Schmidt nets first as a Jet in victory over Sharks

WINNIPEG - Nate Schmidt picked the perfect night to score his first goal as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
Not only did his one-timer from the blue line with 5:49 to go in the second period give the Jets (7-3-3) a 2-1 lead over the San Jose Sharks - a lead they wouldn't give up - it just so happened that Schmidt's parents were in the building.
"First game in Winnipeg. I could hear my mom whistling," Schmidt said laughing, adding it's a whistle he's heard for a long time.
"From when you're a kid, it's wild," he said. "It was cool."
Schmidt led the Jets in ice time at 24:44, and the goal was his 10th point of the season, which matched his total from the entire 2020-21 campaign.
Safe to say he's fitting right in.

"The scouting report I got from Pete DeBoer is he's one of the best culture guys he's ever had in his room. He's been exactly that," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.
"He's also, with all of that, a more serious player than he comes across. In practices he's going, in games he's wired up and going. He can tell a joke on the bench and go out and still be a serious hockey player."

Kyle Connor scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season in the victory, and is now third in the NHL in that category behind Leon Draisaitl (12) and Alexander Ovechkin (11).
Jansen Harkins notched his second of the season and Pierre-Luc Dubois added an empty netter to cap off a two-point night for the centre. Andrew Copp also chipped in with two assists.
It was the fourth multi-point performance of the season for both Dubois and Copp.
Dubois said - and he wasn't the only one - that a lot of the offence began in the defensive zone.
"We always talk about defending in a unit of five," he said. "That's what makes it hard for teams to play against you. It also makes it hard when you're attacking in a unit of five. To have five guys out there that are dangerous and can score, it really changes how you defend."
The Sharks capitalized on a turnover in the Jets zone to get on the board 6:28 into the first. Brent Burns picked off a Brenden Dillon outlet pass, then found Andrew Cogliano in the slot for a San Jose lead. It was Cogliano's second goal of the season.
But that was the only puck that got by Connor Hellebuyck, who finished the night with 27 saves to earn his fourth victory of the season.

Connor pulled the Jets even 5:10 after Cogliano's marker. Evgeny Svechnikov's shot from the right wing was stopped by James Reimer, but the rebound kicked out to the goaltender's right. Connor came streaking in, holding off a check from Nick Bonino, and popped in the rebound.
"As a line, we're just making simple plays in our D-zone," said Connor. "First man back, we're surrounding the puck and making it easy in that end of the ice. Once we get the puck, all three of us can skate. Personally, me too, I'm looking to move my feet a lot more. We created a lot of chances with our speed coming through that neutral zone."
That's when Schmidt's moment arrived, as he hammered a one-timer off a pass from Josh Morrissey from the point. It got through a maze of bodies and beat Reimer over the glove. Initially, he thought Blake Wheeler tipped it, but while the Jets captain didn't get a stick on it, he did provide a perfectly timed screen.
"It's something Josh and I had talked about pre-game too, that play and having him - maybe in a different context - open up the shot lane with that one-touch pass to me," Schmidt said. "It's awesome when those things come to fruition, when you talk about something before the game and it works out.
"It doesn't always happen perfectly the way you want it to, but when you draw something up and it ends up working out, that's always pretty cool."
With 44 seconds left in the middle frame, the Jets added to their lead, with Harkins finishing off a back door pass from Adam Lowry for his second of the season. The 2-on-1 developed in the neutral zone as Copp - who got the secondary assist on the goal - won a puck battle along the boards to spring Lowry, who had beat his check up the ice.
It capped off a period that saw the Jets outshoot the Sharks 13-8.

"It's a big goal. It starts in our own end. We weren't cheating trying to bust something open," said Lowry.
"It's a lot easier going into the third period with a two-goal lead. You're feeling better and you've been rewarded for some of the chances. Going into the third up 3-1, it bodes well for your chances."
The goal also helped the Jets keep their foot on the pedal in the third, as they outshot the Sharks 11-8 in the final frame, with Dubois' empty-net tally rounding out the scoring.
"You want that so you're thinking of pushing for four instead of sitting back," said Maurice. We got lots of real good zone time in the third.
"It fit with what we're trying to accomplish."
The Jets continue the home stand on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings.