Jets build momentum with convincing win over Canucks

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets were hoping Tuesday night's comeback for the ages in Montreal would be the spark this hockey club needed, and they took another step in the right direction Thursday night. After erasing a four-goal deficit to stun the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime, the Jets returned home looking to carry that emotion and energy into the start of a three-game homestand. There was no shortage of confidence coming out of the Bell Centre, but the challenge was to turn one memorable night into something more sustainable.

The Jets carried the momentum from their remarkable comeback in Montreal right onto home ice, delivering a commanding performance at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg (6-8-3) struck three times in the opening period and never looked back, rolling to an impressive 6-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Dawson Mercer celebrated his first goal as a Jet with a two-point night, Kyle Connor chipped in with a pair of assists and Mark Scheifele moved to within five goals of passing Dale Hawerchuk for the all-time franchise record. Stuart Skinner turned aside 24 shots to earn his second consecutive victory as the Jets continued to build some much-needed momentum.

The Jets wasted little time getting to work, opening the scoring on their first power play of the night. At 3:49, Haydn Fleury sent a shot from the point that Alex Iafallo got a piece of, redirecting it past Leevi Meriläinen for his fourth goal of the season and a 1-0 Winnipeg lead.

The Jets weren't finished. Just 14 seconds later, Winnipeg's fourth line struck again when Cole Koepke fired a shot toward the Vancouver net that managed to sneak underneath Meriläinen and across the goal line. Suddenly, the Jets had a 2-0 lead and had the Canucks on their heels.

Vancouver didn't take long to respond, as Liam Ohgren beat Skinner with a quick shot along the ice to cut the Jets' lead to 2-1.

At 14:04, Dawson Mercer finished off a nice setup from Cole Perfetti, beating Meriläinen for his first goal as a Jet and restoring Winnipeg's two-goal cushion at 3-1

Connor provided the spark for Winnipeg's fourth goal early in the second period with a terrific individual effort. The speedy winger drove hard to the net and got a shot away that Meriläinen managed to stop, but Neal Pionk was right there to pounce on the rebound and bury his fourth of the season, extending the Jets' lead.

Björck finally got his first NHL point at 11:36 of the second period, picking up the secondary assist on Mark Scheifele's third goal of the season. It was a nice moment for the young Swede, who helped put the Jets comfortably ahead 5-1 after 40 minutes and became the youngest Jets player at the time of his first NHL point since Ville Heinola (18 years, 215 days) on Oct. 3, 2019.

In the third period, Mario Ferraro scored his first goal since opening night when Scheifele spotted him in the faceoff circle and the defenceman found the far side of the net to make it 6-1.

The Canucks didn’t go away quietly as Brock Boeser was left wide open and skated in on Skinner and scored his sixth of the season at 15:09.

Postgame update: Reaction from head coach Scott Arniel and the Jets’ dressing room to come.