Jets riding nine-game win streak in search of NHL-best 41st victory
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The Winnipeg Jets picked up right where they left off after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, defeating the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night for a franchise-record ninth straight victory.
Winnipeg trailed 3-2 in the late stages of third period before Gabe Vilardi equalized with just 28 seconds remaining in regulation. They would go onto complete the comeback bid with a 4-3 win in a shootout.
The Jets’ current win streak is the longest one in the NHL this season, with the team outscoring opponents 39-19 during that stretch.
“There’s that never quit mentality kind of thing,” said forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who inked a two-year, $6 million extension with the club prior to the game Saturday. “As the group stays together more, you learn how to win those kind of games.
“We’ve been down a lot this year and you’ve never felt out, so we kind of build and don’t give up on games and we just keep going.”
The Jets were without Connor Hellebuyck and Josh Morrissey in their first game following the break, but the pair are expected back in the lineup as Winnipeg looks for their league-best 41st win as they host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Hellebuyck started in net three times for the United States during the 4 Nations, posting a 2-0-1 record with a .932 save percentage and 1.59 goals-against average.
Morrissey played in all three round-robin contests for Canada, but was held out of the championship game with an illness.
He was joined on the sidelines for the final by Jets teammate Kyle Connor, who was made a healthy scratch for the Americans in the 3-2 overtime loss.
“It was frustrating,” said Connor on not playing against Canada. “I felt I could have made an impact. The tournament, personally, wasn’t what I forecasted when stuff like that happens…obviously they went a different route.”
Connor responded to the scratch by recording a primary assist on Vilardi’s tying goal before scoring the shootout winner on Saturday. He also accounted for 10 of his team’s 28 shots on net in 22:35 of ice time.
The 28-year-old forward has scored 30 goals and 70 points through 57 games played, with both totals ranking sixth in the league this season.
“It’s a learning experience, something that just motivates you to get better,” he said. “You get back on that stage and you just know that you can make a difference.”
Head coach Scott Arniel touched on the value of having his players competing in a best-on-best tournament as the Jets look for a strong finish to the regular season before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin in April.
“[Hellebuyck, Morrissey, and Connor] getting playoff experience in February, playing in games that have the magnitude of what you’re going to see come game 83 and on, that’s what I was hoping for,” he said.
“Number one, I was hoping they all came back healthy. But number two, it was playing in those heavy moments, pressure moments.”
After Monday’s game, Winnipeg heads on a two-game road trip for contests against the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators.