Comrie thrilled to be back in net helping unbeaten Jets soar

WINNIPEG — Eric Comrie was glad to help keep the good times rolling for the Winnipeg Jets.

The backup goaltender made 39 saves in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday that kept the Jets the NHL’s only unbeaten team with five wins in as many games.

“It’s awesome,” Comrie said of picking up his first win after Connor Hellebuyck was given a rest following four consecutive starts.

“The team played great in front of me so that made it really easy on myself.”

Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Vladislav Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter, into an empty net, scored for Winnipeg.

Nikolaj Ehlers, Colin Miller and Josh Morrissey each contributed two assists in front of 13,760 fans at Canada Life Centre.

Appleton, who also had an assist, credited Comrie with being sharp when needed.

“(The Penguins are) a veteran team who capitalize on turnovers and lulls like that,” Appleton said. “They obviously had their pushes, but Coms did a great job of slowing their momentum down.

“If he didn’t make some of those saves, I don’t know if we’re winning that game.”

Comrie, 29, is in his third stint with the Jets, who drafted the Edmonton product in 2013 in the second round (59th overall).

He spent three seasons with the organization starting in 2016. He then went to the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils, returned to Winnipeg for one season and played for the Buffalo Sabres the past two seasons.

Sunday was Comrie’s 58th NHL game, and first start for the Jets since April 2022.

“He was great,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “Those first two (Pittsburgh) goals were open nets, kind of our breakdowns that led to that.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to need to rely on him lots this year because of the Four Nations Cup and the compact schedule that we have. I really liked what we saw. He seems composed. There were a lot of scrambles around him, pucks around, and he found a way to find those loose pucks. It was great to see.”

Pittsburgh (3-4-0) got a pair of goals from Lars Eller and one from Kevin Hayes.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 31 shots for the Penguins, who began a four-game road trip.

He was the third different starter in as many games. Tristan Jarry (healthy scratch) had started last Wednesday’s game against Buffalo but was pulled in favour of rookie Joel Blomqvist, who got the nod to start Friday’s game against Carolina. Nedeljkovic was called up from a conditioning stint in the AHL to start against the Jets. All three goalies are on the road trip.

“You worry about what you can control, do your best and put yourself in a good situation mentally to have success, and when your name’s called you try to make the most of your opportunity,” Nedeljkovic said.

“Joel’s been playing really well, he’s been keeping us in games and he’s been deserving of the net. At this level that’s what’s going to happen. Whoever’s playing well and winning games, or giving us a chance to win consistently, is going to get the net.”

There was no scoring in the first period, but the teams combined for five goals in the second.

Hayes, on the power play, and Eller made it 2-0 five minutes into the game. The Jets replied with three goals from Connor, Scheifele and Namestnikov in the final eight minutes of the period.

After Eller’s second goal made it 3-3 at 1:39 of the third, Lowry and Appleton scored just over three minutes apart and Niederreiter sealed it with an empty-netter at 17:30.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Former Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little skated onto the ice with players before puck drop and was honoured for his contributions to the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise.

The popular centre, Atlanta’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2006 NHL draft, signed a one-day contract last month to retire as a Jet after playing his entire 843-game career with the organization.

Fans and players cheered loudly during a video tribute and ceremonial puck drop, when Little’s wife and daughter dropped the puck between Little and Penguins star Sidney Crosby.

Little suffered a career-ending ear injury after being hit by a puck shot by Ehlers in a November 2019 game against New Jersey. His contract was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in March 2022. His rights were then transferred to the new Utah hockey Club earlier this year and the contract expired July 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2024.