Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-climb-atop-western-conference-with- 7-4-win-over-golden-knights-461414913.html

Jets climb atop Western Conference with 7-4 win over Golden Knights

By: Jason Bell

The Jets are viewing life in the NHL from a vantage point totally unfamiliar to the hockey club.

Winnipeg soared to first place in the Central Division and Western Conference after registering a wild 7-4 victory over the visiting on Friday night.

Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine fired power-play goals early in the third period to spark the hosts to a 4-2 lead, while Nikolaj Ehlers also scored before the seven-minute mark for Winnipeg (16- 6-4).

The Jets grabbed sole possession of top spot in both the division and conference, a point up on St. Louis after the Blues fell 4-1 to .

Winnipeg also has the same number of points (36) as Eastern Conference leading Tampa Bay, but the Lightning, who have a game in hand and one more victory than the Jets, occupy first overall in the NHL.

But Jets captain Blake Wheeler said the team won’t spend any time on self-congratulations.

"It’s the first of December, we’re obviously pleased to have a good start, we’re pleased with the direction we’re headed. But I think the thing that’s given us success, it’s a cliché, but we have taken things day by day at practice to get better, each game to get better in certain areas. I don’t think we’ve peaked," he said.

"We have a ways to go. We’re learning how to play fast, kind of on the fly, I think we can play faster. With the way the league’s going, that’s an exciting thing. There’s no back-slapping. I think we’re enjoying winning, which is new to our group. But we’re not fitting ourselves for rings, yet."

Laine set up Connor with a pretty pass to the slot and the rookie winger scored his eighth of the year just 33 seconds into final frame to snap a 2-2 tie. Just over two minutes later, Laine netted his 12th of the year and first in five games, unleashing a hard wrist shot that glanced off a Vegas defender and Lagace high.

The Finnish-born star picked up another point on Ehlers' wrap-around marker.

Tyler Myers and Matt Hendricks scored earlier for Winnipeg, while Mark Scheifele scored a late , his 13th, and Connor chipped in an empty-netter, his second of the game and ninth of the year.

The turning point came at 9:39 of the middle frame, with the Golden Knights leading 2-1. Defenceman Colin Miller rifled a power-play goal for the visitors but the tally was eventually waved off after Jets coach Paul Maurice successfully challenged the Golden Knights were off- side on their entry to the offensive zone.

The non-goal sparked the Jets, who killed off the rest of defenceman Josh Morrissey's minor for interference and then tied the game on a bad-angle wrist shot from Matt Hendricks, his third of the year, at 13:21.

Only minutes before, Winnipeg's fourth-line centre suffered a gash along his jaw line when he took an errant skate to the face from Miller as the two tumbled together along the boards. His stay in the dressing room was brief and he returned to rip the tying goal.

Hendricks admitted he was fortunate on two fronts.

"I thought if Lagace was to drop a little early I could maybe find the upper part of the net, kind of a lucky shot," he said, describing the crucial goal. His thoughts then turned to the dangerous collision along the wall.

"It was scary, obviously, to get a skate high like that and see blood. It wasn’t terrible. Guys have come back and played with a lot worse injuries than that. I’m lucky it’s not as bad as it could be, just happy to get back out there."

Cody Eakin, William Karlsson, Erik Haula and Colin Miller scored for Vegas (15-9-1).

What happened in Vegas apparently stayed in Vegas.

While the Jets were sluggish and disengaged in their first-ever stop in Sin City against the expansion Golden Knights three weeks ago, a superior effort on home ice paid off in spades.

Winnipeg is 8-2-1 since the defeat in Vegas.

Leading 1-0 on Myers’ early power-play goal, Winnipeg sagged during the second half of the opening period but were the better team the rest of the night, out-hustling, out-shooting and, ultimately, out-scoring the Pacific Division, the real surprise of the league this season.

The overturned goal, however, will remain the critical moment of the game.

But Maurice wasn't the one who initiated the review.

"By the time it gets to me, the view that I saw I didn’t think it was off-side because I hadn’t seen one of the views. Blake Wheeler said it was and (video coach) Matty Prefontaine, who’s the first look at that had already had a minute on it… He called it offside, it’s just a different view," said Maurice.

The Jets finished 3-for-5 with the man advantage and snuffed out all four Golden Knights power-play chances.

Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves, while Lagace stopped 31 for Vegas.

The Jets host the distressed Ottawa Senators on Sunday at 6 p.m. and then depart for a three- game road trip that begins Tuesday in Detroit and includes a pair of stops in Florida against the Panthers Thursday and Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/baseball/goldeyes/laine-looking-to-shift-into-a-higher- gear-461332493.html

Laine looking to shift into a higher gear Finnish sophomore focusing on simple things to get back on track

By: Mike Sawatzky

Patrik Laine had been stuck in a cycle of limited production and playing time. On Friday, he made good on a promise to break out of his slump.

The 19-year-old Jets right-winger assisted on Kyle Connor’s go-ahead marker 33 seconds into the third period and added his 12th goal of the season on a wicked 40-foot wrister at 2:48 to give Winnipeg a 4-2 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights. Both goals came on Winnipeg’s deadly power play.

Less than four minutes later, Laine added another primary assist on Nikolaj Ehlers’ goal as the Jets rolled to a 7-4 victory.

Laine saw just 13:37 of ice time in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Avs in Denver — his second-lowest total of the season. The only lower total came on Nov. 22 when he played 12:44 in Los Angeles against the Kings. Laine was under 15 minutes in six of Winnipeg’s seven games prior to Friday’s game and was brutally self-critical when he spoke to reporters at the pre-game skate.

"I’m only doing that because I know I wasn’t playing really well," said Laine. I’m not lying to you guys when you’re asking about it. That was a good game so I’m happy.

"We were playing really well as a line for two periods but didn’t get rewarded even though we had some great chances. Our power play was really good in the third period. Nicky got a huge goal. It wasn’t a very good pass from me but he’s a great scorer and he can score on that."

Against the Knights, he registered 16:23 on the ice, including 5:29 on the power play, while leading the Jets with five shots on net.

Laine averaged 17:55 on ice during his rookie season and was down to 16:22 in the first 25 games of 2017-18. What’s more, he has only two goals and three points in his previous seven games and spent much of the third period Wednesday on the bench.

"Last game for me was tough," Laine said Friday morning. "I wasn’t on my game and I was playing pretty bad, so that’s why probably I didn’t play much. Hopefully it’s a better night tonight, and if it’s up to me, it’s going to be a good night."

The young Finn admitted he’s had conversations with head coach Paul Maurice about improvements he needs to make.

"He wants me to do certain things and I’m definitely going to do those things and try to improve my game and earn those minutes back for sure," he said, adding he’s having trouble keeping up with the speed of the NHL this year.

"My confidence is not up again, but I just try to work hard every shift. It doesn’t matter what your confidence level is; just try to work hard and do those simple things on the ice."

Maurice, meanwhile, preferred to keep his critique of Laine out of the public realm.

"It has nothing to do with Patty’s game," Maurice said when asked to explain the dwindling ice time. "It has to do with everybody’s ice time. Running those four lines over that last little bit, it’s part of the reason we’ve stayed healthy and played a pretty good game.

"The (Bryan) Little line has probably come off their numbers more than anybody from last year because the (Adam) Lowry line has an identity that I’ll use against the other teams’ best if I don’t get the (Mark) Scheifele line out there. And you can’t keep the (Matt) Hendricks line on the bench, because they’ve been too hot."

After watching Laine's three-point effort against Vegas, did Maurice believe his star sniper gets extra motivation by being tough on himself in public?

"In truth, I just think he’s incredibly honest," said Maurice. "Now, I don’t necessarily agree with his assessment. He’s very hard on himself. I’ve got more room and time and patience for his game but I think he’s really honest and he feels that’s the way he’s playing. If he’s not scoring, he feels like he’s not doing anything to help the team and it bothers him.

"He’s a very bright kid but he’s not overly filtered when it comes to the media. I think he tells you exactly how he’s feeling. If you’d have asked him the question two games earlier, he would’ve probably said the same thing."

Earlier, Ehlers discounted the sophomore slump theory.

"Everybody keeps saying the second year is the toughest year," Ehlers said. "I honestly did not (find it that way). You go through some stuff, but you’ll be doing that for the rest of your career, and he’s going through something right now. You want to call that the second year, or not playing as well as he wants to. Our line has been better over the last five games."

Ehlers believed his teammate's woes were a blip in a long season.

"It’s hard to explain," he said. "He’s a great hockey player. Maybe he’s not playing as well as he wants to right now. But as soon as he starts playing the simple, the fast game, getting pucks to the net, he’ll turn that around quick." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/roslovic-hutchinson-ahls- best-in-november-leading-moose-on-stampede-through-league-461365563.html

Roslovic, Hutchinson AHL's best in November, leading Moose on stampede through league

By: Jason Bell

The remarkable success of the Moose has been one of the hot story lines of the .

Now, two of the star performers with the ' minor-league squad have been recognized for their recent individual accomplishments and their impact on the Moose.

Manitoba forward Jack Roslovic's name was all over scoresheets last month and he was named the AHL's player of the month for November. Meanwhile, Michael Hutchinson was named the league's goalie of the month.

Roslovic, 20, led the AHL with eight goals and 19 points in 14 games in November. The second- year pro, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, registered points in nine of his 14 contests, including six multi-point games, as the Moose posted a 12-2-0 record.

He is the league's second-leading scorer, just a point behind Chris Bourque of the (9G, 18A) in 21 contests.

Hutchinson, 27, surrendered just eight goals in six starts for a 1.33 goals-against average and .965 save percentage last month. Hutchinson went undefeated in November, with a 6-0-0 record.

The highlight of the month was a 47-save effort — the most by any AHL goaltender — in a victory over Rockford on Nov. 28.

Both players will receive an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Moose home game.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he's keenly aware of the streaking Moose and the players who are making it happen. Manitoba is crushing opponents like a Sherman tank and now leads the entire AHL with a record of 16-5-2.

On Thursday, the Moose registered their latest lopsided triumph, a 7-1 rout of the visiting Cleveland Monsters, for their eighth-straight win. Earlier in the week, Manitoba trounced the Rockford IceHogs 8-1 in Illinois to cap off a perfect three-game road trip.

Maurice said developing a winning atmosphere within the organization as a whole has been a primary focus of management and the coaching staffs of both the NHL and AHL squads.

"I think the world of the job (Moose bench boss) Pascal Vincent does. I think he’s a perfect guy for that group," said Maurice. "In terms of culture of what you’re trying to drive, (the Moose) see good players around them. They’re having some success — this guy’s got 10 goals and this guy’s a good defender. They see other quality competition… not just the guy whose job they’re looking for at the NHL level, they see competition amongst themselves and that starts to create a real healthy environment."

Talent within the organization becomes even more apparent when the injury list is short, he noted.

The Jets haven’t raided the Moose for a skater in weeks, since Brendan Lemieux was returned to the AHL upon the return of Winnipeg centre Adam Lowry and winger Mathieu Perreault. Young goalie Eric Comrie was recalled to fill in for Steve Mason, who is out with a concussion. But the Moose haven’t skipped a beat with the exceptional play of Hutchinson.

"When the big club’s healthy, (your AHL team) is going to be a pretty good hockey team," Maurice said.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/laine-gets-boost-he-needed

Laine gets boost he needed

By Ken Wiebe

Whenever Patrik Laine is short on confidence, it looks like all he needs to do is talk it out.

The last time the Winnipeg Jets winger had a confidence crisis, back in early November, he proceeded to chalk up an eight-game point streak.

And after expressing some of the same sentiments on Friday morning, all he did was chip in a goal and two assists in the third period alone as the Jets earned a 7-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Is it time for Laine to start criticizing himself before every game?

“No, just sometimes,” said Laine, who had five shots on goal and two hits while earning 16:29 of ice time. “I’m only doing that because I know that I wasn’t playing really well. I’m not lying to you guys when you’re asking about it. Now, it was a good game, so I’m happy.”

The Jets, who improved to 16-6-4, close out a two-game homestand on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. Coupled with the St. Louis Blues 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, the Jets moved into first place in the Central Division and the Western Conference for the first time this season.

“It’s a step up the ladder from where we started in training camp. But there’s a lot of hockey to go, a lot of great teams that are starting to get a little bit more confident as well,” said Jets centre Matt Hendricks, who scored the tying goal at 13:21 of the second period. “I like the way we’re playing, I like our team. It starts in the locker room. We’re playing hard for each other, playing hard for the organization. It’s showing out there with us having successful nights and having a lot of fun.”

Laine expressed some disappointment in his recent play which included a stretch of three games without a point and four games without a goal — following the morning skate when he spoke with reporters.

After talking about the importance of making the simple plays that contribute to winning hockey, Laine turned his words into action during a dominant third period.

With the game tied 2-2 and the Jets starting the third on the power play, Laine feathered a perfect pass to Kyle Connor for a one-timer that put his team up for good, just 33 seconds into the third.

Laine followed that up with a power-play goal of his own, a wrister from just inside the blue line that changed direction off the stick of Golden Knights centre William Karlsson.

Before the period was over, Laine set up Nikolaj Ehlers for a wraparound.

Mark Scheifele and Connor (who added an empty-netter to give him nine goals on the season) also scored for the Jets, who got 27 saves from Connor Hellebuyck.

The Jets took an early lead on a power-play marker from defenceman Tyler Myers, but the Golden Knights found their road legs and got goals from Winnipegger Cody Eakin and Karlsson to take the lead.

Hendricks helped the Jets pull even at 13:21, scoring a goal a few shifts after taking a skate to the face from falling Golden Knights defenceman Colin Miller.

With a gash on his face, Hendricks took a pass from Mathieu Perreault and beat Maxime Lagace from a sharp angle to even the score.

“It was scary. When you get a skate up high like that and you see blood, but it wasn’t terrible. Guys have come back and played with a lot worse injuries than that. I’m lucky it’s not as bad as it could be,” said Hendricks. “We’ve all seen how devastating those skates can be when they get up high like that. The first thing that pops into your head is ‘get off the ice as soon as you can and make sure you’re by the training staff and they can help you out.’ I was fortunate.”

That set the stage for the Jets to pull away during the third period eruption that was keyed by Laine.

The Jets nearly fell behind 3-1 in the contest, but a successful coach’s challenge took a potential Golden Knights goal off the board when Alex Tuch was called for offside when his back skate was up in the air when he entered the zone prior to Miller scoring on a slapshot through traffic.

“It’s huge because we’ve been on the other side of it. You have no idea how deflating that is,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who chipped in three assists.

“It’s so hard to score goals in this league. The excitement, the rush, the momentum that comes with that. To have that taken away on something that’s kind of cheesy, it really is deflating.”

Instead of a potentially deflating defeat, the Jets rallied with five goals in the third period to pull away from a Golden Knights team that wasn’t about to go quietly into the night.

“I don’t think that we’ve peaked. I think we have a ways to go,” said Wheeler. “Our team, we’re learning how to play fast and kind of on the fly and I think we can play faster. With the way the league is going, that’s an exciting thing. There’s no back-slapping. We’re enjoying winning, which is kind of new to our group, but we’re not fitting ourselves for rings or anything like that.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/laine-working-through-ups-and- downswheeler-and-scheifele-lead-the-wayno-setbacks-for-mason-enstrommoose-start-leaves- maurice-smiling

Laine working through ups-and-downs…Wheeler and Scheifele lead the way…No setbacks for Mason, Enstrom…Moose start leaves Maurice smiling

By Ken Wiebe

Patrik Laine knows there are parts of his game that require a bit more attention.

The second-year Winnipeg Jets winger also had a good idea of why his ice time was cut down to 13:37 (his third lowest total of the season) in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

“The game for me was tough. I wasn’t on my game and I was playing pretty bad. That’s why I probably didn’t play much,” Laine said before the Jets faced the Vegas Golden Knights. “I’m just going on the ice every time they want me to go and trying to work hard every shift to earn some more ice time. It doesn’t matter how much you’re playing, you need to play hard every shift and when you’re playing doing good things on the ice, you’re going to get more ice time and that’s what I want to do.

“I’m definitely going to try to improve my game. It could be better.”

In Friday’s game, a 7-4 victory by the Jets, Laine was much better – chipping in a goal and two assists during a five-goal outburst in the third period.

Laine is up to 12 goals and 20 points in 26 games this season

Jets head coach Paul Maurice was bombarded with questions about Laine on Friday morning and he was quick to defend the young player.

“It has nothing to do with (Laine’s) game. It has to do with everybody’s ice time,” said Maurice. “Running those four lines over that last little bit, it’s part of the reason we’ve stayed healthy and played a pretty good game. The (Bryan) Little line has probably come off their numbers more than anybody from last year because the (Adam) Lowry line has an identity that I’ll use against the other teams’ best if I don’t get the (Mark) Scheifele out there. And you can’t keep the (Matt) Hendricks line on the bench because they’ve been too hot.

“There’s a list of guys that want to play more. There’s just 12 of them up front. I’ve made that decision that we’re going to even things out during this stretch of hockey. There are things in (Laine’s) game I think he can get better at. One of them is relaxing a little bit and then going as hard as he possibly can, shift-to-shift, and not worrying about being the guy that scores every shift, every night. It’s not all on him to do that. He’s gone three games without a point. When (Scheifele) went three games without a point, it didn’t bother him a whole lot. Just breath deep, relax, play hard, have fun.”

Maurice has no problem with Laine’s current level of production.

“I’m not worried about (Laine’s) goal scoring,” said Maurice. “He’s going to get judged by points and he’s going to get measured every day and I’m not doing that. He’s part of a four-line unit right now, which is a slight adjustment from last year. That’s a really good thing for the Winnipeg Jets. I’m not particularly concerned about it.”

Playing a bit faster is something Laine is looking to do.

“It’s a habit for him. He’s a goal scorer and when you have such an incredible shot – to me he’s got the best shot in the world – so you want to rely on the things you’re really good at,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “It’s just part of figuring it out. You want to move a little bit more around the ice, so he can get that shot off and get some more opportunities.”

SETTING THE TONE Not only are Wheeler and Mark Scheifele leading the Jets in scoring, they’ve got another important task they take a tremendous amount of pride in.

“That’s our job,” said Wheeler. “We typically start games and (it’s about) doing the right things and getting off on the right foot. It’s impossible to produce on the scoresheet every single night, nobody does it. But with that being said, you want to have an impact every night. You can control the type of impact you have. With the amount of minutes we play – and in every situation – you can’t not have an impact. And you want to have a positive impact as well. Those are all things that we take pride in every single night and the results, they come as they will. As long as that’s your mindset, you’re giving yourself an opportunity to have a good night.”

For Scheifele and Wheeler, there have been a lot of strong showings this season.

“That’s just the competitive nature that we have. We want to go out there and be a line that leads,” said Scheifele. “We want to go out there and if we have to defend, we’ll defend and if we want to go score a goal, we’ll go score a goal. We want to be the best line each and every shift. That’s something we definitely put a big emphasis on.”

MASON, ENSTROM PROGRESSING Jets goalie Steve Mason is making progress in his recovery for a concussion that kept him out of a third consecutive game on Friday night.

“He’s back on feeling good. It’s positive in that he’s had good days with no setbacks and he’s feeling strong,” said Maurice. “You want more than that and I’d like to give you more. Other than that, we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

Speaking of goalies, Maurice was non-committal when asked if he had a game on the calendar circled for Eric Comrie coming up.

One final note on injuries, Jets defenceman Toby Enstrom is still on track to miss roughly eight weeks with the lower-body injury he suffered after he got tangled up with New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt on Nov. 18.

“It’s really good but it won’t change where we’ve got him. It’s still too early for us to say he comes back early. We’ll leave it at eight weeks, but positive,” said Maurice. “He feels better. He’s riding the bike, he’s doing things like that. He’s moving around. But nothing’s changed.”

COMPETITION BELOW The top farm team of the Jets, the Manitoba Moose, are off to a fantastic start this season – winning eight consecutive games to move to the top of the Central Division standings with a record of 16-5-1-1 and 34 points.

Does that Moose success have any impact on the Jets organization as a whole?

“It gets your American League players in the right environment of feeling good, having success and doing the right things. When the big club’s healthy, (your AHL team) is going to be a pretty good hockey team. When you’ve got a chunk of them playing on the big club, both teams are going to suffer. We’ve been healthy,” said Maurice. “I think the world of the job (Moose head coach) Pascal Vincent does. I think he’s a perfect guy for that group. In terms of culture of what you’re trying to drive, (the Moose) also see other good players around them. They’re having some success, this guy’s got 10 goals and this guy’s a good defender. They see other quality competition for themselves, not just the guy whose job they’re looking for at the NHL level, they see competition amongst themselves and that starts to create a real healthy environment.”

The Moose continue a four-game homestand on Saturday night against the Cleveland Monsters. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose-dominate-november

Manitoba Moose dominate November

By Taylor Allen

The Winnipeg Jets aren’t the only hockey team in the city that’s taken a big step forward this season.

The Manitoba Moose sit atop the Central Division and have the most points in the AHL after winning their past eight games — including an impressive 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday night.

The win gave the Moose a 16-5-2 record on the year. It’s a major improvement from the past two seasons, as it took the 2016 team until Jan. 20 to get their 16th win and in 2015, the Moose had to wait until Feb. 20 to notch their 16th victory.

Team captain Patrice Cormier has been with the organization for the past seven seasons, dating back to when the team was the St. John’s IceCaps. He admits that if someone told him at the beginning of the year that they’d be atop of the league standings at this point in the season, he would’ve been surprised.

“I think we’ve just been playing the right way,” said Cormier, who has 52 NHL games on his resume. “No matter what the score it, it doesn’t matter if we’re up 7-1 or we’re down, we’re playing the same way and I think that’s been key.”

Having the league-leading offence (86 goals in 23 games) and stellar goaltending has been the story of the team’s turnaround. The offence has been led by Jack Roslovic (12 goals and 14 assists), rookie Mason Appleton (8 goals and 14 assists) and Michael Sgarbossa (8 goals and 13 assists) who are all in the top ten in league scoring.

“Being able to run four lines deep is one of the biggest things,” said leading scorer Roslovic. “We have scoring coming from everywhere and it’s pretty dangerous to play against.”

The Moose have been scoring in bunches but their goaltending has been winning them games too. The duo of Eric Comrie and Michael Hutchinson has been fantastic for head coach Pascal Vincent.

Comrie, 22, who was recently called up to the Jets due to Steve Mason being injured, has a 8-4- 1 record with the Moose with 2.30 GAA and a .927 save percentage. Hutchinson, who is playing his first year in the minors since 2014, is 8-1-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .947 save percentage. With Comrie playing with the big club, the Moose called up Jamie Phillips, 24, from the ECHL.

“There’s a really good team chemistry and they’re doing things for the right reasons and keeping things in perspective,” said Vincent, his second year as head coach of the Moose. “You don’t win eight games in a row by accident, it’s because things are falling in place. Sometimes you need a little luck and that’s part of it, but the foundation is hard work and that’s what we do.”

Roslovic, 20, is in his second year with the team and said he’s noticed a difference in this year’s team on and off the ice.

“We had a great team last year and I liked all the guys. But some of these guys this year bring more of a gel factor. We’ve really bought into that,” said Roslovic.

The development and maturity of players young players Roslovic has helped the team immensely. Vincent said years of strong drafting by the organization are starting to show in the win column.

“The nice thing is you looks at the guys that are really productive right now and they’re young players like Appleton and Roslovic,” said Vincent. “Playing (young players), it was harder to win games in the past but its paid off now because they’ve got the experience.”

The Moose will hit the ice again at Bell MTS Place on Saturday night when they take on Cleveland, who will be looking to avenge Thursday’s 7-1 loss.

“That’s a good team and they’re a physical team,” said Vincent on the Moose’s upcoming opponent. “They won the Calder Cup two years ago so that’s a team that can win. They still have some players that were there when they won.”

ROSLOVIC AND HUTCHINSON NAMED PLAYERS OF THE MONTH The strong play of Jack Roslovic and Michael Hutchinson in the month of November hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Roslovic was chosen as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month. He led the league in points in November with 19, as he scored eight goals and had 11 assists in 14 games while maintaining a plus-13 rating. The 20-year old forward is currently tied for second in the AHL in goals (12) and points (26).

Hutchinson was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for his exceptional play between the pipes. The former Winnipeg Jets goaltender had a perfect record in November, as he won all six of his starts. He had a 1.33 GAA and .965 save percentage in his six starts, while facing 37.7 shots per game.

Roslovic and Hutchinson led the way, but the entire team had a strong month. The Moose finished November with a 12-2 record, despite playing nine of those games on the road.

Canadian Press http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets-vegas-golden-knights-recap-1.4429631

Jets' explosive 3rd period helps sink Golden Knights Winnipeg scores 5 times in final frame

By Judy Owen, The Canadian Press

Captain Blake Wheeler predicted the best is yet to come for the Winnipeg Jets, but he wasn't sizing up championship rings.

With a 7-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights Friday, the Jets moved into first place in the NHL's Western Conference with 36 points (16-6-4).

"Nothing, it's the first of December," Wheeler said when asked what the conference lead meant.

But he was happy with the direction the team is headed.

"I don't think we've peaked," said Wheeler, who had three assists. "We have a ways to go. We're learning how to play fast, kind of on the fly. I think we can play faster. With the way the league's going, that's an exciting thing.

"There's no back-slapping. I think we're enjoying winning, which is new to our group, but we're not fitting ourselves for rings, yet."

5-GOAL PERIOD Kyle Connor scored a pair of goals while Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine each had a goal and two assists as the Jets scored five goals in the third period.

Tyler Myers, Matt Hendricks and Nikolaj Ehlers rounded out the attack for Winnipeg, which won its fifth straight at home.

Winnipeg-born forward Cody Eakin, William Karlsson, Erik Haula and Colin Miller scored for the Golden Knights (15-9-1).

Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves for the Jets, who are now 8-0-1 in their last nine games at home.

Maxime Lagace stopped 31-of-37 shots for the Golden Knights, who lost a third straight game for only the second time this season.

Miller had a power-play goal wiped out midway through the second after Jets coach Paul Maurice was successful in challenging offside by Vegas forward Alex Tuch.

Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant said it was the correct call, but disappointing.

"We would have loved to have that 3-1 lead, obviously, but you've got to keep playing, you've got to keep battling back," Gallant said.

POWERPLAY BOOST The teams were tied 2-2 heading into the third when power-play goals by Connor at 33 seconds and Laine two minutes 15 seconds later started the offensive attack.

Gallant said those were killers.

"The big one was that early third-period goal to make them go up 3-2 and then we took a right after that and they scored again, so that was the turning point in the game for me," Gallant said.

Winnipeg was 3-for-5 on the power play and Vegas was scoreless on five attempts.

"We just need to stay out of the box a little more, that was it," Vegas forward James Neal said. "Power plays can win you the game. They thrive on theirs."

Laine, who snapped a three-game pointless skid, had said at the morning skate his confidence was down.

"I'm only doing that because I know I wasn't playing really well," Laine said of his self- assessment. "I'm not lying to you guys when you're asking about it. That was a good game so I'm happy."

Both teams play on Sunday with Winnipeg hosting Ottawa and the Knights going home to meet Arizona.

Global Winnipeg https://globalnews.ca/news/3893045/winnipeg-jets-move-into-tie-for-first-in-nhl-with-win-over- golden-knights/

Winnipeg Jets move into tie for first in NHL with win over Vegas Golden Knights

By Mitch Rosset Reporter/Anchor

WINNIPEG – Three members of the Winnipeg Jets put up three points each to help their team beat the Vegas Golden Knights 7-4 at Bell MTS Place on Friday.

The win coupled with a St. Louis Blues loss to the Los Angeles Kings places the Jets in a tie for the most amount of points in the NHL. Vegas has now been dealt a defeat in its last three games.

The Golden Knights held a 2-1 edge following the first twenty minutes of play thanks to goals from Cody Eakin and William Karlsson. Eakin batted a rebound from fellow Winnipegger Brendan Leipsic past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck 12:51 into the game. Karlsson scored less than four minutes later by re-directing a Nate Schmidt shot.

Winnipeg’s only goal of the first period was scored by Tyler Myers in the opening five minutes. Myers beat Maxime Lagace with a point shot through traffic for his fourth of the season, the most among all Jets defencemen.

Vegas appeared to add to their lead in the second with a Colin Miller power-play goal but it was erased by a successful offside challenge from the Jets. It allowed Matt Hendricks to later tie the game 2-2 with his third goal of the season.

The Jets flew out of the gate to start the third period, jumping ahead with two goals in a span of 2:48. Patrik Laine set up Kyle Connor for a one-timer on a man advantage to make it 3-2 for Winnipeg. Laine then snapped a quick wrist shot past Lagace to snap a four-game scoreless drought.

Nikolaj Ehlers put the Jets in front by three by tucking in a wrap-around mid-third. The Golden Knights though replied within 19 seconds thanks to an Erik Haula goal.

Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele and Golden Knights defenceman Colin Miller traded goals late in the game before Connor scored an empty net goal for his second of the night.

Laine and Scheifele both finished the game with a goal and two assists. Jets captain Blake Wheeler logged three assists against Vegas.

Wheeler and Connor left the game during the final minute of the opening period after they each blocked a shot but returned following the first intermission. Hendricks was also forced out briefly when a skate caught his face during the second period.

Winnipeg wraps up its two-game homestand Sunday night by hosting the Ottawa Senators.

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-patrik-laine-says-hes-struggling-confidence-issues/

Jets’ Patrik Laine says he’s struggling with confidence issues again

By Mike Johnston

The Winnipeg Jets are thriving as a group this season but the team’s brightest young star, Patrik Laine, is in a slump and not performing up to the high standards he sets for himself.

Laine got off to a strong start with four goals and six points in the first seven games of the season but has since quieted down as he searches for ways to get back on track.

“My confidence is not up again but I just try to work hard every shift,” Laine told reporters following his team’s practice Friday. “It doesn’t matter what your confidence level is. Just work hard and do those simple things on the ice and do those winning little things on the ice.”

The Tampere, Finland native is fourth on the Jets in scoring with 17 points in 25 contests and is on pace for 36 goals, which would equal his total from last season.

In the past six games he has just one goal, one assist and is averaging only 14:42 of ice time, down from the 16:54 he had averaged through the first 19 games of the season. Laine was stumped when asked what his coach, Paul Maurice, might want him to do to get out of his slump.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “I’m not deciding [how much ice time I get]. I’m just going on the ice every time they want me to go but I’m trying to work hard every shift and earn some more ice time.”

Maurice had a relaxed demeanour when addressing the 19-year-old sniper’s dry spell.

“There’s things in his game that I think he can get better at. One of them is relaxing a little bit, and then going as hard as he can shift after shift and not worrying about being the guy who scores every shift every night,” Maurice said. “It’s not all on him to do that. He’s gone three games without a point. When Mark [Scheifele] went three games without a point it didn’t bother him a whole lot. Just breathe deep, relax, play hard and have fun.”

Laine being hard on himself is not a new trend.

“I feel like I can’t do many positive things on the ice. The team is winning, that’s always good but it would be nice to help the team,” Laine said during a four-game pointless streak in late October. “It doesn’t matter to me if I’m not scoring or not. But just overall I can’t produce many good things on the ice, it doesn’t matter if it’s offensively or defensively.”

The good news for Laine and Jets fans is the last time the winger opened up about being down on himself he went on a five-game goal-scoring streak in early November.

The Jets host the Golden Knights Friday and the Senators Sunday before embarking on a three-game road trip next week against the Red Wings, Panthers and Lightning. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-defence-goaltending-improves-whats-weakness/

As the Jets’ defence and goaltending improves, what’s their weakness?

By Rory Boylen

The Winnipeg Jets have finally arrived.

A favourite breakout pick over the past few years with their mix of young, emerging players and quality, experienced vets, Winnipeg always fell short. Sometimes it was the defence, mostly — especially last season — it was the goaltending. This season, led by Connor Hellebuyck and his .926 save percentage, there’s plenty of reason to believe why their early-season surge will stick over 82 games.

And it’s not only because of the goaltending.

“I don’t think the defence gets enough credit for this turnaround,” Sportsnet’s Jets reporter Sean Reynolds said on the Tape to Tape Podcast this week. “I don’t think there’s as many outstanding errors as there have been in past years that have hung goalies out to dry.”

According to Corsica, Hellebuyck has faced 61 high danger shots this season, which is the fewest of any goalie with at least 18 games played (Hellebuyck has 20). So don’t let that 32.8 shots against number (tied for sixth highest in the league) fool you.

The team defence didn’t start out as such a good story, though. Winnipeg’s first game of the season was an ugly 7-2 loss at home to the Maple Leafs, which was followed by a tough practice and bag skate the following day. Maurice wasted no time blasting his team publicly, saying that before the franchise would be able to move forward, its players needed to learn how to play defence.

“You can put all the talent in the world on the ice, and you’re not winning a damn thing until you’ve got a real good comfort level to defend,” he said.

Reynolds said the team took that message to heart and has allowed two goals or less in 16 of the 24 games since. They’re 15-5-4 in that span and are one of four teams in the top 10 in goals for and against per game (St. Louis, Chicago and Tampa Bay are the others).

They are indeed taking that step forward Maurice was challenging them to accomplish.

But look around the salary-capped NHL and you’ll notice every team has a built-in weakness. The Chicago Blackhawks, after years of dominance, may finally have a depth issue, particularly on the blue line. The rising Maple Leafs, who are in the conversation with Winnipeg as Canada’s best to this point in the season, have struggled with their own defensive play. The two-time defending champion Penguins have only 44 even-strength goals — third-fewest in the league.

But with Winnipeg getting bonafide No. 1 play from its goaltender, the team defence appearing to come together, and the top line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor exploding as an elite unit, where is the Jets’ weakness?

Right now, it’s probably coming from an unlikely place. The second line has been relatively quiet and a bit inconsistent on the production front given the heights they were expecting to hit. It’s not that they’re playing poorly, but none of Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers or Bryan Little is on pace to best the offensive totals they put up last season.

Growth, so far, is coming from everywhere in the lineup except on that second unit.

“It seems like the chemistry is an issue on that line right now,” Reynolds said. “They’ve worked together in the past, but it doesn’t seem to be happening right now.

“Prior to the Ducks game (a 4-1 Winnipeg win last Friday)…Ehlers and Laine had scored a combined 19 goals and Little had assisted on just two of those goals. So that says a lot about that line and what they’re getting done. Basically those two players, they’ve continued to score, but they were scoring when they escaped that second line. So if they can get that line going and producing this team could be a juggernaut.

“They have not been generating the type of offence that we would expect, which says a lot about the team’s success that they’re doing it without those big names firing on all cylinders.”

Laine has already come out this season and challenged himself to be better, which was immediately followed with a five-game goal streak. He’s scored just twice in the nine games since that run ended — the same amount of goals that Little has in his past two games.

Still, Laine is on pace for more than 30 goals and Ehlers is just one behind him with two more points. So if this is the biggest weakness on the Jets right now, it’s not really one that will hold them back from a full-season breakout.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-winnipeg-jets-game-recap/c-293578572

Laine, Scheifele boost Jets past Golden Knights Each has goal, two assists; rookie Connor scores twice for Winnipeg by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent

WINNIPEG -- Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and two assists to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 7-4 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at Bell MTS Place on Friday.

Rookie Kyle Connor scored two goals, and Blake Wheeler had three assists for the Jets (16-6- 4), who are in first place in the Western Conference.

"I don't think that we've peaked," Wheeler said. "I think we have a way to go. Our team, we're learning how to play fast and kind of on the fly and I think we can play faster. With the way the League is going, that's an exciting thing. There's no back-slapping. We're enjoying winning, which is kind of new to our group, but we're not fitting ourselves for rings or anything like that."

Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves. He is 5-0-0 this season after losing his previous start (3-2 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday).

Winnipeg was 3-for-5 on the power play.

Cody Eakin, William Karlsson, Erik Haula and Colin Miller scored for the Golden Knights (15-9- 1), who have lost three games in a row. Maxime Lagace allowed six goals on 37 shots.

"We can't sit back on our heels," Vegas forward Alex Tuch said. "When we forecheck, I think we're one of the best forechecking teams when we are forechecking with five men. But if we only have one, two or three forechecking guys at a time, it doesn't work, honestly. It has to be a connected unit. That's what made us so successful at the beginning of the season."

Defenseman Tyler Myers scored on the power play to give the Jets a 1-0 lead at 4:49 of the first period, his point shot deflecting off Miller's stick.

Eakin batted the rebound of a Brendan Leipsic shot out of the air at 12:51 to tie it 1-1.

Karlsson scored his Golden Knights-leading 14th goal when he redirected Nate Schmidt's point shot at 16:49 to make it 2-1 Vegas.

Miller appeared to make it 3-1 at 9:39 of the second period, but Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice challenged, and the goal was overturned after video review when it was determined Tuch was offside.

"I think it gave them a little bit of momentum, but I think that we took some unnecessary penalties and that was really the turning point in the game," Tuch said.

Matt Hendricks tied it 2-2 at 13:21. He had left the game at 7:23 of the second after he was hit in the face by Miller's skate blade.

The teams combined for seven goals in the third period, five by Winnipeg, including three in the opening 6:16.

"I definitely don't think we were our best tonight," Miller said. "It's unacceptable."

Connor gave the Jets at 3-2 lead 33 seconds into the period when he scored a power-play goal with a one-timer from the top of the right hash marks off Laine's cross-ice feed.

Laine made it 4-2 when he scored on the power play at 2:48. It was his 12th goal of the season, first in five games.

Nikolaj Ehlers pushed the Jets lead to 5-2 at 6:16.

"We were playing really well as a line for two periods but didn't get rewarded even though we had some great chances," Laine said of himself, Wheeler and Ehlers. "Our power play was really good in the third period. [Ehlers] got a huge goal. It wasn't a very good pass from me, but he's a great scorer and he can score on that."

Haula cut the Winnipeg lead to 5-3 at 6:35, but Scheifele scored at 14:53 to make it 6-3.

Miller got the Golden Knights to within 6-4 at 16:16 before Connor scored his second of the night into the empty net at 18:52 to make it 7-4.

Goal of the game Connor's goal 33 seconds into the third period.

Save of the game Hellebuyck stopping Stefan Matteau's shot after it deflected off Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba at 9:33 of the third period.

Highlight of the game Hendricks' goal at 13:21 of the second period.

They said it "Going into that, they're great on the power play, they got really skilled guys that move the puck around really well. We knew that going in. We just need to stay out of the (penalty) box a little more, that was it. Power plays can win you the game. They thrive on theirs." -- Golden Knights forward James Neal

"It was scary, obviously, to get a skate high like that and see blood. It wasn't terrible. Guys have come back and played with a lot worse injuries than that. I'm lucky it's not as bad as it could be, just happy to get back out there." -- Jets forward Matt Hendricks on getting hit in the face by Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller's skate blade in the second period

Need to know Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland did not play after he sustained an undisclosed injury blocking a shot in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

What's next Golden Knights: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-A, NHL.TV) Jets: Host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, SN, NHL.TV)

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/poulin-depth-scoring-has-been-the-difference-this-year-for- jets~1275299 (VIDEO LINK)

Poulin: Depth scoring has been the difference this year for Jets

Dave Poulin explains that depth scoring has been the difference this year for the Jets, breaks down Patrik Laine's impressive performance against the Golden Knights, and weighs in on whether Winnipeg deserves to be considered the best team in the NHL.

The Score https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1435895?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

It's time to give Cheveldayoff some credit for Jets' success by Flip Livingstone

Running an NHL team can be an extremely thankless gig.

Sure, a multimillion-dollar paycheck should help soothe the stress of having your job security threatened and your competency questioned every day, but that doesn't change the fact that building a winning hockey club can be a grueling long-term project.

Few general managers know what that's like better than the much-maligned Kevin Cheveldayoff, who's watched his reputation get dragged through the mud over the course of his seven seasons in the Winnipeg Jets' front office.

Now, however, it's being rinsed clean, and the redemption of both Cheveldayoff and the team comes down to patience: his patience in waiting for the Jets' young guns to start performing, and the patience of ownership in allowing its GM to see out his plan.

Ask any NHL executive: Stanley Cup-winning teams are - ideally - built from within. Take, for example, the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings - three teams that won their recent championships on the backs of talents they developed in-house.

Cheveldayoff is doing his best to put Winnipeg in the same position, and the team's lineup is stacked with players he had a direct hand in drafting.

Here's a list of the homegrown talent powering the Jets' assault on the top of the standings:

Mark Scheifele (C) 2011 1st round/7th overall Adam Lowry (C) 2011 3rd round/67th overall Jacob Trouba (D) 2012 1st round/9th overall Connor Hellebuyck (G) 2012 5th round/130th overall Josh Morrissey (D) 2013 1st round/13th overall Andrew Copp (C) 2013 4th round/104th overall Nikolaj Ehlers (LW) 2014 1st round/9th overall Kyle Connor (LW) 2015 1st round/17th overall Patrik Laine (RW) 2016 1st round/2nd overall

After looking over this list, it's not so much of a surprise that Winnipeg's currently just one point adrift from a tie with the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Western Conference.

Of course, Cheveldayoff had the privilege of drafting six of those players in the first round, but that's no guarantee of overnight success, and Hellebuyck, Trouba, and Morrissey are just starting to hit their strides.

Since Cheveldayoff took the helm in 2011 - when True North Sports and Entertainment bought the team and moved it from Atlanta to Winnipeg - the Jets have qualified for the playoffs only once. It's understandable that fans in the Peg have taken turns calling for the firing of both the GM and head coach Paul Maurice.

Repeat losing seasons usually lead a team to clean house or at least fire a coach. Ownership went in the opposite direction, though, awarding Maurice and Cheveldayoff multi-year contract extensions in September.

While many observers scratched their heads, that move is looking better with each Jets victory.

Cheveldayoff's patience is paying off with a young core that now includes the likes of Laine, Scheifele, and Ehlers - three players whose ability suggests they can carry the team deep into the postseason.

A stacked lineup of homegrown players is garnering Winnipeg serious Stanley Cup buzz for the first time in years, and Cheveldayoff deserves credit for his work in putting that star-studded group on the ice. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/scheifele-wheeler-laine-each-have-three-points-in-jets-win-over- vegas/c-293592158

Scheifele, Wheeler, Laine each have three points in Jets win over Vegas Jets go 3/5 on the power play, now 8-0-1 in last nine at home by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - Seven must be a lucky number.

For the third time this season, the Winnipeg Jets scored seven goals at home.

Fittingly, the third seven came against the Vegas Golden Knights, as the Jets skated to a 7-4 win, to improve the team's record to 8-0-1 in their last nine games at Bell MTS Place.

Matt Hendricks scored the tying goal in the second period, with Kyle Connor putting the Jets ahead for good early in the third.

"It makes it a difficult match up for people to come in and have four lines that are playing well and can hurt you," said captain Blake Wheeler.

"Having Matty Perreault and Joel Armia with Matt Hendricks has been kind of a revelation for us. You just kind of slap that one together and don't know what you're going to get, and they've been great."

Wheeler, Patrik Laine, and Mark Scheifele all had three points in the win, but it didn't easy.

The momentum turned when the Jets challenged for offside on a goal that would have put Vegas ahead 3-1 in the second period.

The goal was overturned, and turned the tide back toward the home team.

"I think it had a big bearing on the game. At 3-1 you start to change a little bit. We've been good at not changing the way we play. I think we've got a little stronger when we're down," said head coach Paul Maurice. "The view that I saw from the bench, I didn't think it was offside because I hadn't seen one of the views. Blake Wheeler said it was. (Jets video coach) Matt Prefontaine who has the first look at that, already had a minute or 30 seconds on it. He called out and said it's offside."

The Jets power play, which was the NHL's second best in the month of November, continued its strong play in the first when it helped the Jets open the scoring.

Nikolaj Ehlers sent a pass across the blue line to Tyler Myers, whose slapshot went off the stick of Colin Miller, and between the legs of Maxime Lagace.

But with 7:09 left in the first, Vegas would pull even. Connor Hellebuyck made the initial stop off Brendan Leipsic's wrist shot from the left wing, but the rebound was whacked out of mid air by Cody Eakin at the top of the crease for his fourth of the season.

The Golden Knights would take a 2-1 lead when William Karlsson got his stick on a point shot from Nate Schmidt, sending a puck destined for the Hellebuyck's stick side between his legs.

That's when it looked like Vegas would take a two-goal lead. Miller's slapshot from the top of the circle beat Hellebuyck over his left shoulder. But for the second time in as many games, a coach's challenge from head coach Paul Maurice and video coach Prefontaine forced the call to be overturned, keeping the Vegas lead at 2-1.

"(Matt) sits in that room back there, and he grinds. All we do is say 'hey Matty look at that one,' and he looks at it about 400 times," said Wheeler. "He got the right angle. You've probably never heard Matty's name, but he does a ton of work for us. Obviously a really important part of what we do, so a great job by him tonight. That kind of turned the game for us.

"It was huge because we've been on the other side of it. You have no idea how deflating that is. It's so hard to score goals in this league. The excitement, the rush, the momentum that comes with that, to have it taken away on something that's kind of cheesy, it really is deflating."

That seemed to spark the Jets, as the Wheeler, Scheifele, Connor line put in a shift spent entirely in the Vegas zone, then after a change, Matt Hendricks pucked up the puck off a quick pass from Mathieu Perreault, and coming down the right side, fired a snap shot past Lagace's blocker and inside the post. The snipe was his third of the season, and tied the game at two.

It came shortly after the 36-year-old veteran took a skate to his face, had the cut glued up, and blocked a shot on his next shift.

"(Perreault) made a great play. I just thought if Lagace was to drop a bit early, I could find the upper part of the net. A lucky shot maybe," said Hendricks.

"It was scary obviously, when you get a skate up high like that, and you see blood. It wasn't terrible. Guys have come back and played with a lot worse injuries than that. I'm just happy I could get back out and play."

Then with Oscar Lindberg off for high sticking Dustin Byfuglien late in the second, the Jets power play would come through again early in the third. Patrik Laine threaded a pass from the half wall to Kyle Connor in the slot, and the former Michigan Wolverine made no mistake on the one-timer from the slot.

Laine got a power play goal of his own 2:15 later. The 19-year-old picked up the puck at the top of the circle, Laine moved to the right side and sent a wrist shot on goal from above the top of the circle. It deflected off Karlsson's stick and past Lagace, putting the Jets up 4-2.

Nikolaj Ehlers increased the lead to 5-2, corralling a backhand pass from Laine off the rush, and quickly wrapping at around the net and tucking it in before Lagace could get across.

Erik Haula and Scheifele would score in the third, along with Connor's second of the game, an empty netter.

The win moves the Jets to 16-6-4, putting them in the Central Division's top spot. But Maurice knows there is still a long way to go, and he feels the room is handling it the right way.

"It's like doing a photo finish on a horse at the first turn. It doesn't matter. There's going to be a finish line, and you're going to work hard to get to first," said Maurice.

"We've got good leadership in the room. They're working on their game, they're talking hockey all the time. They're enjoying it. Winning is better than losing, that's a fast. There's a good even keel built into the guys in the room." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--matt-hendricks/t-277437442/c-55312003

POSTGAME | Matt Hendricks

Matt Hendricks' comments following a 7-4 win over the Golden Knights https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-55311203

POSTGAME | Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler's comments following a 7-4 win over the Golden Knights https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--patrik-laine/t-277437442/c-55311103

POSTGAME | Patrik Laine

Patrik Laine's comments following a 7-4 win over the Golden Knights