WINNIPEG — First, they gave their most prized netminder an unspecified gift in the morning.
Then, they gifted Connor Hellebuyck eight goals and a win on "Hellebuyck Night" at the Canada Life Centre on Friday night.
The line of Vlad Namestnikov, Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers had their best game of the season, accounting for five Winnipeg Jets goals in an 8-3 triumph over the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s great,” said Perfetti, who broke out with two goals and two assists. “He’s the best goalie in the league. It’s a treat to have him on your team and it’s a lot of help for us. It’s nice to put up a large number for him on his night.
“We were due for that to help him out and score for him. He’s bailed us out multiple times, so it was nice to do that for him in tonight’s game.”
Jets fans were given the opportunity to take pictures with the Vezina and Jennings Trophies, which Hellebuyck won last season, on the arena concourse.
“Whenever it’s a day like that, you’re happy,” said Namestnikov, who had one goal and three helpers. “We gave him a gift this morning and everyone was happy for him. The main thing is, we got the win today for him, and we celebrated.”
When it was announced that Hellebuyck had started his 500th NHL game, the fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted ‘Helle! Helle! Helle!” He gratefully saluted them in response.
"It's his 500th start, they wanted to make sure that everybody was at their best,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “We've got some good things going here and whenever you have those nights like that, when one of the guys is being honoured like he was, you want to be at your best. Tonight guys tried to do whatever they could.
"We haven't scored a lot of goals but there's been a lot of really good looks and I thought we were rewarded tonight."
Ehlers added two goals and an assist while defenceman Neal Pionk produced one goal and three assists.
“The guys were obviously (motivated) — a nice little gift he got from the players,” Arniel said. “All he’s done for this organization and what he means to this hockey team, for them to give him a lot of run support — four in the first period. Then obviously, he can settle in and do what he needs to do.
“At the end of the day, we want to give him some nights off and maybe give him the opportunity not to see a ton of shots and a ton of pressure against him. And we did enough obviously offensively.”
Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey also scored for the Jets, who have started a season 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.
“Obviously, we only scored one goal the last couple (of games) and we’d gotten lots of chances,” Arniel said. “Each line had their share of opportunities, but didn’t go in. Tonight, it was kind of nice to see everybody getting a reward for it. It was great to see our Namestnikov line get rewarded the way they did.”
The Jets were also 4-for-7 on the power play.
“You chase games that way and, obviously, they have a good power play, so that’s one thing we need to correct,” said Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, whose team is winless in five outings.
NOTES: It was the first time this season that Hellebuyck allowed more than one goal in a game … The Jets celebrated their 20 millionth fan during the game … They have now won 12 straight regular-season games going back to last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 18, 2024
Jim Bender, The Canadian Press