SKY’S THE LIMIT AS JETS CLINCH POST-SEASON SPOT
Win over rival Preds ensures Winnipeg’s first berth since 2015, Ken Wiebe writes.
WINNIPEG Pop the corks! The Winnipeg Jets are returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
After rallying from a two-goal deficit, the Jets punched their ticket to the post-season for the first time since 2015 by securing a 5-4 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday at Bell MTS Place.
Mark Scheifele scored the lone goal of the shootout and Connor Hellebuyck turned aside all three shots he faced to earn his 39th victory of the season.
The Jets, who have won five consecutive games and improved to 46-19-10 on the season, close out a six-game homestand against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
With the win, the Jets pulled within five points of the Predators in the chase for top spot in the Central Division and moved nine points up on the Minnesota Wild.
The five-game season series was wildly entertaining and in many ways has been a coach’s nightmare due to the number of scoring chances created by both hockey clubs.
The two teams combined for 42 goals, just one coming in the shootout, and there’s little doubt a second-round playoff meeting would be a thriller.
Although the Predators had lost consecutive games in regulation time and played the night before (losing 4-1 to Minnesota), they built a 2-0 lead before the first period was complete.
Discipline was a major issue for the Jets in the first period, as they were whistled for four minor penalties.
One of those minors resulted in a power-play marker for Kyle Turris, whose buzzer-beater came with a fraction of a second before the intermission.
Roman Josi, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis also scored for the Predators.
During the second period, the Jets fought their way back into the contest, producing two power-play goals of their own, courtesy of Kyle Connor and Dustin Byfuglien, and getting another from Bryan Little during a four-on-four situation.
It was Connor’s 29th goal of the season, moving him into a tie with Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser for the NHL rookie lead.
Connor chipped in a pair of assists to give him 50 points in 69 games this season — impressive for a guy who started his second professional season in the American Hockey League.
In the opening minute of the third period, Jets captain Blake Wheeler buried a rebound after a point shot by Joe Morrow to even the score 4-4, setting the stage for an exciting finish.
During the overtime, each team rattled a shot off the iron — one from Jets defenceman Tyler Myers with just over a minute remaining in the three-on-three session, then one from Turris in the waning seconds.
This game had a little bit of everything, including an abundance of intensity and extracurricular activity after the whistle.
It even had a disallowed goal. Jets centre Andrew Copp kicked in a rebound that would have made it a one-goal game at 8:59 of the second period.
Winnipeg forward Patrik Laine, who suffered an injury to his left ankle last Tuesday but didn’t miss any game action, was absent for several shifts in the second period after taking a stick to the face from Josi.
Laine returned before the period was over sporting a large gash on his chin.
Predators backup Juuse Saros finished with 43 saves as he gave starting goaltender Pekka Rinne a night off.
Notes: Before the game, Jets head coach Paul Maurice announced the plan for now was to shut down veteran defenceman Toby Enstrom for the remainder of the regular season because of a variety of lower-body ailments, though Enstrom is expected to be ready to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs … Tucker Poolman replaced Enstrom in the Jets lineup and suited up for the 19th game of his rookie season … The Jets agreed to terms with 2014 fifth-rounder C.J. Suess on a one-year entrylevel contract on Sunday. He also signed an amateur tryout offer to join the Manitoba Moose for the remainder of the AHL season. The 24-year-old from Forest Lake, Minn., had 22 goals and 43 points in 40 games with the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks and was a finalist for the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award.