WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets pushed their points streak to nine games (7-0-2) with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Canada Life Centre tonight. The Jets moved to 13-5-2 on home ice which is the second-best record in the league. Neal Pionk, Alex Iaffalo, Nikolaj Ehlers and Morgan Barron scored for the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves and remains unbeaten in regulation over his last ten starts (8-0-2). The Jets start a three-game road trip Thursday in San Jose.
LOCKING IT UP
Both goals by the Lightning came courtesy of their third ranked power play, one from Steven Stamkos and the other from Nikita Kucherov. Once again, the Jets contained the opposition five on five and were helped by Connor Hellebuyck, who was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week earlier in the day. It’s the 26th straight game Winnipeg has allowed three goals or less, which adds to their franchise record.
“We play to our structure; we stick to our systems and like I said when we break down Bucky bails us out. Everything is kind of clicking right now five on five. I kind of compare it to shooting your low golf round of the year,” said Neal Pionk.
“Like everything just clicks, you're doing everything right. That's kind of what we're doing. We're keeping them to the outside, limiting chances and playing really well five on five.”
MORE FROM FOURTH LINE
For the fourth straight game the Jets fourth line came through in a big way. In the second period trailing by one, Morgan Barron sent a pass to Brenden Dillon, who then spotted Neal Pionk moving through the slot. Dillon hit Pionk with a perfect slap pass and Pionk redirected the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game at 4:44. Barron iced things in the third period with an empty net goal to make it 4-1, the fourth straight game where either Barron, Dominic Toninato or Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has scored a goal. Toninato pushed his point streak to four games, which is a career best.
LINE JUGGLING
The Jets line of Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers didn’t have it tonight through two periods. Jets head coach Rick Bowness made the change to put Vladislav Namestnikov between Vilardi and Ehlers in the third and Scheifele between Cole Perfetti and Alex Iafallo. Namestnikov knocked down a pass from Vasilevskiy with just under five minutes remaining and spotted Ehlers in the slot, the Danish forward scored to make it 3-1 and that turned out to be the game winner.
