In Winnipeg, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor scored to give the Jets a 2-0 lead in the first period over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
Winnipeg added three more goals in the middle frame enroute to a 7-3 win.
“I think we’re confident with the puck right now and we’re making some plays,” Wheeler said. “We’re starting to get out of our zone a little bit faster, and that’s sparking some of our transition game and allowing us to use some of our skill, use some of our speed. … We haven’t accomplished anything, still a long ways to go.”
The Jets moved to 28-23-10.
“It’s amazing what happens when you have a shooter’s mindset and you have a skill set that Connor has,” Winnipeg coach Dave Lowry said. “He doesn’t pass up opportunities to put the puck at the net. When I say that, he also has an innate ability to make plays. But he’s much like [Nikolaj Ehlers]. When they think like shooters, they’re pretty effective players.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves. in the Jets win, their fourth in five matches.
Alex Pietrangelo, Michael Amadio, and Nicolas Roy scored for Vegas.
“Getting down early in games, it’s tough playing comeback hockey,” Pietrangelo said. “I think our special teams hasn’t been great. If we get those two things on the same page, I think we’ll have a little bit more success. … We need a little bit more emotion right now. I mean, it’s this time of year. Leading into the playoffs you need that emotion.”
Vegas has lost five straight.
“Just didn’t get in front of enough pucks,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. “It’s pretty simple. I’m not a goaltending expert, but you’ve got to get in front of a couple. … I thought we battled for 60 minutes, right to the buzzer. We gave ourselves a chance right until the end, so I had no problem with our effort tonight.”
The Golden Knights dropped to 32-26-4.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele,and Logan Stanley scored in the middle frame for the Jets to give them a 5-1 lead.
“When we have the opportunity to put pucks off the net, that’s usually a good indication that we’re playing the right way, we’re playing in the offensive zone and we’re creating opportunities,” Lowry said. “Sometimes it’s human nature when you have high-skill athletes that they’re going to look for the next play.”
“I wouldn’t say I work on that one too much,” Stanley said. “I made a shot and luckily it went in.”
Vegas cut it to 5-3 before the end of the period.
In the third period, Josh Morrissey hit for a power play goal for a 6-3 lead, and Adam Lowry popped in a shorthanded breakaway for the 7-3 final.
“[Connor is] one of the premier goal-scorers in the league, and I think everyone’s starting to really take notice,” Adam Lowry said. “He’s a guy that can score in a variety of ways. He’s so quick, his release is so deceptive, and he just finds the areas and the puck just seems to find him. He can beat you. He doesn’t need a lot of time, he doesn’t need a lot of space. He’s hot right now, and hopefully that continues.”
Laurent Brossoit yielded four goals and made nine saves before the getting the hook in the middle frame.
Logan Thompson made seven saves in the mop up aisle.
“They’re very effective with the chances they get,” Vegas’ William Karlsson said. “I’m proud that we didn’t just quit playing. We gave it a try. We managed to score two goals and make it a little bit of a game. Unfortunately, they get (it) to 6-3.”
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