Scheifele shines in win over Sweeney's Bruins

WINNIPEG — Mark Scheifele declined to say he was trying to prove something to Don Sweeney.

With the general manager who snubbed him when selecting players for Canada to play in the Four Nations Face-Off watching from above, Scheifele scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Jets to an 8-1 beating of Sweeney’s Boston Bruins before 12,921 witnesses at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.

“You’re just happy to play a good game,” Scheifele said. “Of course he’s the GM. But, you just want to go out there and give it your all for your team and get a win. Obviously, we needed one at home here and I thought that was a great response there by all of us.”

Scheifele not only extended his current point streak to five games this season but he extended his franchise-record home point streak to 13 games. He has scored 21 points over that span.

“I liked my game today,” Scheifele said. “Obviously, I played with some pretty phenomenal players that make some great plays. Not every night is going to go well for you, but that’s the fun part about hockey. You get to work on things every day and get better. That’s always the goal.”

Linemate Kyle Connor set Scheifele up for a one-timer in the first period. Then, Josh Morrissey set Scheifele up for another one-timer during a second-period power play to give the Jets a 3-0 lead. Scheifele then set Connor up for a key goal early in the third period, giving Winnipeg a 4-1 lead. Linemate Gabe Vilardi also scored a goal.

“Our spacing was good,” Scheifele said. “We had guys in the right spot. Obviously, some unbelievable plays. KC (Connor), JMo (Morrissey) both made great passes. It was just a solid effort. We went to the right areas and good things happened.”

Jets captain Adam Lowry enjoyed that line’s output.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Usually when they play like that, it leads to a win. They came up big for us throughout the game. Dominant shifts. Some huge goals at critical times to get us the lead and things like that.

“They’ve had a great year so far, and it kind of starts with Mark driving it down the middle. So, in order for us to be successful, he started that. That's the line we look to and that was a big performance.”

Nikita Chibrikov, Mason Appleton, Alex Iafallo, on the power play, and Vladislav Namestnikov, on the power play, scored the other Winnipeg goals as the Jets tied for their biggest output of the season.

Connor Hellebuyck also recorded his NHL-leading 18th victory this season.

Chibrikov, who was called up from the AHL's Manitoba Moose to add some grit, proved a spark from the get-go.

“He’s fun to watch,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “He’s a ball of energy. You can just see him, he’s always on the go. … He’s just a fiery kid. His engine gets running and I’m glad he got out and got a chance to be in a game like that.”

Chibrikov also had an assist.

“Chibi chips in with a couple of points and it was nice to see him get one there to kind of keep his goal-streak going in the NHL,” Lowry joked. “Young guys come in and they play with energy. They’ve provided a bit of a spark for our lineup and it’s nice to see them get rewarded.”

Chibrikov scored his first NHL goal in the last game of last season

NOTES

Speedy forward Brad Lambert was sent down to the Moose to make room for Chibrikov. … The Jets also inserted both forward David Gustafsson and defenceman Ville Heinola, who had been healthy scratches. They replaced forward Rasmus Kupari and defenceman Colin Miller, respectively. … Gustafsson had to leave the game after losing a fight late in the game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024.