Morrissey becomes Jets top scoring defenceman

WINNIPEG - Josh Morrissey scored at 1:49 of overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Canada Life Centre. Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi scored the other goals for Winnipeg who have points in six straight (4-0-2). Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves and has won his last three starts and has only allowed five goals against. The Jets will play Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, another game against a team they are chasing in the west.

MULTI-POINT SCHEIF

The Jets were the dominant team through the majority of the first two periods but could not find a way to beat Kevin Lankinen in the Canucks goal. But with time winding down in the second period with the Canucks up 1-0, Jonathan Toews won an offensive zone faceoff to Scheifele and he moved to the slot and beat Lankinen over the glove for his 30^th of the season. Scheifele has back-to-back 30 goal campaigns for the first time in his NHL career.

The Canucks would take the lead again 33 seconds into the third period and once again after numerous good chances the Jets found a way to beat Lankinen. On a power play late in the third, Scheifele found a wide-open Gabriel Vilardi at the side of the net and Vilardi put a couple of moves on Lankinen before tying the game at 15:12. Scheifele would finish the game with three points (1G, 2A) and has eight points in his last three games, all wins for the Jets.

“I mean, just an incredible play on his behalf, I thought Scheif did a good job of kind of dragging out the D man, and then, yeah, his hands in tight, I mean, we've seen so often.” said Josh Morrissey.

“I think he's one of the best in the league around the net. And it's a big time play at a big-time moment in that game.”

JMO PASSES BUFF

Josh Morrissey returned to the Jets lineup after not playing since Canada’s first game of the Olympics back on February 12. The Jets defenceman recorded an assist on Vilardi’s goal which pulled him into a tie with Dustin Byfuglien as the franchise’s all-time leader in scoring for defencemen. The game went into overtime and Morrissey passed his long-time friend in dramatic fashion with the winning goal.

“Obviously, he’s been out. To come back and have to get into a game like that, we wanted to ease them in but as you saw, his minutes got up there again. At the end of the day, what a great way to get the record, in a game like that. Having him back, it’s great to have," said Scott Arniel. 

"Obviously, when you’re missing your top defencemen, it puts a lot of strain in a lot of different areas. On the road trip, with all of those overtimes and not having him. He’s a difference-maker when he’s out there.”

THE NEW GUYS

Isak Rosén and Jacob Bryson made their Jets debut on Saturday night, Rosén on the right side of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist and also saw some time on the second power play unit. Bryson played on the right side with Haydn Fleury. Rosén played 11:22, had a shot on goal and a hit. Bryson finished the night playing just under 16 minutes and also added a shot and a hit.