Stenlund embracing opportunity with Jets

WINNIPEG -The smile wouldn't leave Kevin Stenlund's face on Tuesday night.
He had just finished his fifth consecutive game with the Winnipeg Jets, a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, and his first goal of the season was one of the five shots that beat Senators goaltender Cam Talbot that night.
The goal, a rebound that Stenlund smacked out of mid-air 1:58 into the game, even came off a lost face-off in the offensive zone - something that would usually bug a centre like Stenlund.
"Sometimes it's maybe good to lose a face-off," he laughed, complimenting his linemate - David Gustafsson - for his ability to get pressure on the Ottawa defenceman right after the draw to force the turnover.
Even if that goal came from Stenlund losing the draw, there aren't many instances in which the 26-year-old product of Stockholm, Sweden has come up on the wrong end of a face-off.

In the five games he's played, he's finished below 50 percent in the dot just once - that came in Vancouver - and in the remaining four games, he's been over 60 percent twice, and those are the two most recent games.
On both of those occasions, he had the best percentage on the team. Against Nashville and Vegas, he was the second most successful in the dot.
It caught the attention of head coach Rick Bowness, who moved Stenlund up the line-up in Seattle with the Jets trying to get the equalizer on the back half of a back-to-back.
"He was winning a lot of faceoffs, that's the biggest thing," said Bowness that night. "He's been good for us. But the big thing is that he was winning all of those faceoffs and we were getting control of the puck and trying to do something with it."

Stenlund was recalled on December 11, after posting four goals and 14 points in 19 games with the Manitoba Moose.
He picked up an assist in his first game as a Jet against Vegas, and his goal against Ottawa was his first in the NHL since March 18, 2021, when he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"It's been fun to just be out there and play," Stenlund said. "I want to help the team the way I can. Obviously, just fun to be here."
Stenlund played 71 games with Columbus between the start of the 2018-19 campaign through the 2021-22 season. In that time, he scored 11 times and had 20 points, but was kept off the scoresheet in three games last year.
That was a frustrating year for Stenlund, who dealt with a knee injury that was fixed with surgery in the off-season.
He signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Jets on July 13, and after training camp, was assigned to the Manitoba Moose to start the season.
"We're seeing things now that we didn't see in training camp," said Bowness. "So, compliment to him and I give Mark Morrison and his staff a lot of credit for getting him turned around and coming up here and doing a good job for us."

Bowness added Stenlund to the line-up when he was looking to change things up a bit on Winnipeg's fourth line. The last three games, the all-Swedish trio of Stenlund, Gustafsson, and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has played 23:07 at five-on-five (according to Natural Stat Trick) and have held just under 56 percent of the shot attempt share, while holding a 3-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances.
The secret weapon, along with work ethic, might just be all the Swedish they speak on the ice together.
"Talking to each other in Swedish makes it easier," Stenlund smiled. "On the face-offs we talk whoever goes high, low. Obviously, not sure if any of the guys on the other team know Swedish. Just fun."
With all the injuries to the Jets forwards, it's not just five-on-five play that Stenlund has seen. He's been on the second power play unit and has put in work on the penalty kill.
So when all his hard work resulted in his goal song playing loudly through Canada Life Centre, Stenlund was proud.
Perhaps even more so because it was Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA - a band from back home in Stockholm.
"Feels like back home. It's nice," he said. "I want to contribute and help the team win. So it was a nice feeling."