Jets shut out Capitals, keep them from extending Metropolitan lead

WINNIPEG -- Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0 at Bell MTS Place on Thursday.

Hellebuyck got his fifth shutout of the season, tying Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL lead.
"I love shutouts," Hellebuyck said. "Tonight, great team shutout. I definitely love that on the resume, and it's fun seeing it. … We really dictated our pace of play, and we really forced the way we wanted to play. We controlled a lot of offensive] zone time, and when we weren't we were battling extremely hard in our D-zone and allowing me to see shots, kind of keeping everything in control and to the outside."
***[WATCH: [All Capitals vs. Jets highlights]*
Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist for the Jets (33-27-6), who won for the first time in four games (1-2-1). Winnipeg is tied with the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes.
"He was fantastic," Scheifele said of Hellebuyck. "He's been fantastic for us all year. For him to get the shutout against a team like that is pretty special. It was a big win for our team. Now we have to look forward to a good game against Edmonton."

Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves for the Capitals (39-19-6), who had won two in a row and lead the Pittsburgh Penguins by four points for first in the Metropolitan Division.
"Even when there's a good goalie in there, not scoring any goals isn't going to get the job done," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "You've got to find a way to get in front of him or make them more difficult or bear down on our chances. It happens."
Dmitry Kulikov gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 6:33 of the first period with a slap shot from the point.

Connor made it 2-0 at 7:20 of the third period.
"Every game gets a little tough here, especially when you're playing teams that are scratching and clawing for points, as we are," Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. "Tonight, we get into a situation where their top line (Scheifele, Connor and Blake Wheeler) is one of the top combinations in the League, and they had [the] last (line) change and we get into some unfavorable matchups, and they were able to score the second goal."
Scheifele scored into an empty net with 1:28 remaining for the 3-0 final.
It was the second half of a home-and-home; Washington won 4-3 in the shootout on Tuesday.

They said it

"I think [Winnipeg] did a pretty good job for the most part of trying to eliminate those second chances. I think for sure though we had a couple looks, a couple pucks that were laying around. And whether their D were clearing it out or their goalie was seeing it, credit to [Hellebuyck], he played really well tonight. But we've just got to find a way to get one across there." -- Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon
"[Hellebuyck] has done an unbelievable job for us this year. He keeps doing it, and the same for [goalie Laurent Brossoit] when he comes in. So we're confident in our group, and that feels good." -- Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers

Need to know

Jets forward Patrik Laine left the game with a lower-body injury in the first period after blocking a shot with his left foot or ankle. Coach Paul Maurice said Laine did not break any bones and will make the trip for the game at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. … The Jets scored the first goal of the game for the first time in 10 games. … Scheifele has 11 points (five goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak. ... The Capitals have the most road wins in the NHL (21-10-1) but have lost four straight away from home.

What's next

Capitals:At the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)
Jets: At the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, SN360, SN1, CITY, NHL.TV)