The Winnipeg Jets are on the verge of doing one thing they’ve by no means completed earlier than.
Due to one more exemplary efficiency in a 4-0 win in Dallas Thursday evening, the Jets want to choose up only one level of their remaining three video games to clinch the primary division title within the historical past of NHL hockey in Winnipeg.
Each groups had a couple of probabilities to attain throughout a fast-paced, bodily first interval earlier than the Jets broke the ice with lower than two minutes to go.
Because the Jets broke the puck into the Dallas finish, Adam Lowry dropped the puck off to Josh Morrissey for a one-timer that Nino Niederreiter deflected previous Jake Oettinger, opening the scoring on the 18:37 mark of the primary.
Winnipeg wound up outshooting the Stars 13-10 via 20 minutes.
The Jets doubled their lead on the 3:37 mark of the second. After the Winnipeg have been known as for icing, they have been capable of corral the puck off the following faceoff and their fourth line broke the puck out up the ice.
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Morgan Barron made a transfer on the Dallas blue line to elude Lian Bichsel, creating area to drive the online and beat Oettinger on the blocker aspect, harking back to the objective he scored to open the scoring towards the Blues on Monday.
Winnipeg carried the 2-0 lead into the third interval as Connor Hellebuyck turned apart all seven pictures he noticed within the center body.
The Jets needed to start the third interval shorthanded as Nikolaj Ehlers was known as for the sport’s first penalty within the dying seconds of the second however Winnipeg acquired the kill.
A terrific backcheck by the Jets’ high line led to the backbreaker with simply over six minutes gone within the third.
After Kyle Connor turned the puck over close to the Dallas blue line, he helped break up a play within the defensive zone, resulting in a nasty cross that was intercepted within the slot by Alex Iafallo. He despatched the puck up the ice the place Mark Scheifele raced to it, chipping it previous Bichsel and into the Stars’ finish the place Connor was first to it earlier than deking out Oettinger and sliding the puck into the online to make it 3-0 with 13:40 remaining.
The help for Scheifele was his eighty fifth level of the season, setting a brand new career-high whereas Connor matched his profession excessive together with his 93rd level of the marketing campaign.
A couple of minutes later, Connor set a brand new career-high in factors, scoring his fortieth objective of the season due to a terrific setup from Morrissey and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who let the cross from Morrissey undergo his legs and proper to Connor alone in entrance of Oettinger.
From there, the Jets allowed little or no to get via to Hellebuyck, who solely needed to make seven saves within the third, a part of a 24 save effort for his eighth shutout of the season. He additionally set a brand new career-high together with his forty fifth win of the season.
Whereas yet one more level by the Jets would clinch the division, any extra losses by Dallas would additionally assure the division title for the Jets, which technically wouldn’t be the primary in franchise historical past because the Thrashers gained the Southeast in 2007 earlier than getting swept within the first spherical by the Rangers.
The unique Jets didn’t win a division title in 17 seasons earlier than shifting to Arizona.
The Jets get their first crack to seal the deal Saturday night within the Windy Metropolis towards the Blackhawks. Pregame protection on 680 CJOB begins at 4 p.m. with the puck dropping a bit of after 6 p.m.
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