In Winnipeg, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele both hit for doubles on Tuesday night through the first two periods of play against the Florida Panthers, en route to a 5-2 win.
The Jets improved to 16-7-1, and defeated their former coach Paul Maurice.
“He meant a lot to a lot of our careers, a big influence on a lot of our careers,” Connor said of Maurice. “And the city of Winnipeg, he was always out talking to everybody in the community. I’m sure everybody appreciated his time as well.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 39 saves in the Jets win.
“It’s a special place, isn’t it, for Jamie and I?” Maurice said. “We really appreciate it. It was good on the bench, and it was good in the stands. That was very classy, as they always are here. … It’s a great building. They’ve got a great fan base here and they appreciate the game.”
Carter Verhaeghe and Zac Dalpe were the Florida strikers in the loss.
“Winnipeg comes in waves,” Dalpe said. “Just trying to match that and ultimately beat it. It’s a tough rink to play in to begin with, so they came hard for sure.”
The Panthers dropped to 12-10-4.
Adam Lowry added a late empty-net goal for the 5-2 final.
“We’re a different team this year than we were last year,” Scheifele said. “You see the rejuvenated faces in this room. [Jets coach Rick Bowness] has been on us each and every day, whether it’s a good game or a bad game, he’s always looking to help us. … We’re being pushed and we’re being challenged to reach our full potential. That does a lot for our team.”
Sergei Bobrovsky made 14 saves in the Panthers loss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.