Jets lock down second in Central, to host Avs in first round Jets win seventh straight to grab home ice in first round

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In Winnipeg, the Jets continued their late season surge with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. The win locked down the second seed in the Central Division.

Kyle Connor hit for a double in the Jets win.

“For everybody here and in our team game, we know what it takes to win,” Connor said. “We kind of found ourselves an identity and I feel like we missed that last month and [we are] really, really, showing what it takes to win.”

The Jets now host third seeded Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets will hold home ice for the series.

“[It’s] nice to get it out of the way in this game,” Connor said of clinching home-ice advantage. “I thought we stuck with it, you know, ups and downs in the game. No matter what we stuck up for each other, supported each other when we didn’t make the plays that we needed to, and just a kind of gritty win there to pull it out.”

Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves in the win.

The Jets finished their campaign at 51-24-6 off their seventh straight win.

“That was something that was our objective once we got later on in the season — OK, we have a shot at getting home ice, let’s go for it,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “Give the guys a lot of credit, they buckled down and we got it. I think it’s important for us to be able to do that.”

Connor potted his first of the night midway through the opening stanza, to give the Jets a 1-0 lead, scoring off a pass from below the goal line.

“I see [Connor] skating really well at both ends of the ice. He really is,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “That tells you that he’s engaged in the game. There have been some great back checks. I know he’s scoring goals and creating things, but watch how hard that he comes back. When you see that in your player, you know that you’re totally engaged and he’s an elite offensive player, that when he’s engaged in the game, he’s going to get those opportunities and he’s going to bury them.”

Seattle replied with a strike by Tomas Tatar at 18:38, scoring off a shot from the right circle.

“I think we just kept pushing,” the Kraken’s Oliver Bjorkstrand said. “I think we played a pretty good game. I think we’re close, so some good things.”

Connor collected his double with six seconds left in the first for a 2-1 lead headed to the middle frame.

“[Morrissey] made a great pass there,” Connor said. “The way they defend with the center release, I just kind of get lost a little bit behind them, and I think everybody just thought [Morrissey] was shooting that one. He did a really good fake and found some free ice down there.”

The Kraken dropped to 33-35-13.

“Our entire team fought hard tonight,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “Regardless of anything else, we’re in a situation where we’ve dug out of a two-goal deficit [and] got ourselves back to even. We take a careless penalty and that’s the difference in a hockey game like this.”

In the middle frame,Nikolaj Ehlers  pushed the advantage to 3-1 at 2:30, scoring off an errant puck in the crease.
“[We are] very close, I mean, the last few games have been great,” Ehlers said. “But a lot of the game today, besides the second period, was really good. The second period, we play like that in the playoffs, it’s not going to be very good. But it’s also not horrible to take that period, look at it and talk about it. So I think we’re close, but no matter how close we get it’s never going to be perfect. And we’ve got to keep working out our game.”Seattle rallied back with a pair of goals to tie the game, 3-3.

Yanni Gourde trimmed the deficit to 3-2 at 5:11, scoring off a deflection.

“Obviously they’re a good team,” Seattle’s  Tye Kartye said. “I think it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’ve got to bring that every night. It’s a good team over there and it was a pretty good effort by us.”

Kartye then tied the game, 3-3, at 18:13, scoring off a 2-on-0 rush up ice.

“He works hard, he battles, and on top of that he makes plays and creates chances,” Bjorkstrand said of Kartye. “It helps when he’s out there battling and hitting guys. It creates momentum for the team. He does that well and it opens up space for his linemates. … It’s good, and he’s only going to get better.”

Tyler Toffoli   scored off the power play at 11:40 of the third period. He scored off  backhand for the winner.

Philipp Grubauer made 20 saves in the loss.

“We did a heck of a job for the first minute and 50 of the (penalty) kill, but they found a spot inside and found the game-winner on that,” Hakstol said. “But in terms of compete and battle level and level of focus, there’s always going to be mistakes made. But our ability to work and stay in the fight, stay in the battle and stay consistent was good tonight.”