THREE THINGS: Jets lose 5-1 to Canadiens

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets dropped their final game before the Olympic break with a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Canada Life Centre. Kyle Connor scored the only goal for the Jets who go into the break with a 22-26-8 record, Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves. The Jets will be sending four players to the Olympics, Josh Morrissey (Canada), Kyle Connor (USA), Connor Hellebuyck (USA) and Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland). Winnipeg will return to action on February 25 when the visit the Vancouver Canucks.

ANOTHER ONE…

For the ninth consecutive season, Kyle Connor has reached the 25-goal milestone. The Jets were ready right from the drop of the puck, and it was Connor who opened the scoring at 6:07 of the first period. Winnipeg was on the power play, Gabe Vilardi sent a cross-ice pass that Connor snapped past Samuel Montembeault. Connor now has the second-longest active 25-goal seasons in the NHL sitting behind the Leafs Auston Matthews (10). With 29 career points in 24 games against Montreal, they are one of 15 opponents that he is at or above a point per game pace.

SMALL MISTAKES

With the game tied at one in the second period, Montreal opened up a two-goal lead in a 1:16 span. First at 5:28, Josh Anderson showed off his hand-eye coordination redirecting a Jayden Struble point shot past Connor Hellebuyck. Then at 6:44 Lane Hutson beat his check up the ice and made it 3-1 after taking a pass from Anderson and beating Hellebuyck short side.

"We talked about Montreal’s D being in the rush and gave up the one, there was a couple there where we got on the wrong side of people and they got in there with their speed game, which they do well," said Scott Arniel.

"We did a good job of containing that but in the second period we allowed them to do that a few times. Like I said, a 1:30 it was a 3-1 hockey game."

CREATED PLENTY OF CHANCES

In the end, the Jets created plenty of chances to beat the Canadiens. Kyle Connor and Logan Stanley hit goal posts, Cole Perfetti had a couple glorious scoring chances as did Vladislav Namestnikov but Samuel Montembeault played one of his best games of the season making 36 saves.

"I do think it was one of our better games offensively I would say," said Niederreiter.

"I mean we had definitely a lot of good looks, just couldn't find a way to put them in."