Scheifele and Connor each score twice in Jets win over Panthers

WINNIPEG -For the last two games, the Winnipeg Jets have been in search of a strong start.
They got it against the Florida Panthers, and with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor scoring twice each to lead the way, the Jets earned a 5-2 win to close out a four-game home stand.
"We just came in with the right mentality," said Connor, who now has 10 goals on the season. "It was on us to come out and I thought we responded really well."
In addition to the multi-goal efforts from Connor and Scheifele, Adam Lowry also added an empty netter and Pierre-Luc Dubois chipped in with three assists as the Jets improved to 16-7-1 and a tie for top spot in the Central Division.
"You want to be here fighting for first or you want to be here fighting for your life and the guys are enjoying that fight for first place," said head coach Rick Bowness. "That's what we're here for and we talked about that today."

That, and a bit of a revamped morning skate and meeting structure on Tuesday, seemed to be exactly what the Jets needed to hit the ground - or ice, in this case - at full speed.
"Each line did it to pretty much perfection," said Scheifele. "We were hot off the start and that led into the rest of the game. We have to keep that mentality and bottle it up for each and every game. That was a good template for a good start."

Scheifele's team-leading 14th goal opened the scoring, as he cashed in on Winnipeg's second power play of the first period. Josh Morrissey's shot hit Dubois in the slot, and Dubois made a slick pass to Scheifele in front of Spencer Knight and Scheifele did the rest, tucking it home on the forehand at 13:20 of the first.
It was the first of two power play goals on the night, and the Jets now have goals on the man advantage in five straight games - going 7-for-19 in that span.
"There was a lot more movement today. (Assistant coach) Brad (Lauer) has spent a lot of time with them on just getting them moving more," said head coach Rick Bowness. "We're not stationary, getting the puck and dusting the puck off, and then passing it. That's too easy to kill."
After Florida answered with a power play marker from Carter Verhaeghe, the Jets came right back 17 seconds later as Connor's snap shot from the left circle squeaked through Knight on the stick side to put the home side back in front with 5:22 remaining in the opening period.

The Jets carried that momentum into the second, as Connor netted his second of the night just 1:43 into the middle frame. This time, he beat Knight five-hole after he and Dubois forced a turnover in the Florida end. That goal made it 3-1, and was the end of the evening for Knight, who was pulled after allowing three goals on 15 shots.
The goal was a prime example of what the Jets want to see from their forwards. A strong forecheck, and an even better reload after a change of possession, resulted in the turnover that led to the goal.
"I thought Mikey (Eyssimont) did a great job getting in on the forecheck. He's been like that all night," said Connor. "I just had a little speed and was over top the defender there and kinda stripped the puck. Dubie made a great pass. I had a little open ice and just tried to get it to the net."
Scheifele and Connor helped finish off a beautiful passing play 11:50 later, with two seconds left on a Josh Mahura penalty, as Nate Schmidt spotted Connor on the right wing boards near the hashmarks. Without hesitation, Connor snapped it into the slot for a streaking Scheifele, who pounded it between the legs of Sergei Bobrovsky for his second of the night and a 4-1 Jets lead.

That gave Scheifele 15 goals on the season and the Jets a 4-1 lead, but they were outshot 25-8 in that middle frame, which was Hellebuyck's busiest.
But the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner was up to the task, stopping every single one of them.
"We bent. We didn't break. And a lot of that is Connor," said Bowness. "He's a tremendous competitor and every time he's making those big saves, you can hear the bench saying, "Way to go! Way to go!" I like that."
The Jets liked their third period a lot better, as the shots on goal were nine apiece, and outside of a Zac Dalpe converted a two-on-one rush 9:02 into the final frame.

Winnipeg responded with Lowry's empty net tally, giving him five goals on the season.
The win sent the players home happy, as well as the Canadian Armed Forces members in attendance for a night celebrating their incredible contributions to the country.
And even though the Panthers lost, ending a five-game road trip on a losing note, there was a moment to celebrate, as Paul Maurice and Jamie Kompon were given a standing ovation in their return to Winnipeg.
"Obviously he meant a lot to a lot of our careers," said Connor. "A big influence on a lot of our careers. And the city of Winnipeg, he was always out talking to everybody in the community. I'm sure everybody appreciated his time as well."