Jets build lead, but can't hold off Bruins in Boston

No team has been able to beat the Boston Bruins in regulation on home ice this season, and while the Winnipeg Jets built an early lead, they succumbed to one of the National Hockey League's highest-scoring third periods teams to fall 3-2.
But one of the biggest momentum shifts in the contest was completely out of Winnipeg's hands.
Leading 2-0 in the second, a dump-in banked off a stanchion and kicked out front for David Pastrnak. The Bruins (26-4-2) forward took advantage of it, as Connor Hellebuyck had left the net to play the puck - that never got to him.
"All six of us (on the ice), including Helly, are looking at each other, like, draw that play up 100 times and maybe it happens once," said defenceman Brenden Dillon. "Obviously that sucks. We understood we have to keep playing; there was still half a hockey game left when that happens."

Despite that bounce, the Jets (21-11-1) kept battling. In fact, with the game at 3-2 in the dying seconds, Kyle Connor had an open look in the slot off the rush, but the 2022 Lady Byng winner's shot must missed the mark on Jeremy Swayman's glove side.
"We battled to the end," said Mark Scheifele, who notched his 20th of the season and now has eight consecutive seasons at that mark. "It would've been nice to capitalize on a few more of those and get a few more shifts in the o-zone and test them a little bit, but that's the way she goes."
Jets head coach Rick Bowness felt the game eventually boiled down to two areas - face-offs (the Bruins won nearly 65 percent of the draws) and special teams.
Boston's top-ranked power play converted once on four attempts, while the Jets came up empty on their two power plays - both of which came in the first period.
"They dominated the face-off circle," Bowness said. "We did a really good job in the first. The first goal, not much you can do about that, that's hockey. The three penalties in nine minutes took away all our momentum."
And what a build of momentum the Jets had.
The Jets got a carbon copy of a start on Thursday in Boston as they did at home to Ottawa. The only difference was instead of Kevin Stenlund scoring 1:58 in, it was Scheifele getting the game's first goal in Boston, his 20th of the season - exactly 1:58 into the opening period. Scheifele got behind the Bruins coverage and converted on a nice pass from Cole Perfetti. Former Bruin Karson Kuhlman also picked up an assist, marking his first point with the Jets.

The Jets made it 2-0 with 7:20 off the clock in the first, as Jansen Harkins deflected a Josh Morrissey point shot past Swayman for his third goal of the campaign. The assist also extended Morrissey's point (and assist) streak to 11 games, with the assist streak being a franchise record for a defenceman.
"We were getting pucks in, getting on the forecheck, getting some sustained pressure, and getting out of our end quick," Scheifele said of the first, when the Jets outshot Boston 13-10. "That's our focus. We got away from it a little bit in the second and the third, but we battled until the end, that's for sure."
Hellebuyck, who returned from a non-COVID illness, was sensational in the contest especially as the Bruins pressed in the second. Then came the momentum turning puck-off-the stanchion play, an unfortunate turn of events - especially given how well Hellebuyck was playing.
Just 2:52 after Pastrnak's goal, Jake DeBrusk tipped home a Pastrnak pass on the power play to pull the Bruins even. The Bruins outshot the Jets 16-6 in the middle frame, but tied after 40 minutes wasn't a bad spot to be, especially at TD Garden.
"That's the best team in the league right now and we battled them right until the end," said Bowness. "Our guys worked very hard tonight, they did, they battled hard. That's all you can ask."
Boston kept the pressure up in the third, and it led to Nick Foligno's slot shot with 8:52 to go. He converted on a pass from Charlie Coyle, notching his sixth of the season and ultimately putting the Bruins up for good.

Hellebuyck finished the night with 36 saves on 39 shots.
"I called him in the summer and said we're going to make life a little easier for you and protect you a little better, which we're doing," said Bowness. "We're giving up more outside shots and doing a much better job, other than their third goal tonight, of protecting the front of the net. And he make the big saves when we need them."
Connor's chance with roughly five seconds to go was Winnipeg's best chance to tie it, but the Bruins improved their record on home ice to 18-0-2 with the win.
Sure, the Bruins don't have a single player on injured reserve while the Jets are without Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, Nate Schmidt, Saku Maenalanen, Mason Appleton, and Logan Stanley, but that wasn't being used as an excuse on the Jets side.
Scheifele acknowledged that the Bruins started the season with a depleted line-up, and Dillon echoed that, stating that raised the stakes even more for the Jets.
"(The Bruins) are very fortunate to be healthy right now. We looked even more about this had to be a good test for us, kind of (show) our resiliency through the lineup," said Dillon. "I thought we played well, it's frustrating to not get a point."
The Jets now have to regroup to take on the Washington Capitals on Friday night, in the final game before the holiday break.
"We have three days off coming up. We have to leave it all out there," said Scheifele. "We didn't play Washington the greatest the last time we played them. We have to look for a rebound and keep on battling."