Jets resiliency on display in overtime win in Dallas

There was skill, controversy, resiliency, and a whole lot of drama in the latest Central Division clash between the Winnipeg Jets (12-6-1) and Dallas Stars on Friday night.
A 4-2 Jets lead late in the third turned into a 4-4 tie, thanks in large part to a Jason Robertson goal with Connor Hellebuyck lying face down without a mask on, after Jamie Benn and Josh Morrissey's battle for positioning caused a collision with the Jets goaltender.
The goal was reviewed, counted, and resulted in a whole lot of head shaking on the Jets bench.
"You count on the guys to have pride and to bounce back," said head coach Rick Bowness.
In overtime, Morrissey - just as he did against Carolina earlier this week - made sure the Jets left the building with two points, snapping the game-winner between the legs of Jake Oettinger after pulling away from Robertson 34 seconds into the 3-on-3.
Game, set, match. Jets win 5-4.

"J-Mo is an elite skater so you get him into open space, he's a handful," said Blake Wheeler, who assisted on the game-winner. "He's scored a couple of big goals for us the last few games and that was a big moment."
Especially big given how the game got there. Morrissey, who now has three game-winners this season - tied for the league lead among defencemen - felt the group did well to rebound after Robertson's tying goal with 20 seconds left in regulation - and the controversy surrounding it.

"What are you going to do at that point? You have to pull your lip off the ice and get skating again," said Morrissey. "No time to be upset. Thankfully we did and found a way to get two points."
The way to those valuable two points included being a much better team than the Jets were in Minnesota in the road trip opener.
They were outshot 16-6 in the first period that night, but wasted no time in getting started on Friday.
Wheeler - who became the franchise leader in games played on Friday at 844 - spotted Cole Perfetti entering the Dallas zone with speed. Wheeler put it on Perfetti's tape, and he drove in alone, and tucked a neat backhand past Oettinger to make it 1-0 less than 90 seconds in. Perfetti's first tally since October 28 was his fourth of the campaign.

Stars forward Wyatt Johnston tied it 26 seconds later on a rebound from a Benn shot, but the Jets answered back with just 5:46 gone in the first. Adam Lowry took advantage of a loose puck off a Mikey Eyssimont forecheck, and slid it cross crease to Jansen Harkins who made no mistake for his first of the campaign.
"We knew we had to be ready," Morrissey said. "We have a lot of pride and we've committed to playing a certain style of game this year. We didn't do that in Minnesota. If you're not up for a game against a team that we're chasing and trying to catch in the standings, a division rival, that was huge."
Yet again, Dallas (12-5-4) would come back. With Brenden Dillon in the box for tripping, the Stars' second-ranked power play went to work. Benn got to his own rebound and flipped home his 10th of the season to tie things back up before the midway mark of the first.

In the second, Lowry's line went to work again 8:04 into the second. Off a strong cycle, the Jets got it back to the point for Dylan DeMelo. His point shot was redirected into the slot by Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, and Lowry swatted it into the back of the net for his fourth of the season and a 3-2 Jets lead.
DeMelo was making his return from an upper-body injury that kept him out of the last four games, and finished with two assists in 23:45 of ice time on a pairing with Morrissey.
"He was outstanding tonight," Bowness said. "Very reliable, moved the puck really well. He's a good partner for (Morrissey), they've played together a long time. I loved Mel's game tonight."
Kyle Connor pushed the Jets lead to 4-2 with 8:39 remaining in regulation, flicking home a perfect backhand saucer pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois for his seventh of the campaign, and fourth goal in his last five.

But the Stars, who scored five unanswered two nights ago against Chicago to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 win, weren't done yet.
Robertson scored his first of the night with 2:12 remaining on a floating wrist shot from the point just as a Nate Schmidt interference penalty expired.
Then, with 20 seconds left, he finished off a passing play that went from Benn below the goal line, to Tyler Seguin just outside the crease, to Robertson at the top of the circle, to the back of the empty net - with Hellebuyck laying motionless.
The NHL Situation Room weighed in, and upheld the goal.
"I don't see a reality where the goalie can have no helmet on and a goal be allowed three seconds after," Morrissey said. "He's lying on the ice without a helmet on in front of the net. If he takes a shot off the face that's an extremely dangerous situation. So it's pretty cut and dry to me."
So for the second time in a week, the Jets had to rally after giving up a multi-goal lead late in the third.
Morrissey came to the rescue, taking a pass from Wheeler after a turnover in deep in the Jets zone, and flying up ice past Robertson to finish off the 5-4 win.
"He was flat out flying. He's just been great for us all year," Bowness said of Morrissey. "And when you get him into a foot race, then look out. He's just been outstanding for us all year. That was pretty exciting. You could just see him pulling away, and you knew he was going to get a shot away."
The Jets close out the road trip on Sunday in Chicago.