Jets clinch playoff spot with shutout win over Predators

WINNIPEG -A player's first NHL hat trick is always memorable, but to help the team clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the same time?
That makes it even better.
Kyle Connor knows what that feels like. His three-goal performance paved the way to a 5-0 Winnipeg Jets win over the Nashville Predators, ensuring the Jets will play past game 82 for the second consecutive season.
The fact it was Connor's first career hat trick surprised Blake Wheeler.

"First one? I've been giving you back-door tap-ins for two years you've finally got a hatty!" Wheeler joked with Connor, who was still untying his skates a couple stalls over.
"That's actually surprising. I would have thought he had one before that. A job well done by him. He's a guy we rely on for offence and he scored a huge goal to get us going," Wheeler said of Connor.
"Hard work pays off. He's been on the puck all year. He's only two years into this thing but it's still a surprise it took him that long to get a hat."

Connor now has 32 goals and 61 points - both of which are new career-highs. His line mate Kevin Hayes also scored in the win and added assists on all three of Connor's goals.
Andrew Copp rounded out the Jets scoring, while Connor Hellebuyck was stellar in goal making 32 saves for his second shutout in as many starts.
"I did my job when I was needed," said Hellebuyck, who now has 14 shutouts in his career, but he gave all the credit to the players in front of him on this night.
"They were phenomenal," Hellebuyck said. "They were getting their sticks on everything, they were blocking shots, they were controlling the pace of play. Our details were right tonight."
The victory gives the Jets a four-point lead over the Predators for top spot in the Central Division with a game in hand.
At 45-26-4, the Jets have wins in five of their last six games and got just the response they wanted following a tough loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to wrap up a road trip on Thursday.
"I was worried about this one coming off the west coast," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "This is our toughest stretch. Where would the emotional level be? The fans didn't give you a chance not to be wired. You could feel it on the bench. It was great."

The Predators looked to have opened the scoring in the second, but video review showed Calle Jarnkrok's deflection of Mattias Ekholm's point shot was the result of a high-stick.
That kept the game scoreless, but not for long.
Connor took a pass from Hayes at full speed entering the Nashville zone, dangled around P.K. Subban and with one final stretch, flipped backhand over the left pad of a stretching Pekka Rinne.
The highlight reel marker was Connor's 30th of the season, the second consecutive year he's hit that mark.
"It was a regroup and Myers hit Hayes in the middle and I was coming with a lot of speed," said Connor. "I think PK was a little flat-footed. I tried to take advantage of that and make a little move. I went to the backhand and tried to get that one in."
The Jets increased that lead to two thanks to Copp not giving up on a puck. His first chance came when Matt Hendricks sent a wrist shot right off Rinne's pad to Copp, who misfired on the initial chance. But as the puck went to the corner, Copp spotted Rinne out of position and banked it off him for his 11th of the season.

Hayes added to that lead with 4:19 left in the middle frame, spinning and firing a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Rinne short side.
"We had a real good effort. Everybody did their job and played hard," said Maurice. "Each line looks different, they have different roles. They played hard. I'm happy for them."
That wrapped a second period that saw the Jets outshoot Nashville 19-9. Overall, Winnipeg held a 35-20 edge in shots over the final 40 minutes.
"We had four lines and six D all over them all night. That's a real weapon for us," said Wheeler, who had five shots on goal in 19:04 of ice time. "We have four capable lines that can just feed off one another. If we can play at that tempo, we're tough to play against."
In the third, Connor finished a 2-on-1 with Hayes using a quick deke in front of Rinne for his second of the night, then capped off the hat trick with nine seconds left in regulation - blasting home a one-timer off a pass from Patrik Laine.
"That whole play starts with my line mates. They were joking that they were looking for me on that last shift. Patrik made a great pass," said Connor.
"He's a very underrated passer. I don't think that gets enough recognition. It's been really fun playing with him."
The hat trick goal sent Bell MTS Place into a frenzy, the perfect end to a night that brought a playoff-like atmosphere that didn't go unnoticed.
"That was a little bit of a different buzz than we've had in the building all year," said Wheeler. "Everyone was fired up for this one. We fed off that. I thought it was our best game of the year."