving your team a chance to win..."Dylan Samberg on his return to the lineup after a 21-game injury absence.“It actually feels pretty good. I’m just a little tired. I’m ready to take a nice long nap. It was fine. Good to get back out there.” WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will now take on the Vancouver Canucks in an all-Canadian matchup from Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night in the sixth matchup of the season-high, eight-game homestand.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 3 Colorado Avalanche 0

<h2>Jets Fall to 28-12-3</h2>On the night the Winnipeg Jets celebrated the accomplishments of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, his backup did everything he could to be the hero.&nbsp;Sadly, the Los Angeles Kings’ Adrian Kempe fired a brilliant wrist shot over Eric Comrie’s glove and underneath the cross bar at 1:14 of overtime to give the visitors a 2-1 victory over the hometown Jets.&nbsp;Before the game, the Jets held a ceremony to honour Hellebuyck’s 300th win. Combined with his 40 shutouts he became the second-fastest goaltender in history to reach those milestones (the legendary Jacque Plante was the fastest). He’s also reached 300/40 faster than any American-born goalie in the annals of the National Hockey League.&nbsp;And then, he sat down.&nbsp;It was Comrie’s turn to play on Friday night at Canada Life Centre and the 29-year-old, nine-year NHL veteran who is in his third stint with the Jets played superbly, keeping Winnipeg in a game in which they were out-checked and, for the most part, outskated by the hard-working Kings.&nbsp;However, while they got a third-period tying goal on the power play from Mark Scheifele, the Jets couldn’t score the winning tally in OT despite having two brilliant chances. The Kings’ Darcy Kuemper was just a little bit better than Comrie and that was enough to send L.A. home with their second win in two meetings against the Jets this season.&nbsp;With the OT loss, the Jets fell to 28-12-3 on the season and while they remain in first place in the Central Division, they are now tied with Vegas and Washington for first overall in the NHL with 59 points. The Jets are now 1-2-2 in their last five, 5-3-2 in their last 10 and are 1-1-2 in the first four games of this season-longest, eight-game homestand.&nbsp;“There was tight checking throughout the whole game and not a lot of space for either team,” said the Jets Gabriel Vilardi, who assisted on Scheifele’s tying goal in the third. “We got a little momentum in the third and were able to get that power play foal. In overtime, we got a couple of looks. Sometimes you score, sometimes you don’t.”&nbsp;In the first period, the Kings showed how they’ve been successful all season. They checked the Jets into the ice and appeared to open the scoring at 4:01 and a shot from the point by Jordan Spence. However, the Jets challenged, saying that the Kings were offside when they brought the puck into the Jets’ zone and the challenge was upheld. In the end, the “choppy” first period, as described by Vilardi, remained scoreless as L.A. outshot Winnipeg 6-4.&nbsp;In the second period, Alex Turcotte scored the first goal of the game at 4:39. It gave the Kings a 1-0 lead – a lead that held up until midway through the third period. Kempe started the play by just firing a point shot at the Jets net that Turcotte tipped from inside the right circle past a startled Comrie. The Kings outshot Winnipeg 9-5 in the second period.&nbsp;The Jets played with a little more urgency in the third period although they didn’t get their 10th shot of the game until the two-minute mark of the frame.&nbsp;The Jets tied it at 10:22 when Kyle Connor made a brilliant behind the back pass to Vilardi in the slot and then Vilardi threw a sensational blind pass to Scheifele who had a wide-open net, and he made no mistake.&nbsp;Scheifele extended his points streak to four games with his team-leading 24th goal while Connor notched his team-high 54th point with an assist. Vilardi also had an assist, his career high 19th of the season.&nbsp;Unfortunately for the Jets, despite solid chances by Scheifele and Connor in overtime, Kempe scored the winning goal with a brilliant wrister under the bar.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Los Angeles 8-7 in the third period and 2-1 in overtime, but L.A. had a 23-19 advantage for the game. The Jets won 51 per cent of the faceoffs and went one-for-two on the power play while the Kings were zero-for-three with the man-advantage. The Jets allowed only one power play goal on the opponents’ last 11 chances.&nbsp;There will be no rest for the Jets. On Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Canada Life Centre, they’ll face one of their arch-nemeses, the Colorado Avalanche. When one considers they’ve hardly scored any goals to support Comrie this season, maybe they’ll get the offence going with Hellebuyck back in goal.The full photo gallery from Friday's game is courtesy of James Carey Lauder and Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06303.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06347.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3694go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06679.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3727go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a3865go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a4101go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06570.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06557.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a4912go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5038go.jpg">

On Connor Hellebuyck Night, the Jets Fall 2-1 to Los Angeles in Overtime

<h2>FIRST-PLACE Jets Improve to 28-12-2</h2>Sure, it was just a 5-2 home win over the third worst team in the NHL, but it just might have been the Winnipeg Jets best performance of the season.&nbsp;Leaning on Connor Hellebuyck’s brilliance, his 300th career victory and a sensational penalty-killing operation, the Jets overcame eight minor penalties, a two-man disadvantage and two four-minute minors to score a goal on their only power-play and whip the Nashville Predators 5-2.&nbsp;The Jets came into the game in a mini-slump, having gone 0-2-1 since a big win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Dec. 23. The team hadn’t yet won in 2025 and were 0-1-1 in the first two games of a season-long eight-game homestand. However, they laid it all on the line in front of small Tuesday night crowd, took a quick 3-0 first period lead and then battled through penalty after penalty to run the Predators out of the rink. &nbsp;&nbsp;The Jets took control of this one early – and quickly. Winnipeg opened the scoring at 6:30 when Rasmus Kupari elected not to shoot when he had a chance, but instead took the puck behind the Nashville net and tried to come back and jam it under Juuse Saros’ pads. The puck lay in the crease for a second as Kupari and Morgan Barron jammed at it until, finally, Preds’ defenceman Nick Blankenburg swatted it into his own net.&nbsp;Just 16 seconds later Josh Morrissey skated in from the point and drilled a slap shot under the bar to make it 2-0. It was Morrissey’s fifth goal of the season while Dylan DeMelo and Adam Lowry drew the assists.&nbsp;Nashville had a couple of decent chances to score with the Jets’ Dylan Coghlan in the penalty box, but Hellebuyck was rock solid. At 18:36, Kyle Connor did what he does best – take a pass from Mark Scheifele and drill a 30-foot wrister to Saros’ stick side and off the twine at the back of the net. It was Connor’s 23rd goal of the year and Scheifele’s 24th assist. Ville Heinola also tallied an assist as the Jets went to the first intermission leading 3-0.&nbsp;In the second period, referee Cody Beach either went blind or had a brain hematoma. He called a holding penalty on the Jets Neal Pionk after Pionk lost his stick and pushed Colton Sissons. Pionk pushed Sissons. Didn’t hold him, pushed him. Still, Beach called a holding penalty because … of course he did.&nbsp;The Jets fought it off, but it was just so typical of the state of NHL officiating – make up rules as you go along or call things you don’t see.&nbsp;The Predators finally got on the board with their third power play of the night (the Jets still had none) when Filip Forsberg scored at 16:25 with Pionk in the box for delay of game. These two guys with the orange bands were desperate to keep Nashville in the game.&nbsp;After a second period that was pretty much a gift for Nashville – Morrissey was also injured and played only a couple of shifts -- the Jets outshot the visitors 10-6 (21-16 overall) and only gave up a single power-play goal.&nbsp;Things got crazier in the third period as Beach became as ridiculous as he is incompetent. At 2:43 Kupari was tripped by Vinnie Hinostroza and went falling to the ice. Completely out of control due to the trip, Kupari’s stick came up and clipped Sissons. Beach called two minutes for tripping against Hinostroza and four minutes to Kupari for high sticking. It was, without question, too ridiculous to believe, but it was also sadly indicative of how bad NHL officiating has become.&nbsp;The Jets finally got their first power play of the night (called by the other official Chris Lee) at 7:42 when Morgan’s brother Justin Barron was sent off for holding David Gustafsson. The Jets responded almost immediately. At 7:51, just nine seconds later, Scheifele got the puck to Nikolaj Ehlers skating in from the point who shot it across the crease where Gabriel Vilardi tipped it past Saros. It was 4-1 Jets and Winnipeg had regained some control of the argument. &nbsp;&nbsp;At 9:25, Roman Josi scored for the Preds on a shot from the point that was going wide until it hit Logan Stanley’s skate and slid past Hellebuyck. That made it 4-2 and gave Nashville some life.&nbsp;Nashville had big life after Stanley was assessed a four-minute high-sticking minor at 10:31 for something that happened to Jonathan Marchessault. That made it seven minors to Winnipeg – all but one called by Cody Beach -- and two to Nashville. There was something really fishy going on and it wasn’t about to get any less stinky.&nbsp;Not long after the Jets fought off the first minor penalty to Stanley, Beach did it again. During some back-and-forth along the boards in the neutral zone, Beach called a hooking penalty on Kyle Connor. Suddenly after the Jets had fought off the first penalty of a four-minute minor, they found themselves two-men down with 1:36 to go in the second minor penalty to Stanley.&nbsp;To their everlasting credit, the Jets fought off the Preds two-man advantage and then, after Nashville pulled its goaltender late in the game, Nino Niederreiter flipped a shot from his own blueline into the empty net to give the Jets their final, a 5-2 advantage.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Nashville 30-28 despite the fact the Predators had eight power plays to Winnipeg’s one. The Jets won 52.9 per cent of the faceoffs and blocked 24 shots.&nbsp;The three stars were (3) Morgan Barron, (2) Mark Scheifele and of course (3) Connor Hellebuyck. Interestingly, Adam Lowry had the best line of the night. He had an assist, was plus-two, had a shot, two hits, two blocked shots and won 67 per cent of his faceoffs in 18 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time. He also led the power play which was brilliant and held Nashville to one power play goal in eight chances.&nbsp;The Jets entire penalty-killing unit should have been the game’s first star.&nbsp;Winnipeg will go at it again on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Canada Life Centre when the Los Angeles Kings come to town.The full photo gallery of Tuesday's game is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00848.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00802.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00946.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01027.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06058.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05959.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06031.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06162.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06114.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06081.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01074.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01159.jpg">

Jets Overcome Eight Nashville Power Plays to Beat the Predators 5-2

<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">

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