In Winnipeg, the Montreal Canadiens paid a visit to the Jets on Tuesday and were rudely sent packing with an 8-4 loss.
The decision ended a five-game win streak the Habs had put together.
“I think we self-inflicted a lot,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “I think we took four or five defensive zone penalties … There was not a lot of flow for a lot of the parts of the game. I think we’re a really good team when we can play with a little more flow off the bench.”
Mark Scheifele hit for a pair of goals, including his 20th, in the win.
“We made plays, we put it on the tape,” Scheifele said. “That’s why we ended up taking over. We made the plays when we needed to and we made them precise, and at times we weren’t as sharp as we could have been. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to make plays.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves in the Winnipeg win.
The Jets went up 4-0 in the opening period, but surrendered four straight to the Habs to find themselves tied up at 4-4 in the middle frame.
Montreal dropped to 13-34-7.
Evgeny Svechnikov, Nate Schmidt, Scheifele , and Adam Lowry scored in the first period for the 4-0 lead.
Winnipeg scored once in the second to retake the lead and three times in the third period.
Josh Anderson hit for a hat trick for the Canadiens.
“Any time you start a game like that down four goals, it’s difficult,” Anderson said. “But the guys hung in there and the way we battled back as a team and were able to tie the game, there were a lot of good things.
The Jets improved to 24-21-9.
“The good was good, but too many penalties, too many opportunities for them,” Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher said. “You can’t be sitting in the box regardless how you feel, you know? Their power play is too good to give them that many opportunities.”
Winnipeg was 4-for-6 on the power play.
Artturi Lehkonen added a single marker for the Canadiens.
Andrew Copp hit off the power play to get the Jets back in the lead, 5-4.
“Everybody knows that the power play is your top players,” Winnipeg coach Dave Lowry said. “If you are having success on the power play, usually your top players are dialed in. And for us, that was the case tonight.
Scheifele scored his second in the final frame to make it 6-4.
“I saw the way that he was turned and just a cagey play,” Scheifele said. “You can tell their game has changed a bit. They’re on the puck, they swarm, they make you make plays. You can’t just throw your mess to someone else. You’ve got to make a play, you’ve got to handle the puck, you’ve got to get it under control quick and you’ve got to make a play. You’ve got to do it fast.”
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Paul Stastny added power play goals in the third to make the 8-4 final.
“That was a crazy game, a lot of back and forth,” Dubois said. “Tonight, to keep going and not panic too much feels really good. At this point of the year, we’ll take the two points and be happy with it. We did a lot of good things. I think it’s a game we can use to build off.”
Sam Montembeault got the start for the Habs, he yielded seven goals and made 16 saves before getting the hook in the third period.
Andrew Hammond made six saves in the mop up role.
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