Jets' top guns connect in 6-2 win over Red Wings
WINNIPEG -- Head coach Rick Bowness was glad to see a combination of good effort and good luck pay off for the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Blake Wheeler snapped a 21-game goal drought and added an assist as the Jets showed a rare explosion of offence to earn a much-needed 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
"You need some breaks," Bowness said. "Look at Mark (Scheifele's) goal. All of a sudden he's coming around the net, he knocks it in. It's there.
"We haven't had those breaks in a long time. Even that first goal, the tip (by Kyle Connor). We haven't had that luck around the net in a long time and it was good to see."
The Jets went into the match scoring three or less goals in nine consecutive games, including being shut out three times.
Bowness sent praise Wheeler's way.
"That's the best he's skated in a while," he said. "I think the goal certainly gave him a big boost. The guys were all very happy for him. It gave the whole bench a boost."
Scheifele, Connor, Dylan DeMelo and Nikolaj Ehlers also had a goal and assist for Winnipeg, which snapped a two-game losing skid and recorded the fourth win in its past nine games (4-5-0).
Nino Niederreiter scored Winnipeg's other goal. Mason Appleton and Vladislav Namestnikov both contributed a pair of assists.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 23 shots for the Jets (42-31-3), who started a season-high five-game homestand as they try to hang on to the final Western Conference wild-card playoff berth.
Jets star defenceman Josh Morrissey didn't play because he was "under the weather" but he's expected to suit up for Sunday's game against New Jersey, Bowness said.
David Perron and Joe Veleno scored third-period goals for the Red Wings (33-33-9), who were coming off a 3-2 win Thursday night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Magnus Hellberg made 23 saves for Detroit, which began a three-game road trip.
The backup netminder gave his performance the thumb's down.
"I think we had a tough start, but I don't think I showed up to help the team win today," said Hellberg, who played his 17th game this season.
"I take full responsibility for my performance tonight. It was clearly not good enough. I'm not happy with how I played."
Winnipeg led 3-0 after the first period and 5-0 following the second.
Connor got things rolling when he stuck his stick out in front of the net and redirected Brenden Dillon's point shot into the net at 6:56 of the opening period.
Wheeler notched his 16th goal of the season five minutes later when he rushed the net and used a pass from Ehlers to beat Hellberg.
Scheifele scored his team-leading 39th goal of the season, which is a career-best, at 13:34.
"Our first look was an east-west backdoor play that we weren't able to finish and their first look was a deflection that went in," Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said.
"We couldn't build any momentum throughout the night. I do appreciate the fact that we won the third period. We kind of battled and hung in there."
DeMelo's goal came off a wrist shot at 1:20 of the second period and was his fifth of the season and 23rd point, both career-highs.
Niederreiter scored with 6:18 remaining in the middle period. DeMelo picked up an assist.
Ehlers made it 6-0 at 5:07 of the third with a shot from the slot that went inside the post.
Detroit avoided a shutout when Perron scored during a power play at 10:41, followed 21 seconds later by Veleno's goal.
SLUMP BUSTERS
Bowness has been preaching offence lately and changed his top line for the game to try to spark some productive shooting.
Scheifele moved from his centre spot to right wing, with Pierre-Luc Dubois in the middle and Connor on the left.
Scheifele then notched his first goal in 10 games, while Connor recorded his third goal in his past 19 games.
"It's different, for sure," Scheifele said of the switch. "I've played centre my whole life. It's definitely an adjustment. But when you play with two good players like (Dubois) and (Connor) it makes it easy."
The last time Winnipeg scored more than three goals was in a 5-4 overtime road win against the Florida Panthers on March 11.
UP NEXT
Jets: Host the New Jersey Devils Sunday night.
Red Wings: Travel to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs Sunday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.