In front of a season-high 14,405 spectators at Canada Life Centre on Friday, the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Boston Bruins 5-1 thanks to two power-play goals and an assist from Nino Niederreiter.
The crowd, on the verge of a sellout, was electrified when Gabriel Vilardi extended his goal streak to five games, following goals from Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry.
Two times, Mark Scheifele helped the Jets (20-9-3). They are 8-1-1 in their last ten games and have scored in five of their last six games (4-0-1).
They also set a franchise record by keeping opponents from scoring three goals or less for 22 straight games.
Thanks to his 24 saves, Connor Hellebuyck concluded a four-game homestand with a 3-0-1 record. Along with his 254th career win, the seasoned goalie moved up to claim sole control of 62nd place on the NHL all-time record, surpassing Devan Dubnyk.
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At 5:38 in the third, Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo put an end to Hellebuyck’s quest for perfection.
The Jets failed to clear the ball, and Carlo’s goal smacked a Winnipeg Jets player into the net.
For the Bruins (19-6-6), who have dropped their last five games, going 1-1-3, Jeremy Swayman recorded 28 stops. Prior to Friday’s loss, Boston had defeated Winnipeg Jets six times in a row.
At halftime, Winnipeg Jets was ahead 1-0 and 3-0.
Morrissey blasted the ball behind Swayman two and a half minutes into the game, and a replay showed that his goal should have been disallowed.
But with 7.8 seconds left in the game, the defenseman scored his sixth goal of the year. He got a rebound off of Vilardi on a two-on-one rush between Vilardi and Scheifele.
Morrissey scored a goal and four assists to extend his point run to four games.
Early in the second, Boston had a power play, but Hellebuyck stopped both of their shots. Midway into the period, Winnipeg’s man advantage did not result in a shot on Swayman.
At 11:17, Vilardi scored a goal with a puck from the side of the net to make it 2-0.
In the second frame, the Jets were given another power play and a penalty shot.
Boston defenseman Parker Wotherspoon caught the puck after Vilardi threw it high from the side of the net out front, but he was punished for putting his hand inside the crease. Wotherspoon threw it toward a fellow player.
Swayman used his blocker to thwart Scheifele’s backhand attempt on the penalty shot.
With 2:29 left in the game, Niederreiter scored from the side of the net during the same power play to make it 3-0.
With 19 seconds left in the third, Niederreiter scored his second goal via penalty kick.
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