<h2>Jets and avalanche to begin series from winnipeg on sunday</h2>The Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche are set to square off from Canada Life Centre in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' opening round in Winnipeg on Sunday evening. Another day featuring a full slate of games following opening day on Saturday, Sunday is set to have playoff matchups, with the Jets and Avalanche being the prime-time 6:00 PM central showdown live on Sportsnet.Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will lead the Jets out onto the ice, while forward Morgan Barron will sit Sunday's contest out with a lower-body injury. David Gustafsson will take his place in the lineup, while Cole Perfetti - fresh off a two-goal performance on Thursday - will look on from the press box.The Jets will look to build upon their 7-0 victory in Denver from just over a week ago, while Hellebuyck will begins his search for possible third, fourth and fifth trophies to add to his collection from the 2023-24 season. Winnipeg finished the regular season at 52-24-6, while Colorado ended with a 50-25-7 record. The Jets won the season series 3-0 this year and will look to keep the good times rolling as the whiteout makes it way to Winnipeg on Sunday evening.

Jets Prepare to Open Series vs. Avalanche Sunday

<h2>Jets earn five of eight points on four-game homestand</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets picked up a 4-2 victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday from Canada Life Centre. The game was Winnipeg's fourth-straight at home, which saw the team conclude the homestand with five of a possible eight points. Coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Vegas on Thursday, Winnipeg fell behind early, as rookie defenceman Lane Hutson found his first career NHL goal, beating Connor Hellebuyck cleanly from high slot. But it was all Jets from then on. Gabe Vilardi scored on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play from Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor, before Nino Niederreiter found captain Adam Lowry alone in front of the Habs' net. Lowry's goal came on a strong deceptive fake from Niederreiter, who faked carrying the puck behind the net before finding his linemate alone in front. Winnipeg added another on a five-on-three in the second period, with Connor hammering home one of his patented one-timers. Montreal got one back midway through the third on a Josh Anderson chance from the slot. With Sam Montembault on the bench for the extra attacker, Patrik Laine had Montreal's best chance, but Hellebuyck was up for the test. Next up for Winnipeg is a quick two-game road trip through California mid-week, before returning home next Saturday for a test against the Wild. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868096146553597985">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868096146553597985</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868096313352737070">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868096313352737070</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868105735135240397">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868105735135240397</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868110784393343098">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868110784393343098</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868112320263856588">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1868112320263856588</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Montreal is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02267.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02187.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02224.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02425.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02371.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02478.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02460.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02484.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02341.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02548.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02561.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02626.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02676.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02698.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02689.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Connor Hellebuyck on Patrik Laine's 'Patty Flu':"No flu tonight. He had a lot of shots tonight. He's a good shooter. But nothing for him."Josh Morrissey on Connor Hellebuyck:“He’s unbelievable, the best goalie in the league, in my view. I get to see it every night and probably take it for granted when you watch it over and over and over again. I was reminiscing about that the other day. I think when I played my 600th game, I was thinking about how I probably played about 500 at least with him in the net. That’s pretty lucky as a player. He makes it look easy, but I guarantee it’s not. Just a special, special talent, and really a generational goalie in my view.”WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will now head out on the road for two games mid-week, before retuning back home for a test against the team's nearest geological rival in the Minnesota Wild. Games against San Jose and Anaheim will take place late night on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 4 Montreal Canadiens 2

<h2>overtime blunder, poor officiating sees Jets fall 3-2 in Overtime</h2>RECAP:This one is going to sting for a little while.Not only did Winnipeg fall to rival Vegas in a game it led at two separate points, it did so in dramatic fashion.After owning a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game - thanks to Nikita Chibrikov's second goal in two games since his recall from the Manitoba Moose - the Jets gave up a goal to local kid Keegan Kolesar midway through the third period, tying the game at ones.But defenceman Josh Morrissey restored that lead a few minutes later on a bullet of a slapshot from the point.However, after staying away from calling minors all game, the referees handed the Jets back-to-back tripping minors, 13 seconds apart.Vegas capitalized on a Victor Olofsson strike, before the Swedish forward nearly found another on the second half of the power play.Winnipeg escaped the period with the 2-2 tie, but was unable to find any success in overtime. Despite an onslaught of chances in the first 3.5 minutes, the Jets got sloppy, and gave up the game-winner on a bad line change. A tough breakout pass from Haydn Fleury was intercepted by the Knights, who paraded to the goal and ended things off the stick of Ivan Barbashev.The Jets will look to rebound with the final test of the homestand on Saturday night against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867379690156986749">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867379690156986749</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867395701367566480">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867395701367566480</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867407906238607604">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1867407906238607604</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Thursday's game vs. Vegas is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01559.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01567.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01631.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01693.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01704.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01724.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01729.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01788.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01790.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01821.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01889.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01954.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01968.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01979.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02005.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02017.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02031-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09482.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Scott Arniel on the officiating:"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, Gabe's was a penalty. 200 feet from our net, that was a penalty. Not talking about the other one. I think just... They have their power play with two minutes to go. Anyways, the first one was a penalty."Dylan DeMelo on Nikita Chibrikov:"He's obviously a smaller guy but he's stocky. He's strong on his skates. He's willing to go in those dirty areas, he took a few licks tonight&nbsp;but he's a guy that gets first on the puck and (can) get it out to make a play. He's fearless out there, he's got a good knack for the net and he's been rewarded for going to the net and getting a couple goals."&nbsp;WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will now host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night as they conclude their four-game homestand, before travelling out west for a quick two-game road trip through California next week.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 2 Vegas Golden Knights 3 - Overtime

<h2>Jets Pump eight past Swayman, deliver a snowman to the bruins</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets have buried the Boston Bruins in Winnipeg snow.More accurately, they delivered a snowman - in the shape of a large eight - to the Bruins' dressing room after a highly-entertaining third period of a dominant 8-1 victory on Tuesday.Winnipeg got off to a good start at home for the first time since November 19, scoring twice in the opening period, before adding another tally in the second.But it was in the third where things went completely off the rails. The Jets pounded Bruins' goaltender Jeremy Swayman for five more goals, while three separate fights broke out in a span of three seconds.Mark Scheifele led the way with two goals and an assist in front of Team Canada Four Nations Cup GM Don Sweeney, while Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists. Three others had multi-point showings, while only five players on Winnipeg did not record a point on the night. Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 23 of the 24 pucks he faced, collecting his 18th win of the season in the process. Next up is as test with Vegas on Thursday, as the Jets continue their four-game homestand, before hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866651693007458802">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866651693007458802</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866658150331592976">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866658150331592976</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866660712539668823">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866660712539668823</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866669891819888926">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866669891819888926</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866684003232678104">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866684003232678104</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866685462355566865">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866685462355566865</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866689728470290530">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866689728470290530</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866695099046085095">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1866695099046085095</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Tuesday's game vs. Boston is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00617.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00731.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2339go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2258go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00851.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00927.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00982.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1590go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01019.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01049.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1252go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a7831go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8033go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5165go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01186.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01186.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01314.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01257.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a0959go.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Head coach Scott Arniel on his team's third period: "At the end of the day, I'm not going to sit and talk about what happened in the last 10 minutes of the hockey game. That's detrimental for the game we played. We played a hell of a hockey game against a good hockey team. That's more of what I'm concerned about. We had lost our last game here and it wasn't a really good outing by us. Like you said, a good team, a good veteran team, the way that we came out and played, that's what I'm proud of. That's what I got out of that hockey game."Mark Scheifele on beating Don Sweeney:“You’re just happy to play a good game. Of course he’s the GM. But you just want to go out there and give it your all for your team and get a win. Obviously, we needed one at home here and I thought that was a great response there by all of us.”WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will now host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, before travelling out west for a quick two-game road trip through California next week.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 8 Boston Bruins 1

<h2>Jets lose 4-1 to blue jackets</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets came out tired on Sunday, and it showed.Playing their third game in four nights and first game at home in three, the team from Winnipeg just wasn't quite fully in the game.Sure, they started things off well with a few glorious opportunities in the game's opening shift, but it took until the second period for Winnipeg to even find a goal.Given four power plays through 40 minutes of play, the Jets scored just one time. Simply, not good enough, especially as one of the league's premier clubs this season.Columbus got one right back two minutes after Kyle Connor's 15th of the season.Entering the third period deadlocked at ones, the Jets gave up back-to-back goals from Kent Johnson, who put things out of reach, before Sean Kuraly added an empty-netter for the 4-1 final.The loss was Winnipeg's fifth 4-1 defeat of the season.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865903023844934131">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865903023844934131</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865905482751148522">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865905482751148522</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865916757287838136">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865916757287838136</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865938336621248943">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865938336621248943</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865940594117271864">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1865940594117271864</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Sunday's game vs. Columbus is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00063.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00265.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00274.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00276.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00289.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00442.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00468.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00502.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00602.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00566.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00580.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Dylan DeMelo on Armed Forces Night:“I spoke with someone who was just in Iraq for six months. We’ve got a pretty good gig with what we’re doing here. Even in a tough night where we maybe didn’t have our best, there’s no bad days in this league. You’ve got to cherish every moment. The men and women that fight for our country and let us play a game for a living… we’re not able to without their sacrifice and the people that sacrificed before and the people who will sacrifice in the future for us. When you put that thing into perspective, tonight doesn’t mean that much in regards to what those people have to go through. It was great to put some smiles on some faces out there. Even for us, maybe for a couple minutes or so forget about the loss and thank them for everything they have done for us.”WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg will continue its four-game homestand with games every second day this week, as Boston, Vegas and Montreal each show up to play at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Winnipeg will then hit the road for a west coast back-to-back in California.

Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 1 Columbus Blue Jackets 4

<h2>Jets drop fourth-straight game, lose 4-1 to Blues</h2>Well, it was fun while it lasted. After a brilliant start to the 2024-25 season, the Winnipeg Jets are officially in a slump.After starting the season 15-1, the Jets have now lost four in a row and have fallen to 18-8 on the season (3-7 in their last 10) after falling 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre.The Jets simply have no spark. Injuries to Nikolaj Ehlers and Dylan Samberg and a seemingly nagging injury to Mark Scheifele has resulted in a Jets team that can still keep their opponents off the board for the most part, but simply can’t mount much of an offensive attack.Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre, the Jets barely had any life at all.Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck did everything he could to keep the home side in the game, but eventually even the reigning Vezina Trophy winner couldn’t stop the inevitable.With Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley playing together as a defensive pairing and Brad Lambert of the Moose getting a shot in the city’s NHL lineup, the Jets couldn’t muster any offence and when they did, Winnipeg’s own Joel Hofer, the big 6-foot-5 Blues goaltender, was more than equal to the task.The first period was uneventful. The Jets outshot St. Louis 8-6, each goalie had to make a couple of big saves, but for the most part, there were few real scoring chances.In the second period, the Blues came out hard. They attacked the Jets net and were it not for two great saves by Hellebuyck and one johnny-on-the-spot stop by defenceman Hadyn Fleury, St. Louis might have broken this one open early. By the 12-minute mark, St. Louis had outshot Winnipeg 12-2 in the period. It was getting ugly.At the 18:04 mark of the period, while the teams were in a four-on-four situation, Jordan Kyrou took a pass from Brayden Schenn and beat Hellebuyck on the rebound to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Then, at 18:43, the Blues made it 2-0 on a goal by Dylan Holloway. At this point, the Jets needed resuscitation. When the buzzer went to end the period, there was a big sigh of relief. The Blues outshot Winnipeg 19-3 in the second period. In a word, the Jets were horrible.The Jets opened the third period with a little intensity, but Hofer took care of any chances the Jets could muster and then the Blues scored again to put it away.Kyrou fired a shot from the slot that seemed to startle Hellebuyck and found the back of the net to give St. Louis a 3-0 advantage at 6:38. It was Kyrou’s second of the night and ninth of the season.With about seven minutes left in regulation time, fans started leaving the building in droves. Good excuse to beat the traffic.However, for those remaining, the Jets offered a little hope at 15:45 when Mark Scheifele scored his 14th of the season as he banged home a rebound off a shot by Neal Pionk. Pionk and Josh Morrissey drew the assists. Hellebuyck was sitting on the bench at the time as the Jets went with six attackers.Of course, St. Louis took advantage of the empty net just moments later when Robert Thomas scored from just outside his own blueline at 16:21. It was now 4-1 and only the true believers remained in their seats.St. Louis outshot Winnipeg 32-23 (Winnipeg outshot St. Louis 12-7 in the third). The Jets won only 36.8 per cent of the faceoffs and were outhit 24-18. It was just a depressing night from every perspective. Now, the Jets head out on the road again for a pair of games on Thursday and Saturday.The local side will try to get back on track this Thursday night in Buffalo.Game time is 6 p.m. CST and can be seen on TSN 3.The full photo highlight package from Tuesday night's affair is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08547.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02255.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08623.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02188.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02060.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02044.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02023.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08514.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5306go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2559go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a4385go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a2876go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1895go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1683go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1754go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1209go.jpg">

Jets Singing the Blues, Lose Fourth Straight and are Now Officially in a Slump

<h2>Hellebuyck, Iafallo Lead Jets to win over Wild</h2>ST. PAUL, MINN. – It never hurts to have the greatest goaltender in the game.&nbsp;On Monday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, the Winnipeg Jets got another brilliant performance from two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck as they beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1.It was a phenomenal first two periods for Hellebuyck who stopped 38 shots through the first 40 minutes -- many of them from right in front of the net -- as he kept the Jets in the game long enough for his teammates to take control of the pace in the third period.&nbsp;“Yeah, we started to play better in the second period,” said Neal Pionk, who was terrific in front of Hellebuyck. “They came out hard early in the game, and they always play well in their building, but we got better as the game went on.&nbsp;“Connor bailed us out early in the game, he does that a lot, wins us a lot of games. He gives us a chance and tonight we recovered in the second period and took command in the third.”With the win, the Jets improved to 18-4-0 on the season and are now 2-1-0 on this gruelling six-game road trip that will continue in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.A big part of the Jets win on Monday – and make no mistake Hellebuyck was the story of the night – was the play of Alex Iafallo, who had two goals and kind of created the winning goal simply by infuriating the Wild.As noted, the Wild dominated the opening period, but fortunately the Jets have No. 37.Minnesota opened the scoring at 8:37 as Jake Middleton banged home a rebound off a Marcus Johansson shot, but that’s all Minnesota got despite outshooting the Jets 22-9 (it was 19-9 at the end of the period, and then, during the intermission, the Wild’s shot total jumped to 22). In fact, on the Wild’s lone first period power play, they outshot the Jets 6-0.But Hellebuyck was so good in the first period he saved the day long enough for the Jets to even the score. At 10:03, Iafallo cut across the front of the net and ripped a backhander to the short side, past Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson. It was a brilliant goal, Iafallo’s third of the season, as Rasmus Kupari picked up the only assist.Winnipeg had survived the first period, deadlocked with the Wild at 1-1.“In the first period, it felt more like a feeling out (process)," head coach Scott Arniel said. "They probably had the upper hand. In the second, I thought we started to get going. Where we weren’t very good in Nashville in the second period, we did a better job of kind of being heavy. They were going to get some looks, but I thought we did a good job of every time we got the puck below the goal line, our offence got going and we got some zone time. That game was a heavy-lifting game for everybody. It was hard off of rushes to get clear chances or real opportunities that way. I like the way the guys kind of felt that if they get the puck down low, we went to work from there.”Hellebuyck’s play obviously frustrated the Wild. With about eight minutes left in the second period and the game still tied, Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek went in alone on the Jets netminder and Hellebuyck not only stopped Eriksson Ek’s original shot, but the rebound, as well. That resulted in one of many skirmishes in front of the Jets net, but this time it cost the Wild a goal.&nbsp;Two Wild players lost their minds over Alex Iafallo helping his goaltender and started giving Iafallo the what-for in the Jets end. Meanwhile, the Jets carried the puck into the Minnesota zone and found themselves in a five-on-three situation on the rush. While the two Wild players continued to push and shove Iafallo, Pionk hit Nino Niederreiter with a perfect pass as Niederreiter was driving to the net. El Nino made a quick move in front of Gustavsson and backhanded a shot to the roof of the net to give the Jets a 2-1 advantage at 12:05. It was Niederreiter’s ninth goal of the season in his 909th career NHL game.Even as the Jets celebrated the goal, the two crazed Wild players were still mixing it up with Iafallo.“I don’t really know what was going on back there, but Al really had them going,” Pionk told CJOB’s post-game show. “I admit I abandoned him back there, but it worked out when Nino scored that big goal.”&nbsp;The Wild outshot the Jets 17-12 in the second period, 39-21 after 40 minutes, but Hellebuyck continued to be the story of the game. And frankly, after Niederreiter scored the Wild was not the same team that started the game. It was as if they’d punched themselves out.In the third period, the Wild didn’t get their 40th shot of the game – their first of the period until the 9:57 mark. The Jets, meanwhile, had a couple of decent scoring chances and had outshot Minnesota 5-1 through the first 10 minutes of the frame.Then with 7:31 left in regulation, Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno hauled down Josh Morrissey and the Jets had a man advantage -- and they took advantage. 51 seconds into the power play, Neal Pionk drilled a shot from the middle of the ice at the top of the circle that was tipped by Iafallo and deflected off Gustavsson to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. It was Iafallo’s fourth goal of the year, second of the game and the 100th of his NHL career. Pionk and Cole Perfetti drew the assists.&nbsp;"It was awesome," Arniel said of Iafallo. "For him that's 100 NHL goals. That's a great accomplishment. I'm not sure what he was up to but he got everybody stirred up and mad at him on Nino's goal. He had two guys sort of chasing him around the ice, and we took advantage of it. But that's one thing about Al, he's such an all-purpose player. We use him on the penalty kill, he's out there on the power play. Then when you need him to shut down the opposition he does a great job. And he's a real good pro. We know what we're getting every night from him."With Gustavsson on the bench late in the game, Adam Lowry scored an empty net goal from Kyle Connor at 18:57 that emptied the building and locked up the 4-1 victory.&nbsp;Even with six attackers the Wild had no legs late in the third. In fact, Minnesota had only five shots on goal in the third period. They were completely spent. It was like the rope-a-dope. The Wild kept punching and punching for the first 35 minutes of the game, but Hellebuyck was simply too good and by the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Wild had no gas left in the tank.Connor Hellebuyck was obviously the first star of the game and Iafallo was No. 2. Pionk could have been No. 3 but that went to Jake Middleton of the Wild. In the end, the Wild outshot the Jets 44-31, but Hellebuyck was just too good.Interestingly, Bill Guerin, the GM of the 2026 US Olympic hockey team, who also happens to be the GM of the Wild, was in the Jets dressing room after the game congratulating Hellebuyck, the man who will make Guerin’s United States team, the favourites to win Olympic gold in two years.Monday’s victory was Winnipeg’s second win in two meetings against the Wild this season. Minnesota, the second-place team in the Central is now 13-4-4 and trails the Jets by six points.The Jets, who have now won three-of-four, will face Los Angeles at 9 p.m. CST on Wednesday.

Hellebuyck’s Brilliance and Iafallo’s Feistiness Gives Jets Huge Road Win Against Wild

<h2>Moose go 1-1 in two-game tilt with Chicago</h2>The Manitoba Moose and Chicago Wolves split a two-game series this past week. The visitors took the first of the two contests, winning a Thursday morning school-day game by a commanding 5-0 final, before Manitoba bounced back with a 4-2 victory two days later. Thursday's game was rather ugly, with the visitors outshooting Manitoba 13-4 in the opening frame, before the Moose were able to put together 21 shots over the second and third periods. But they were unable to solve Dustin Tokarski, who earned the shutout for Chicago. Kaapo Kahkonen made 30 saves on the 35 pucks he faced, but gave up the five goals, which saw the Moose fall to 5-9-0 on the year. Despite taking seven penalties, Manitoba was able to kill off six of the infractions.A much better effort was in store on Saturday, with Manitoba putting up four goals to Chicago's two, doubling up the Wolves 4-2 from Canada Life Centre. “We knew we were getting the chances, and eventually it was gonna go in," said forward Brad Lambert, who potted two goals in the game. "We just talked in the dressing room and said stick with it. If you’re getting those chances every period, eventually it’s gotta go in."Lambert waited until the final period to flip the script for the Moose, after seeing Chicago pull ahead 2-1 through 40 minutes of play on Saturday. Finally blowing open the Tokarski dam with three third period markers, Manitoba relied on Lambert's two strikes, sandwiched between a Dominic Toninato goal, giving the Moose the 4-2 win. Kahkonen fared better on the night, making 25 stops on the 27 pucks directed his way.Next up is a Friday night affair with the Calgary Wranglers, also at Canada Life Centre, to which the Moose will then see the Wranglers the following day in the fourth of six-straight home games from downtown Winnipeg. 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, Danny Truong, Rusty Barton and Scott Stroh<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00250.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_028.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_030.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_0844.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_042.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_047.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1776.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_063.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_054.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1512.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1123_dt_manitobamoose_061.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/4l9c6986e.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/moose-admirals-5.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00301.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/moose-admirals-6.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/moose-admirals-9.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3225.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/moose-admirals-8.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00303.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_2909.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/moose-admirals-19.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3207.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_1132.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/4l9c7069e.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07652.jpg">

GALLERY: Moose Split Home Series With Chicago

<h2>Scheifele's hat trick helps jets to another win</h2>After taking a 5-0 shellacking in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele made sure it didn’t happen again.Scheifele notched the ninth hat-trick of his career as the Jets defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 6-3 in front of a loud sell-out crowd of 15,225 at Canada Life Centre.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07883.jpg">With the win, the Jets improved to 16-3-0 on the season and remained the No. 1 team overall in the National Hockey League.“They played a fantastic game in Florida, they played hard and we had to up our game tonight,” said Scheifele who was overwhelmed by the Winnipeg crowd. “It’s an amazing atmosphere in here. The fans motivate us and I love this.”It was an important bounce back after going 0-2-0 in Florida last week. After starting the season 15-1-0, the Jets were spanked 4-1 in Tampa and 5-0 in South Florida and were committed to playing well on Tuesday night at home.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07886.jpg">"Obviously, you saw what happened in the third period the other night in their building; he was frustrated," head coach Scott Arniel said of Scheifele. "As our whole group was. He came out and was a leader. He led. When your best players can be your best players in games like that, it certainly helps you have success."Both teams came out flying in the first period. Florida had a couple of great early chances but Hellebuyck stood his ground and the Jets battled back with a few chances of their own in the middle of the period.Finally, after scoring only one goal in two games in the state of Florida last week, the Jets got on the board as Kyle Connor scored a Jean Beliveau – a backhand to the roof – to beat Sergei Bobrovsky and give the Jets a 1-0 advantage at 14:13.The Jets took a 2-0 lead just a little more than three minutes later as Mark Scheifele took a pass from Gabriel Vilardi and drilled a wrist shot between Bobrovsky’s arm and body at 17:40. Josh Morrissey, playing in his 600th NHL game, also drew an assist.In the second period, things started to get a little chippy and on the power play at 15:41, Nikolaj Ehlers fed Scheifele with a perfect cross-ice pass and Scheifele one-timed a slapper past a helpless Bobrovsky. Morrissey got the other assist as Scheifele scored his 11th of the season.But Florida is indeed the defending Stanley Cup champion, and they don’t quit. Although down 3-0, they found themselves a little puck luck and it didn’t hurt the Panthers that Jets’ captain Adam Lowry had the worst one-minute sequence of his career.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07969.jpg">With the Jets attacking, Mason Appleton hit Lowry with an absolutely perfect pass on the doorstep but even with a wide-open net, Lowry tipped it wide. Florida then brought the puck into the Winnipeg zone and after a low, seemingly innocent shot from the point that was stopped by the defence, the puck deflected off Lowry, who was standing at the corner of the goal, and the puck dribbled past Hellebuyck.It should have been 4-0 Winnipeg, but hockey is a fickle master. A.J. Greer got credit for the Panthers’ goal that made it 3-1 and suddenly Winnipeg found itself engaged in a real argument once again.In the third period, the Panthers took control early. After hitting two posts in the first seven minutes, Florida made it 3-2 on a power play at 7:10 as Sam Reinhart scored his 14th of the year from Matthew Tkachuk and Alexander Barkov.But just when things started to look bleak, Scheifele took a gorgeous pass from Kyle Connor and just as a Florida penalty ended, he blasted a slapshot past Bobrovsky to complete the hat trick and make it 4-2. Ehlers also picked up an assist and the Jets had a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to play in regulation.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08405.jpg">However, with 4:04 left to play in the third, Morrissey was called for tripping, a weak call but fully expected considering the Jets had one more power play than Florida. It was a penalty that changed the direction of the game.Panthers head coach Paul Maurice pulled his goalie and with six attackers against four defenders, Matthew Tkacuk fired a blistering shot past Hellebuyck at the 17:38 mark to make it a 4-3 game.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08274-2.jpg">Then with 17:45 left in the game, the Jets were hit with another penalty as Vlad Namestnikov was called for tripping. Again Maurice pulled Brobrovsky and the Panthers went on the attack.However, this time, the Jets got a break. Morgan Barron gained control of the puck in his own end and played a bank-shot off the boards that went right into the empty net. That gave Winnipeg a 5-3 lead, Lowry picked up an assist and Barron had his first goal of the season at 18:23.But things got better for Barron and the Jets. At 18:44, with the Panthers attacking on the power play again, Barron picked up a loose puck in his own end and fired a shot straight into the empty Florida goal. In 21 seconds, Barron had his first two goals of the season, the final two goals of the game and had single-handedly fended off the last gasp of the Panthers."They just put one in and got the momentum right back," Matthew Tkachuk said. "So it was an even game for the most part. It's tough to lose that one when you fight back to get close and then you have a power play, and then feel like we have all the momentum there. And then just a couple plays that probably want to change and then it's game’s over. So, it's a hard fought two games by two good teams, in my opinion. It just would have been nice to get this one."The three stars were Scheifele, Connor and Barron. Not one surprise.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Florida 27-23, but Florida outhit Winnipeg 16-10. The Panthers also won 57 per cent of the faceoffs. Still, thanks to Scheifele’s hat-trick and Barron’s dramatic finish, the Jets came away with their 16th win in 19 starts this season.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08542.jpg">"As a team, we didn’t like the way that we played in Florida, so it’s just a sign of a lot of good character in this room that we wanted to bounce back and we wanted to have a good game in front of our home crowd before we go on the road for what feels like forever," Scheifele said. "It was a great all-around effort by everyone.”Winnipeg now heads back out onto the road and plays its next games away from Canada Life Centre, starting with Pittsburgh on Friday night, then Nashville on Saturday and Minnesota on Monday.&nbsp;The next two weeks will be an incredible test.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08555.jpg">

Jets Ride Scheifele to 16th Victory

<h2>Jets make history at home on saturday</h2>Connor Hellebuyck did it again and now the Winnipeg Jets have a place all their own in the long, storied history of the National Hockey League.For the third straight game on this most recent homestand, the current holder of the Vezina and Jennings Trophies, was absolutely brilliant as he led the Jets to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars.Sure, Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo each had a goal and an assist and the third line played its best game of the season, but Hellebuyck was the key to victory. He was simply brilliant.The win capped off a tremendous four-game homestand as the Jets beat Tampa 7-4, Utah 3-0, Colorado 1-0 and Dallas 4-1. Winnipeg has noe won six straight.However, the victory also means the Jets have won 14 out of the first 15 games this season – clearly the best start in franchise history, but also the greatest start to a season in NHL history. No NHL team has ever won 14 of its first 15 games to open a campaign."It’s a lot of fun," Iafallo said post-game. "Winning in stretches like that is what you play for and we’re having fun doing it. Just joking around. But once it’s game time, we’re ready to rock, so it’s a lot of fun right now.”In front of a loud, proud sellout crowd of 15,225, the Jets took it to Dallas from the opening faceoff and then held the fort in the third period as the Stars outshot Winnipeg 20-5 over the final 20 minutes and 33-25 on the afternoon.However, the Jets set the tone in the first period, built on it during the second and kept the Stars in check in the third.In the opening 20 minutes, the Jets looked great. Obviously, they had forgotten the sluggishness of the third period against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. In fact, the Jets looked like a completely different team.They immediately attacked the Dallas net setting up a number of good scoring chances and were finally rewarded at 7:28 when, in the dying seconds of a power play, Vladislav Namestnikov found Alex Iafallo all alone in front of Stars’ netminder Jake Oettinger and Iafallo ripped it under the bar to make it 1-0. It was Iafallo’s second of the season.Less than three minutes later, Rasmus Kupari scored his second of the year, picking up a rebound off an Iafallo shot and slipping it around Oettinger to make it 2-0 Jets.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Dallas 12-4 and completely dominated the period.Namestnikov got the second period rolling by jamming a goal past Oettinger at 3:34. Cole Perfetti and Neal Pionk picked up the assists on Namestinikov’s fourth of the season.“We went out of the last game and fixed what needed to be better," Namestnikov said. "We met as a group and talked and today was just all about us and our work ethic, doing the little things right and not turning over pucks in the neutral zone.”Although Dallas was considerably better in the second period, outshooting Winnipeg 10-8, Hellebuyck was terrific, and the Jets simply had too much firepower for Oettinger. Winnipeg made it 4-0 at 7:14 of the second as Nikola Ehlers blasted a shot past Oettinger from the slot. Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi picked up the assists.&nbsp;With that, Dallas head coach Peter DeBoer had seen enough of Oettinger. He sent Oettinger to the locker room and called on Casel DeSmith to finish the afternoon. DeSmith had a great friend in the post as Jets’ Nino Niederreiter and Cole Perfetti both hit it on point-blank shots, but in the end DeSmith got the job done and the Jets did no more damage.Dallas scored its only goal at 18:38 of the third period as Roope Hintz tipped through Hellebuyck’s legs to erase the shutout bid. Hellebuyck was just one minute and 22 seconds away from his third straight shutout and, of course, it came to an end on a Dallas power play.The Jets played well for two periods and hung on in the third, but once again, the story of the game was Hellebuyck. He made 32 saves and lowered his goals against average to 1.78 and raised his save percentage to .936. The three stars were, of course, Hellebuyck, Namestnikov and Iafallo.“This team never gives up and it plays for each other,” said Namestnikov. “And these fans are just great. It’s great to play for them.”The 14-1-0, first place (in the entire NHL) Winnipeg Jets will now head out onto the road and they’ll face three real tests. They’ll play in New York against the Rangers on Tuesday, in Tampa on Thursday and at Florida on Saturday, Nov. 16, against the defending Stanley Cup champs.The full photo gallery from Saturday's game is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03607.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03436.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03457.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03358.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03558.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05565.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05554.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03787.jpg">

NHL History: 14 Out of 15

<h2>The Winnipeg jets have picked up win No. 13 of the young season</h2>The cheers at the end were deafening.&nbsp;Despite questionable (at best) officiating and a relentless attack by the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg Jets improved to 13-1-0 in what has become a fairy tale beginning to the 2024-25 season.Behind the brilliance of Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets held on to beat the Avalanche 1-0 in front of 12,900 at Canada Life Centre. It was Winnipeg’s fifth straight win.“It feels incredible right now,” said Hellebuyck as the Jets became the second team in NHL history to win 13 of its first 14 games to start a season."It felt like a hard fought game against a division rival. Those games are always hard. I thought the guys responded well.”Thursday night’s win was Hellebuyck’s second consecutive shutout, but this one was much more impressive than his 3-0 shutout over the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night. In this one, the Jets beat a very big, fast, talented Avalanche team in a game in which they were outshot the Jets were outshot 34-28, 16-4 in the third period. “Never, probably college," he said on the last time he put up back-to-back clean sheets. "I had a good amount of shutouts in college. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this. Just a perfect storm.”The only goal of the night came quickly. And it was a beauty. Mark Scheifele came upon a loose puck in the neutral zone and on a two-on-one with Gabriel Vilardi made a perfect crossing pass to his winger who easily beat Avs goalie Alexander Georgiev to give the Jets a 1-0 advantage just 1:06 into the contest.&nbsp;From that point on, the first 20 minutes was a track meet. End-to-end rushes highlighted the rest of the opening period as both Georgiev and the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck were called on to make some terrific saves. The Jets outshot Colorado 15-9 and had the better chances, as well.In the second period, there was no scoring, but it was a sensational period. The Jets had chances early and late, but in the middle, Nathan McKinnon took over the game and the puck was almost exclusively in the Jets end when McKinnon’s line was on the ice.However, the Jets have a goalie – a great goalie – and while the Avs had some terrific chances, Hellebuyck was equal to the task. Colorado and Winnipeg each delivered nine shots on goal, but both goaltenders were rock solid.So, it was 1-0 Winnipeg heading into the third in a fast-paced game that could go either way. The first two periods had been worth every penny of the admission price.In the third period, it was all Colorado. The Avs came out flying while the Jets were caught flat-footed on more than one occasion. In fact, the Avs outshot Winnipeg 9-1 through the first eight minutes and 11-2 through the first 12 minutes and were it not for Hellebuyck, this might have been a blowout.However, the best goalie in the game made save-after-save, some of them highlight-reel stops, as the Jets held on to their 1-0 advantage despite playing four-against-six in the final 1:10 of the third period."We got two points," head coach Scott Arniel said. "I mean we're here in November. If we're sitting in February, March, April, we're probably not very happy about it. We found a way to win the hockey game. We had a good first period. After that, we were downhill. Those guys all know that. I didn't have to say much. They all knew that. Helle put on a performance and got the two points. On to the next one."In a period in which plenty of penalties could have been called, the officials decided to send off Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey for holding crybaby Avs forward Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen had been grinding the officials all night and it eventually paid off as the Avalanche were given a man-advantage with the goalie out and just over a minute to play.Despite two or three glorious chances -- one after Rantanen obviously tripped a Jets player in front of Hellebuyck, which opened up a point-blank shot for MacKinnon – the Jets netminder was simply the superior weapon on this night.Hellebuyck lowered his goals against average to 2.00 and raised his save percentage to .928 as he recorded his third shutout in 11 starts this season and was named the game’s first star. Georgiev was the second star and Vilardi was the third.The first place Jets, who have 26 points in 14 games, will play again on Saturday afternoon at Canada Life Centre against the equally-talented Dallas Stars. Game time is 2 p.m. CST.Extended photo gallery by Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02686.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02688.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/dsc02810.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02816.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02972.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03054.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02929.jpg">

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Jets and avalanche to begin series from winnipeg on sunday

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