The Jets Are No. 1 OveRall in the NHL
Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding once again, and the Winnipeg Jets have now won eight games in a row.
Friday night in front of a raucous crowd at Canada Life Centre, the Jets held off an attacking New York Islanders team to win 4-3 and go into the two-week Four Nations Face-off break in first place overall in the National Hockey League.
Gabriel Vilardi had two goals while his linemates, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had two assists, as the Jets improved to 39-14-3 on the season. The Jets, who lead the NHL in points and wins, improved to 30-0-1 when leading after the second period and are the last remaining team in the NHL that has yet to lose when leading after any intermission. They are also 11-2-0 in their last 13 games.
“It’s just sticking with our game plan,” said Vilardi, the game’s first star. “It was great to get this win, especially in font of these fans. We just keep winning. We’re excited for the break and it’s going to be great getting back in front of these fans again.”
The Jets didn’t get off to a great start and were really scrambling at the end, but their play in the second period was enough to secure the victory.
The Islanders wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead. A minute into the period, Dylan Samberg fanned on a shot in the Islanders zone and New York quickly took the puck the other way. With a three-on-one against Neal Pionk, Jean-Gabriel Pageau fed Simon Holmstrom and the Islanders were on the board at 1:05.
The Jets answered at 4:45 when Alex Iafallo scored a highlight-reel goal. After losing his stick in his own zone while the Islanders were pressing, Iafallo was handed another stick from the bench just as Samberg gained control of the puck. Samberg got it quickly to Iafallo who flew down the right wing, beat Bo Horvat -- who did everything both legal and illegal to stop the determined Jets winger -- and then went in alone on Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin. Iafallo made no mistake, roofing one past Sorokin for his eighth goal of the year. Samberg and Brad Lambert, who picked up his first NHL point, drew the assists.
The Islanders took a 2-1 lead at 12:07 when the Jets Mason Appleton couldn’t control the puck behind his own net. The puck popped off Appleton’s stick, rolled in front to the Islanders Marc Gatcomb who was all by himself and Gatcomb beat Hellebuyck on the backhand for his third of the season. It was, of course, unassisted.
The Jets and Islanders each had nine shots in the first. The Jets outhit New York 12-6 and the Islanders won a whopping 66.7 per cent of the face offs.
In the second period, the Jets had an early power-play and generated a couple of good scoring chances by Sorokin was solid. But then, moments after the Islanders penalty ended, the Jets’ Kyle Connor picked up a loose puck at his blueline, streaked down the leftwing and fed a perfect cross-ice pass to Gabriel Vilardi who made no mistake, and it was suddenly 2-2. Mark Scheifele also picked up an assist as Vilardi scored his 23rd of the year at 4:23.
The Jets took a 3-2 lead at 14:50 when Cole Perfetti made an absolutely magnificent pass from behind the Islanders net, right onto the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers who buried a shot behind an Islanders’ goaltender who was so far out of position he might as well have been in the third row. It was Ehlers 17th of the year as Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov drew the assists.
The Jets extended the lead to 4-2 when Marck Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi played a little tic-tac-doe in front of the Islanders net and eventually Vilardi roofed a wrister from the slot at 18:18. It was Vilardi’s second of the night and 24th of the season as Scheifele (32) and Connor (39) drew the helpers.
It was a tremendous period for the Jets who outshot New York 13-7 and completely controlled the pace of the game. It was an especially impressive period for the big line of Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi who put up six points and dominated every zone. The Jets also won 64.5 per cent of the faceoffs and that didn’t hurt.
Things got a little dicey for the Jets early in the third period as Cole Perfetti and Colin Miller each took minor penalties before the seven-minute mark. The PK easily fought off the Perfetti minor and actually had the two best scoring chances while short-handed. On the second penalty-killing situation, the Jets were just as efficient and looked like a team that was off to another victory.
However, at 11:07, Kyle Palmieri pounced on a loose puck in front of the Jets’ net and with Hellebuyck way out of position, Palmieri drilled his 15th of the year into a wide-open net. It was 4-3 and the Jets were back into a tussle.
In fact, at the 12-minute mark, Hellebuyck might have made the stop of the year with a magnificent glove save off Casey Cizikas. The Islanders were pressing, and the Jets’ defence was back on its heels.
Trouble really started brewing at 13:11 when Dylan DeMelo picked up a tripping penalty and the Islanders went on the attack. They peppered Hellebuyck with eight shots in a two-minute stretch and the Jets goaltender was sensational. It was another big penalty kill, but unlike the first two, this was all Hellebuyck. The Jets didn’t get the puck out of their own zone for a full two minutes, but their Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender was the saviour once again.
The Islanders pulled out all the stops with 2:19 left in the third period. Coach Patrick Roy pulled Sorokin and went with six attackers. However, with Hellebuyck at his best, the Jets held the Isles off the board and record their 39th win of the year
The three stars were Scheifele (3), Connor (2) and Vilardi (1), but even though he allowed three goals, Hellebuyck was the hero. His play in the third period is the reason why he’s a Vezina Trophy winner – and the reason the Jets won their eighth straight game.
The Islanders outshot the Jets 19-6 in the third period and 35-27 overall. It was the first time in 17 games that the Jets have allowed more than 30 shots against. The Jets outhit the Islanders 19-14, but the Isles won 56 per cent of the faceoffs and that made a big difference, especially in the third period.
Winnipeg has two weeks off and will play again on Saturday, Feb. 22 in St. Louis. They will return to Winnipeg on Monday the 24th to face the San Jose Sharks at 6:30 p.m.
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