Jets head into three-day break with a loss to Washington

The holiday break may only be three days, but the Winnipeg Jets need every single one of them.
With six regulars out of the line-up, and playing their 13th game in 22 days (and third back-to-back in that span), the Jets fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals on Friday.
Sorry, did that say six regulars out? It was actually seven. As Cole Perfetti, who played on Thursday night in Boston, wasn't available in Washington due to an upper-body injury.
It was always going to be a tough task against a Capitals team that had won eight of their past 10, and to their credit, the Jets (21-12-1) were 6-4-0 in their past 10 coming into the night.
Still, the Jets acknowledged the Capitals are also missing some big guns in Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie.
"The fact we just went Pacific, west coast, east coast, with a stop at home in between - that's a tough week, five in seven," said Josh Morrissey, with just a small glimpse into the difficult schedule the Jets have faced - especially of late.

"The execution might not have been there the last couple of games, but I think our work ethic and compete was there," he said. "It's not an excuse, but I thought the battle level was there. We have a lot to be proud of going into this break and ready to build off it after Christmas."
Two of Washington's goals came from Alexander Ovechkin, who reached 802 career goals for his career, moving him into second all-time on the NHL list, one ahead of Gordie Howe. The Jets stayed on the ice to shake hands with Ovechkin after the final buzzer to recognize the accomplishment.
"The guys knew that was the right thing to do," said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. "That shows his perseverance and character, his work ethic. Good for him. Really. Congratulations to him. He deserves that."
Kevin Stenlund had the lone goal for the Jets. David Rittich made his third start in the past four games, making 23 saves on 26 shots.
"He's played great," said Josh Morrissey, who saw his 11-game point streak come to an end. "We'd like to give him more support and put more in so he doesn't have to make as many big saves and we can make it easier on him."
The first goal of the game was also the 801st of Alex Ovechkin's career, as he snapped it home from the right circle, beating David Rittich off the rush with 1:38 remaining in the opening period. The goal tied Ovechkin for the second-most goals all-time in the NHL.
"Obviously, you don't want it to be against your team, but he's kind of the generational goal scorer of my age," said Adam Lowry. "He's done so much to grow the game and he's a generational goal scorer of our time right now."
Sonny Milano made it 2-0 just as a Capitals power play expired in the second, converting on a Conor Sheary pass to the right side of the Jets crease with 7:14 left in the middle frame. It was Milano's fifth of the campaign, with Ovechkin picking up the secondary assist on the play.
Just prior to that goal which came seconds after a Jets penalty had expired, Adam Lowry had a shorthanded chance on a give-and-go with Neal Pionk, but Charlie Lindgren dove across and miraculously kept it out.
"If I can hit the open net it's a 1-1 game," said Lowry. "They go back down the other way, score, and make it 2-0 right away. I just think through, especially the first two periods, just the details weren't sharp as we need to be to win games."
Nic Dowd finished off a give-and-go just under four minutes into the third to give Washington a 3-0 lead, a goal that Morrissey felt changed the momentum a bit.
"It's a 2-0 game in the third and if we make it 2-1 on a couple good chances the game probably looks a bit different," he said. "They get a little more space at 3-0."
The Jets responded at the midway mark of the third, a goal that developed when Axel Jonsson-Fjallby's shot from the left wing was stopped by Charlie Lindgren, as was the rebound from Karson Kuhlman, but Stenlund came in late and tapped home the loose puck for his second of the season.

But that's as close as the Jets would get, despite firing 16 of their 26 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes.
"I don't think you can say we were tired. Our best period was the third period," said Lowry. "It's a much-needed three-day break, rest mentally and reset, come back and really look forward to that second half push."
Ovechkin's second goal of the night came into an empty net with exactly 60 seconds left.
"Just the magnitude, he passed Gordie Howe. Gordie Howe is a legend of the game," said Morrissey. "He's almost on the, potentially, the Mount Rushmore of hockey, and Ovi just passed him. It's not great when it's a minus against, obviously, but I think all players appreciate what he's meant to the game and how the game has grown from his presence, his personality, and his ability on the ice."
The Jets will use the next 72 hours to get in as much rest as possible while enjoying the holidays, with their next action coming on December 27 at home against the Minnesota Wild.