WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets may be silencing some of their critics — at least in the early stages of this National Hockey League season.
Kyle Connor scored 51 seconds into overtime to lift the Jets to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, marking the first 3-0 start to a season in franchise history.
“It’s awesome. It’s great. Listen, I didn’t know that. Great to hear,” new Jets head coach Scott Arniel said of the accomplishment.
“We’ll move on. Hopefully, it’s four (wins next).”
Winnipeg finished fourth overall in the league last season with a 52-24-6 record, but were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Colorado Avalanche.
Not many fans and hockey pundits had Winnipeg hitting the highs they reached last season because of veteran players who moved on such as forwards Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, defenceman Brenden Dillion and backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit.
But the Jets have come out of the gates swinging.
There was the season-opening 6-0 victory over the Oilers in Edmonton, followed by Friday’s 2-1 overtime win at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The stars of the show so far have been centre Mark Scheifele and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who signed identical seven-year deals last year with an average value of $8.5 million per year. The contracts kicked in this season.
Scheifele scored his fourth goal of the season against the Wild and added an assist in his 800th NHL career game. He leads his team with six points in a three-game point streak of four goals and two assists.
“He’s just playing at an elite level,” Arniel said of Scheifele. “When your best players can be your best players, that’s not just him. There’s a lot of guys playing at a high level right now.
“That’s good, because it’s gotten us out of the gate here. We don’t know how the season is ever going to start, so as a head coach I’m happy the best players are up and running. It just helps us to have success.”
Connor, who notched his 11th career overtime goal, said Scheifele has had an impact on his career and his teammates.
“It seems like he’s getting better every year,” Connor said. “The way he takes care of his body, it’s been a real privilege to have a front-row seat to watch him grow and the mentorship he’s had on everybody in this room, pushing to get better, striving.”
Scheifele was Winnipeg’s first pick in the 2011 draft (seventh overall) after the Atlanta Thrashers were bought and moved to become the Jets 2.0 version.
His goal against Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson was one players and the 12,916 fans at Canada Life Centre will remember for a long time.
With the Wild up 1-0 on Jake Middleton’s goal at 4:06 of the opening period, Hellebuyck was pulled with 2.9 seconds remaining in the period to add an extra attacker in Minnesota’s end.
Jets centre Adam Lowry won the faceoff against Matt Boldy and sent the puck back to Scheifele, who fired it under Gustavsson with 1.5 seconds left for the 1-1 tie and his 301st career goal.
‘I like the mindset that you’re going to push, you’re going to go for it,” Lowry said. “You put a little bit of risk, but it’s a calculated risk.”
Minnesota head coach John Hynes agreed the play was a rare success.
“It doesn’t happen often, but I think if you look at it, it was really kind of just a bang-bang play,” Hynes said.
“So if that faceoff didn’t go clean right back and set on it, it doesn’t do it. Probably 99 per cent of the time, if a guy like (Wild forward Ryan Hartman) goes down to block it, it gets blocked. It was a well-executed play and it worked out.”
Hellebuyck has also opened the season with stellar play.
He made 26 saves against the Wild and has only allowed two goals on 83 shots over his three starts.
“Phenomenal,” Scheifele said of Hellebuyck. “He’s amazing. He truly is special.
“I am very, very lucky to be on his team this long and another seven years. That’s another guy I am very thankful for.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press