Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-open-road-trip-with-4-0-beatdown-of- blues-475021623.html

Jets open road trip with 4-0 beatdown of Blues

By: Mike Sawatzky

ST. LOUIS — Who said life on the road was so bad?

The , playing their first game away from Bell MTS Place since Jan. 25, started slowly but broke out with three unanswered goals in the first period en route to a convincing 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues Friday night.

The visitors seemed to rope-a-dope for the opening 10 minutes, getting outshot 7-0, before breaking out with goals by Nic Petan, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. The markers by Petan and Wheeler, on Winnipeg’s third and fourth shots of game, came 44 seconds apart and sucked the life out of the normally raucous Scottrade Center crowd.

Eventually, there were boos for the Blues, and plenty of them.

Mathieu Perreault had a glorious chance to push the lead on a breakaway shortly after Wheeler’s but his shot was turned aside by Blues goaltender Jake Allen. Allen made 18 saves but Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was mistake-free, handling 33 shots. It was Hellebuyck’s 32nd victory and sixth shutout of the season.

"I was seeing pucks, seeing it well and the guys were doing the right things in front of me," said Hellebuyck, who has three shutouts in six career starts against St. Louis. "They were taking their guys and clearing rebounds and they were giving me sightlines. That’s all I ask of them and they did a phenomenal job at it."

Did Wheeler think it was a near-perfect road game?

"The score would indicate it was," he said. "I thought we could’ve been a little better but Connor played well and we got off to a nice lead in the first and were able to cruise from there.

"I thought we took our foot off the gas a little bit. (I) thought we could’ve done a little bit more in the third but that’s a proud group on the other side, too. They’re pushing."

Added Jets head coach Paul Maurice: "We had about 30 minutes where we were really, really good after that. Again, on the puck really well. Knocked a lot of stuff down and countered quickly off that. So, it was maybe not the start we wanted but you would expect that start from St. Louis and they were good. We were able to get up to our speed and play pretty solid."

Winger Patrik Laine made it 4-0 early in the second, ripping a perfectly placed shot from just inside the faceoff circle over Allen’s blocker. Laine’s team-leading 29th goal of the season came after a spinning, rink-wide pass from Nikolaj Ehlers in the neutral zone.

Maurice specifically mentioned the performances of centre Mark Schiefele, who had two assists in 19:18 of ice time, and defencemen Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien had a team-high 25:01 on the ice.

"We talk a lot about Mark Scheifele being a great player — and he is," said Maurice. "I thought in the grinding part of the game early he was really good... Dustin Byfuglien has played exceptionally well here, going back a couple of weeks. He and Toby (Enstrom) as a pair, (did) a great job. And if we could just qualify that — every game Josh Morrissey makes huge plays, blocks shots. He’s fantastic."

Winnipeg remains second in the Central Division with a 36-16-9 record, nine points clear of the fifth-place Blues and two behind the front-running Nashville Predators. St. Louis has lost five straight, a sobering fact for a team that set the early pace in the division.

The Jets, who went 6-3-1 during a recent 10-game homestand, face the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center tonight at 6 p.m. (, TSN 1290) before returning home to play the Predators in another pivotal Central matchup Tuesday. Hellebuyck was asked if he would be rested and ready to play the Stars, despite the quick turnaround.

"I’ll always be ready when my name’s called but it’s the coach’s decision and if he decides on another guy, I’m going to be there to support him," he said.

NOTEWORTHY: Winnipeg went 1-for-5 on the power play while St. Louis was 0-for-4... Winnipeg goaltenders Michael Hutchinson, who served as Hellebuyck’s backup Friday, and Steve Mason are both travelling with the team after recovering from concussions. Forward Brandon Tanev (lower body) skated in a non-contact jersey Friday morning. Centre Adam Lowry (upper body), winger Shawn Matthias (upper body) and blue-liner Jacob Trouba (lower body) remain sidelined... Blues defenceman Joel Edmunston, a Brandon product, is out for another four weeks after suffering a broken right forearm... Attendance was a sellout of 18,912. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/potential-deals-not-stressing-out-jets- 475034123.html?k=WwhN10

Potential deals not stressing out Jets Pieces still in play for playoff contenders ahead of Monday's deadline

By: Mike Sawatzky

ST. LOUIS — Combine the pressure-packed atmosphere of the stretch run to the NHL playoffs with the league’s Monday trade deadline and you have a potentially explosive situation.

Matt Hendricks has some advice for those caught in the middle.

"It’s just added stress if you worry about it too much," said the 36-year-old Winnipeg centre prior to the Jets’ game against the Blues on Friday night.

"You’ve gotta try and let the business side be the business side and not fret too much about it.

"You never want to see a teammate go who helped put you in this position. But if there’s an opportunity to better our team, a position where we can improve or an asset we can improve with, I leave that to (GM Kevin Cheveldayoff) and his team to make those decisions."

Cheveldayoff is reportedly attempting to add a veteran forward or a depth defenceman for the final quarter of the season, but some of the best options have already disappeared.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped up Ottawa Senators centre Derick Brassard in exchange for goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, defenceman Ian Cole, a 2018 first-round draft pick and a 2019 third-rounder in a three-team deal also involving the Vegas Golden Knights.

Brassard could have been a good fit with the Jets or the Blues.

Both the Jets and Blues should be interested in winger Rick Nash, a pending free agent who is being shopped by the New York Rangers. Nash is 33 and not the player he once was, but he has two Olympic gold-medal winning efforts on his resumé and would be a prized catch for any team fortunate enough to acquire him.

"I like our team. I really enjoy being around this group," Blues defenceman Colton Parayko said.

"If nothing changed, that would be perfect. I’m not saying that even if something changed, it wouldn’t be fine as well.

"They’re both very good players. Nash is a big guy, he’s strong, he knows the game really well and he’s been around a longtime. Brassard is super fast, skilled and both can make plays. Both are players that would be good additions to any team."

Third-year Jets forward Andrew Copp prefers to let his play do the talking, but he acknowledged Winnipeg’s elevated status this season makes a difference. In his rookie and sophomore seasons, the Jets were never serious playoff contenders at the trade deadline.

"This year is definitely a lot different than the last two," Copp said. "But you can’t really control it, right? You’ve gotta concentrate on your game. Whether we add a bunch of guys or nobody, we feel comfortable with the guys we have in the room.

"We feel like when we’re on our game, we’re one of the best teams in the league. That said, there’s always things you can get better at and if management and coaches think we need to add someone, then we need to add someone."

Blues head coach Mike Yeo admitted the importance of gauging the impact the trade deadline might have on players who might feel vulnerable.

"I think it’s a matter of understanding your group," Yeo said. "First off, you have pick up from players whether they’re feeling any kind of stress, whether there’s been rumours or whatnot. Inside our locker room, we don’t feel we have a lot of guys stressed out about that. The position we’re in is a little more our focus right now. We have a number of older players that have been through this year in and year out, so it’s not a real big concern for us."

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he hasn’t detected any problems due to Monday’s deadline.

"I don’t feel that in the room, to be honest with you," Maurice said.

"I think the real stress is the teams that think they’re losing guys, that aren’t adding players. So it’s a different kind of stress."

THROWBACK TIME: many Winnipeg players are adhering to an attention-grabbing retro theme for their off-ice attire on the weekend road trip through Missouri and Texas.

Maurice was asked if he had a suitably garish suit picked out for the occasion — similar to those worn by Dustin Byfuglien, Josh Morrissey, Marko Dano and Kyle Connor.

"Every one of my suits is retro," he quipped.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/hellebuyck-shuts-the-door-on-blues-in- st-louis-in-jets-win

Hellebuyck shuts the door on Blues in St. Louis in Jets win

By Ken Wiebe

ST. LOUIS — Connor Hellebuyck was asked to hold the fort early and that’s exactly what he did.

The workload of the Winnipeg Jets No. 1 netminder has been a hot topic of late, as there have been some occasional signs of fatigue creeping into his game.

But after getting back to his recently adopted routine of skipping the morning skate in an effort to try and stay fresh on Friday, Hellebuyck was sharp, making 34 saves as he recorded his career- high sixth shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

At one point the Jets were getting outshot 7-0 and Hellebuyck was a steadying force, allowing his team to get its collective legs under them.

“I was seeing pucks — seeing it well. And the guys were doing the right things in front of me,” said Hellebuyck, who improved to 32-9-8 in what was his 49th start and 51st appearance of the season. “It’s what we do best. We sit there and keep playing our game, then we get our chances and we bury (them).”

The formula Hellebuyck described came to fruition as the Jets opened a critical stretch of games against Central Division opponents, which continues on Saturday against the Dallas Stars.

The Jets got on the board midway through the first period as Nic Petan converted a perfect backdoor pass from Mark Scheifele.

For Petan, the goal was important on a number of levels.

First and foremost, with Brandon Tanev expected to return from injury on Tuesday, Petan is fighting to do what he can to stay in the lineup.

Petan also received a retaliatory slashing penalty in the third period of Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings and this is the type of response a head coach – and the player in question – would be looking for.

“Not the type of penalty you want to take at all, but it’s always good to put the puck in the net and help the team,” said Petan, who has two goals in six games for Petan since being recalled from the on Feb. 5. “There was a little turnover there and my eyes kind of lit up. It was a great pass.”

Petan could also be auditioning for another NHL team, since he’s a guy other teams could be asking about before Monday’s trade deadline.

Before the first period was over, the Jets held a 3-0 lead after goals from Blake Wheeler (his 18th, which came 45 seconds after Petan opened the scoring) and Kyle Connor, who popped home a rebound for a power play marker that gave him goals in four consecutive games and 22 tallies for the season.

Patrik Laine beat Blues goalie Jake Allen with a wrister at 6:04 of the second period, giving the Jets four goals on 13 shots on goal.

The Jets were unhappy with their collective effort in a 5-2 loss to the Blues on home ice earlier this month and they did something about it – handing the Blues a fifth consecutive loss (0-4-1).

“We got to the right level for us, the right speed,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We played fast, moved the puck quickly … we didn’t give them a lot of ice to play on. We were good for as long as we needed to be.”

Speaking of potential trades, two forwards the Jets had at least some level of interest in have been moved during the past two days.

The first, speedy winger Michael Grabner, ended up with the New Jersey Devils in a deal with the New York Rangers – though it should be noted the interest level in the former Moose forward was as more of a backup plan.

The bigger deal on Friday was the one involving Ottawa Senators centre Derick Brassard – which took two tries to complete before getting league approval.

Brassard, a slick pivot who has 22 goals and 55 points in 78 playoff games, was a guy the Jets made a strong push for.

Along with his ample playoff experience, Brassard is a skilled playmaker who could have been a strong fit to play with Laine, who is up to 29 goals and 49 points in 61 games this season.

But instead of accepting the Jets offer, the Senators sent Brassard to the two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-team deal that included the help of the Vegas Golden Knights, who retained 40% of Brassard’s $5 million salary cap hit for this season and next.

In return, the Golden Knights received a fourth-round draft choice and rugged winger Ryan Reaves.

With several deals made, the dominoes are starting to fall and it will be interesting to see which direction the Jets go from here.

Do they turn their attention to another centre or shift to a skilled forward?

Or do they look at adding a depth forward and maybe another piece on the back end?

Those questions will be answered in the coming days, but for the time being, the focus of the Jets players remains on trying to pile up points and perhaps create a bit of separation from the teams trying to catch them in the standings.

That’s what the Jets did to the Blues on Friday, evening the season series 2-2 and moving nine points ahead (while holding a game in hand).

“That’s a team that’s trying to catch us in a tightly contested division and conference. Every game is magnified now,” said Wheeler. “We got off to a nice lead in the first and we were able to cruise from there.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-stars

Five keys to Jets vs Stars

By Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars

6:15 pm CT, American Airlines Center, TV: Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Mark Scheifele vs Tyler Seguin This battle of top-line centres should be a dandy to watch. Scheifele has found his form, piling up points after returning to the lineup after a 16-game absence while Seguin is having another strong campaign, leading the Stars with 30 goals and putting up 52 points in 61 games. Seguin has 17 goals, 31 points in 30 career games against the Jets.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Empty the tank Saturday marks the seventh of nine times the Jets will play games on consecutive days this season. To this point, the Jets have posted a record of 3-2-1 in the second game of back-to- backs. The Stars are one of four Central Division teams within striking distance of the Jets, so there will be no shortage of intensity – even if the Jets are playing on short rest.

The working man Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is on track to start his 11th consecutive game on Saturday against the Stars. Hellebuyck is up to 51 appearances (49 starts) on the season and is on track to easily eclipse his NHL career high for games played (56) and starts (53) during the month of March.

Keep an eye on Klingberg Stars defenceman John Klingberg is enjoying a fantastic offensive season, recording seven goals and 47 assists for 54 points in 61 games to leave him tied for the team lead with Alexander Radulov. He also the top-scoring blue-liner in the NHL.

Don’t sleep on Spezza Although it’s been a down year for Stars veteran Jason Spezza, as he’s been limited to seven goals and 24 points in 60 games while being dropped down to the fourth line at times, he’s produced 15 goals and 48 points in 43 career games against the Jets during his career.

Stingy Bishop The Stars brought in free-agent goalie Ben Bishop to stabilize the position and he’s done just that, going 24-17-3 with a 2.53 goal-against average and .916 save %. He’s also enjoyed success against the Jets during his career in a limited sample size, going 4-3-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .926 save %.

St. Louis Dispatch Post http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/blues-pose-no-threat-to- jets/article_ba4a1d05-0ac4-5b63-b01c-b816114e0a5b.html

Listless Blues pose no threat to Jets

By Tom Timmermann

The Blues have not done well when they give up the first goal, have not done well trying to come behind and, come to think of it, have not done well in general over the past two weeks.

At a point in the season where the team needs to turn things around, they instead pressed down on the accelerator but didn’t take the car out of reverse.

The Blues dropped their fifth game in a row on Friday night — their longest losing streak of the season — with a 4-0 loss to Winnipeg that was effectively over when the Jets went up 1-0 midway through the first period and was pretty much put to rest 45 seconds later when the score was 2-0.

The Blues are 7-17-2 when the opponent scores first and have had one come-from-behind win since Nov. 18. When the Blues have gone down 2-0, they’re 0-13, in part because scoring three goals is a major challenge for this team.

“It’s just too many mistakes throughout 60 minutes, including myself,” said goalie Jake Allen, who blamed himself for Winnipeg’s second goal. “You see the turnovers we’re making against a top team like that, with tons of speed, they shove it right back down our throats pretty quick. We need to limit those and tonight it just sort of snowballed on us.

“I guess we’re not mentally in the right place right now. We’re going to be behind in games the last 20 games of the year, we have to find a way to put it together, get a goal, get back in it, and regroup. We’re not always going to have the lead. We have to find a way to muster out a game. Make a game out of it. It doesn’t have to be 20 minutes. Just find a way to get back in the game and chip away and chip away. It’s the same stuff all the time; we just have to do it.”

The Blues remain in the playoff picture only because of the grace of the NHL schedule. With none of the teams immediately behind them on the ice Friday night, the Blues remain in fifth in the Central and in the second wild-card position. That could change Saturday when both Los Angeles and Calgary, who are one point in back of the Blues, are in action. The Blues are off until Sunday, when they face division-leading Nashville.

“We’re fighting for a playoff spot, that’s the reality of it,” captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “There’s concern. We’ve got to find a way to win hockey games. We’ve got 20 games left and we’re just barely in the playoffs.”

This game was the latest installment in a rough run for the team. Amazingly, the last time the Blues faced Winnipeg, on Feb. 9, which in Blues’ years seems like six months ago, they won 5- 2 and played one of their best games of the season. The ceiling seemed unlimited for the Blues if they could keep playing like that.

Instead, the floor has collapsed and it all comes back to offense. In the five losses the Blues have scored seven goals, and even if they’ve played well, putting the puck in the net has become to the Blues like scaling Mount Everest. Starting with the third period of the Nashville game on Feb. 13, the Blues have been outscored 13-3 with only one even-strength goal in 10 periods.

“We need to score goals,” said forward Vladimir Tarasenko. “There is no excuses. This is on me personally, and on all of us. Now we just need to find a way to put the puck in the net. If you can’t score, you can’t win the games. So I take this blame and promise we will work and make the playoffs and have a good run.”

Tarasenko also made an impassioned defense of Allen. The Scottrade Center crowd booed the team with vigor at the end of the first period, and then gave a sort of mocking cheer when Allen made a routine save in the second period.

“I’m tired of talking about the same stuff every night,” Tarasenko said. “Everyone knows what spot we are in. One thing I can address to every one of you, and the fans too: The goalies are the last guys who we can blame on this. This is just embarrassing to hear. A lot of guys have never played hockey and they cheer when Jake makes a save. If not for the goalies, we’d be in a worse spot right now. They can blame us, they can blame everyone, but don’t touch the goalies.

“I know how hard he works, I know how much he’s done for the organization and especially this year and last year. I don’t understand why people blame the goalies. That’s wrong.”

Offense and Allen, however, don’t mix. Blues coach Mike Yeo turned to Allen on Friday hoping he would reprise the strong finish he made at the end of last season, when the Blues went 15-2- 2. But right now, Allen has gone 2-12 since Dec. 10, and in the 12 losses, the Blues have scored just 16 goals. The Blues have been shut out five times this season, four of them with Allen in goal.

It’s been little things that have been doing in the Blues, but those little things seem to turn into big ones very easily. Consider the first goal Friday. Defenseman Chris Butler tried to play the puck up the boards and out of the Blues’ zone, but he couldn’t get it past Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele. Butler was still between Scheifele and the net, until, that is, Butler fell down. That sent Scheifele in along with Nic Petan, who finished the play to make it 1-0. (Butler hardly played the rest of the game, making it very possible the Blues will call another defenseman up from the AHL before Sunday’s game with Nashville.)

That got the snowball rolling, and soon the Blues were buried. Forty-five seconds later defenseman Jay Bouwmeester led the attack into the Winnipeg end, and when the puck reversed direction, that side of the ice was wide open and Colton Parayko couldn’t get over in time to keep Blake Wheeler from taking a shot from the right circle to make it 2-0. Allen overplayed the near post, giving Wheeler sufficient space on the other half of the net.

“That was a bad goal, that was on me,” Allen said. “I wasn’t happy with that one.”

And from there, the die was cast.

Associated Press http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/connor-hellebuyck-makes-34-saves-jets-shut-blues/

Connor Hellebuyck makes 34 saves, Jets shut out Blues

By Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Connor Hellebuyck shut down the St. Louis Blues — again.

Hellebuyck made 34 saves for his sixth shutout of the season and Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist in the Winnipeg Jets‘ 4-0 victory Friday night.

Hellebuyck has three shutouts in six career games against St. Louis.

"They’re nice and gritty and I think we like that style of game," Hellebuyck said. "We like to get in the mud and really work and grind teams down and I think they fit right into game role."

Nic Petan and Patrik Laine also scored to help the Jets win for the fourth time in five games.

Jake Allen made 19 saves for the Blues. They are 0-4-1 in their last five.

"Just too many mistakes throughout 60 minutes, including myself," Allen said. "You see the turnovers against a top team like that with tons of speed and they shoved it back down our throats pretty quick. We need to limits those and tonight it just kind of snowballed on us."

The Jets, with 81 points, have a solid grasp of second place in the Central Division. The Blues, with 72 points, could lose their hold of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a Los Angeles or Calgary win Saturday.

The Jets scored twice in a 44-second span midway through the first to take control.

Petan took advantage of Chris Butler’s giveaway with 9:56 left in the first period. Mark Scheifele intercepted a poor clearing attempt by Butler and found Petan. Wheeler made it 2-0 from an awkward angle against Allen, who gave up two goals on the first four shots he faced. The goal extended Wheeler’s scoring streak to seven games.

"They came out strong, I thought we came out a little flat," Wheeler said. "Bucky kept us in it and they had a turnover there and it kind of got us rolling, got us on the board. We started flowing a little bit from there."

Connor made it 3-0 with a power play goal with 1:29 left in the first, chipping in a rebound off of a Wheeler shot. Connor has scored four goals in his last three games.

"We turned a couple of (pucks) over early and then one of our offensive lines got in the penalty box and he (Hellebuyck) made some saves on that PK that was good and gave us time to get our legs going," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said.

Laine extended his goals streak to four games, beating Allen clean from the right circle at 6:04 of the second period.

"I thought we came out with good jump," Blues forward Alexander Steen said. "We let in a couple of goals and dug ourselves a hole. I think we were a little spread out against a solid team. They play with good foundation to their game and we got extremely spread out at times during the game."

Hellebuyck made several key saves early as the Blues had the first seven shots of the game. Hellebuyck also made tough saves on Brayden Schenn and Steen during a power play late in the second.

"Yeah, you know, hats off to the guys in front of me," Hellebuyck said. "They’ve been blocking shots and giving me sight lines. Their details are so good. I hope we never have to talk about the other way around. Let’s keep it playing this well and I can keep telling my players that they’re playing phenomenal in front of me."

FACE IN THE CROWD Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist in Kiss, was at the game.

NOTES: The Blues placed D Robert Bortuzzo (left knee) on injured reserve. . Jets G Michael Hutchinson backed up Hellebuyck after missing the last six games due to a concussion. … The Blues scratched L Sammy Blais and C Oskar Sundqvist. The Jets scrstched D Tucker Poolman and G Marko Dano.

UP NEXT Jets: At Dallas on Saturday night. Blues: At Nashville on Sunday.

FanRag Sports https://www.fanragsports.com/jets/kyle-connor-quietly-crushing-rookie-season/

Kyle Connor quietly crushing rookie season

By Chris Oddo

The wake-up call came last month for Kyle Connor when he was demoted to the fourth line by Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice. Not that he needed one — for the most part, the American’s rookie season has been more dream than wake-up call.

He may be under the radar, and not given much consideration in the Calder conversation that has been dominated by Mathew Barzal, Brock Boeser and Charlie MacAvoy, but Connor has been magical in Winnipeg. His future as an elite scorer in the NHL looks bright.

The 21-year-old, one of just four rookies to have potted 20 or more goals this season, has been a revelation for the Jets, sliding in seamlessly alongside Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele on the team’s top line and top power-play unit to help the Jets spread their top-tier scoring talent across the roster.

It’s a testament to Connor’s ability that he has recently been promoted again, after spending seven games on the team’s checking line with Joel Armia and Andrew Copp (among others). Perhaps Maurice simply wanted to push Connor’s buttons—the Jets have the depth at forward to allow a coach to do that, and Connor’s fellow rookie and former first-round pick Jack Roslovic is certainly talented enough to deserve a look on the top line. It’s likely that Maurice had the ultimate goal of getting the snarl back in Connor’s game and then putting him back where he belongs for the stretch run the whole time.

If it was a test, Connor passed it with flying colors. During the seven games that constituted his demotion, the Michigan native led the Jets in 5-on-5 points per 60 with 4.08 and 5-on-5 goals per 60 with 2.45 (he was also second on the team with 9.78 shots/60 in that span). With Connor ranking 19th on the team in 5-on-5 ice time per game during that span (10:30), it was obvious that the Jets would be better off with him back on the top line with Wheeler and Scheifele.

“[Connor] got demoted, his role was reduced a little bit, put him on the fourth line and he got a little chip on his shoulder,” said Wheeler last week. “Put us back our line together and what difference in his game. Last game, he was all over every puck, created so many loose pucks for [Scheifele] and I. It makes all the difference in the world for our line when he plays like that.”

In the four games since rejoining Wheeler and Scheifele, Connor ranks third on the Jets with 2.38 goals per 60, and his 5-on-5 ice time is back up to 12:35 a game. It’s a small sample size, but it jives with what we’ve seen from Connor ever since he got the call-up from AHL Manitoba for good on October 16, 2017. Blessed with blazing speed and a wicked shot, Connor clearly benefits from having two world-class playmakers on his line. He leads the Jets in shots per 60 in the last four games with a whopping 16.68, and he has three goals in his last three contests.

A larger sample size is more proof that Connor’s rookie season has been nothing short of dynamic. Connor leads the Jets (minimum 300 min TOI, 5-on-5) in goals per 60 (1.26) and points per 60 (2.44), and ranks second in shots per 60 (8.67) and shooting percentage (14.56). That goals per 60 number ranks Connor 12th in the NHL. He hasn’t logged the minutes of the three players we’re about to mention, but when you consider the fact that Connor is outpacing Alexander Ovechkin, Jamie Benn and Evgeni Malkin in 5-on-5 points per 60, you start to get an idea of how productive he has been for the Jets this season.

The headlines go to Connor Hellebuyck for his phenomenal turnaround between the pipes, and Patrik Laine for his upside and the sheer devastating quality of his shot, but don’t sleep on Connor as an integral part of Winnipeg’s offensive machine today and in the future.

He has proven to be a sniper well worth the 17th pick in the 2015 draft for the Jets, and Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff must now think long and hard about whether he wants to deal assets to acquire a top-six winger that may not be able to replicate scoring sizzle of Connor.

There are several ways to look at the equation, and the Jets appear to be doing just that, which is why Connor bounced down the lineup for a spell. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a big risk for the Jets to add at forward, especially when Connor has proven he can still snipe at impressive rates playing with Armia and Copp. The Jets can roll the dice on a rental for the top line, knowing that said rental can walk in the summer, thereby allowing Connor to move right back in next season.

There’s a lot of win-win right now in Winnipeg, an organization that is stacked with young talent.

Trading for a top-six winger doesn’t seem like a necessary move by any stretch, but the Jets benefit from inside intel. If they feel Connor is approaching the “rookie wall” or not ready to handle the physicality of playoff hockey, they may feel they have to cover their bases. Maybe they just want to have insurance for the playoffs, which figure to be rough, particularly if they don’t win the Central.

No matter what gets decided by the Jets’ brass, the fact remains: Connor is destined to be an elite scorer (just as he was in his freshman year at NCAA Michigan and in his rookie AHL season, where he scored 35 and 25 goals respectively). The Jets are lucky to have him locked up through next season at a $925K cap hit.

Still, the rookie can be better — he will need to be to keep getting top-line minutes on a Western Conference juggernaut. What his coach said he wanted to see more of is a willingness from Connor to be harder on the puck in the offensive zone and more careful with it in the neutral zone. They want him to use his speed for puck retrieval as often as he uses it to get open for open feeds from Wheeler and Scheifele.

So here we are a few days before the trade deadline. The winger looks like he’s ready to continue tearing up the league as the Jets head down the stretch and into the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons since moving to the Great White North. Connor with a chip on his shoulder after a demotion is a far more dangerous animal than Connor resting on his laurels. The Jets will be counting on him down the stretch no matter what shakes out at the deadline.

NBC Sports http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/02/24/why-the-golden-knights-got-involved-in-derick-brassard- deal/

Why the Golden Knights got involved in Derick Brassard deal

By Scott Billeck

If Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee is to be believed, getting forward Ryan Reaves and a draft pick while not having to give up anything but some cap space was the meal ticket.

McPhee, who spoke to the media in Las Vegas during the first intermission of their game against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, said they added grit to their lineup with Reaves after the Golden Knights were one of three teams involved in a wild trade that ultimately sent Derick Brassard from Ottawa to Pittsburgh.

Reaves, McPhee said, is a tough guy who can do more than just dole out physical punishment.

“Ryan is a big strong guy that brings some grit, some strong depth to our hockey club,” McPhee said. “He’s a unique player. These players, tough guys in this league, many of them have been rendered obsolete because they can’t play. (Reaves) can play.

The deal was convoluted, McPhee admitted, saying that it’s something that happens with three teams involved. He said it took four transactions to make it work.

“We gave up some cap space, we have a lot of cap space and a minor league player to do this, so we picked up two assets,” McPhee said. “I thought it was a good deal for our club.”

McPhee said he spoke with Pittsburgh a couple days ago, and the deal for Reaves came together quite quickly. He said the issues with the deal were more on the side of Ottawa and Pittsburgh and once those were worked out, the deal was made.

McPhee said he doesn’t necessarily believe the club needs to make moves.

“But if there are opportunities to make the club a little bit better, one percent, two percent, three percent, you do it if it’s not going to affect chemistry,” he said.

This may only be part of the story here for the Golden Knights.

Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported that Vegas may have got involved in the deal to block the Winnipeg Jets from getting Brassard.

Even though the Jets and Golden Knights wouldn’t meet until the third round of the playoffs — a lot would have to go right for that to happen — Vegas essentially made sure that if the scenario ever came to fruition, they wouldn’t have to deal with Brassard in the series.

If true, that’s some next level stuff by McPhee and Co.

McPhee played down those reports in his presser, saying it wasn’t a “material” part of the deal.

“We saw an opportunity to pick up Ryan Reaves and a draft pick in what was a simple transaction for us,” he said.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Jets were disappointed not to land Brassard after going “hard” after him. The move would have solidified Winnipeg’s spine, with Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little, Brassard and Adam Lowry down the middle. Winnipeg’s already a scary team without Brassard’s services. The fear factor would only have improved with him.

The Jets, reportedly, offered three pieces for Brassard, in what was a “solid” package. Given what Pittsburgh sent Ottawa’s way, that likely means a first-round pick, a roster player and a high-level prospect.

The Jets are now forced to look elsewhere, and perhaps they have the league’s newest team to blame for it.

A Jets-Golden Knights series would have a little more on the line if it comes to be this spring.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-st-louis-blues-game-recap/c-296298540

Hellebuyck makes 34 saves, Jets shut out Blues Winnipeg climbs within two points of Predators for Central Division lead by Louie Korac / NHL.com Correspondent

ST. LOUIS -- Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves to set a franchise record with his sixth shutout of the season, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-0 at Scottrade Center on Friday.

Hellebuyck surpassed Ondrej Pavelec's record of five shutouts in 2014-15. It was his second shutout this season, and third of his career, in six starts against the Blues. He has 12 shutouts in his NHL career.

Hellebuyck has 32 wins this season, second in the League behind Andrei Vasilevskiy's 35 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I was seeing pucks, seeing it well, and the guys were doing the right things in front of me," Hellebuyck said. "They were taking their guys, they were clearing rebounds and they were giving me sight lines, and that's all I ask of them and they were doing a phenomenal job of it. The guys played great tonight."

Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist for the Jets (36-16-9), who have won four of five (4-1-0) and scored four or more goals in four of five.

"I thought we could have been a little bit better but Connor played really well and we got off to a nice lead in the first and we were able to cruise from there," Wheeler said.

Winnipeg trails the Nashville Predators by two points for first place in the Central Division.

Jake Allen made 19 saves and lost for the 12th time in the past 14 starts for the Blues (34-24-4), who have lost a season-high five in a row.

"If I had the answer it wouldn't be happening," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said of the recent struggles. "... We've just got to show up, enough talking. You can only say so much; you've got to go out and prove it."

St. Louis holds the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.

"It's cliche, we've talked about it, but it's got to start showing up on the ice," Blues forward Alexander Steen said. "… Twenty games [remaining] and we're in a fight here."

Nic Petan and Wheeler scored 45 seconds apart in the first period to give the Jets a 2-0 lead.

Petan scored at 10:03 after Blues defenseman Chris Butler's giveaway for a 1-0 lead, and Wheeler scored from the right circle at 10:48 to make it 2-0.

Connor's fourth goal in four games, on the power play, increased the lead to 3-0 at 18:31.

Patrik Laine's 29th goal of the season and fourth in as many games, a wrist shot from the right circle at 6:04 of the second period, made it 4-0 on the Jets' 14th shot.

Goal of the game Laine's goal at 6:04 of the second period.

Save of the game Hellebuyck's save on Vladimir Sobotka 1:50 into the first period.

Highlight of the game Petan's goal at 10:03 of the first period.

They said it "It was maybe not the start we wanted but you would expect that start from St. Louis, and they were good, but we were able to get up to our speed and play pretty solid. We got to the right level for us, right speed, and we played fast and moved the puck quickly and we didn't give them a lot of ice to play on. We were good for as long as we needed to be." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice

"It's just too many mistakes throughout 60 minutes, including myself. You see the turnovers we're making against a top team like that, with tons of speed, they shove it right back down our throats pretty quick. We need to limit those and tonight it just sort of snowballed on us." -- Blues goaltender Jake Allen

Need to know Wheeler has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) during a seven-game point streak. ... Laine has seven points (four goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak. ... Blues forward Nikita Soshnikov arrived in St. Louis on Friday after getting work-related visa issues settled. Soshnikov was acquired in a trade with the on Feb. 15 for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

What's next Jets: At the Dallas Stars on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SN1, FS-SW+, NHL.TV) Blues: At the Nashville Predators on Sunday (12 p.m. ET; NBC, TVAS, NHL.TV)

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/video/lebrun-jets-went-hard-at-brassard-disappointed-to-miss-out~1333702

LeBrun: Jets went hard at Brassard, disappointed to miss out

As Pierre LeBrun explains on That's Hockey, the Jets went hard at Derick Brassard with a strong offer to the Sens, and are disappointed that they missed out on acquiring one of their top targets. https://www.tsn.ca/video/after-missing-out-on-brassard-will-jets-target-someone-else~1333269

After missing out on Brassard, will Jets target someone else?

TSN Hockey analyst Dave Poulin explains how the Jets' big boys led the way in their win over the Blues, and discusses whether Winnipeg will target someone else on the trade market after missing out on Derick Brassard.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/larkin-jets-can-dip-deep-into-the-farm-for-trades- 1.1009088

Larkin: Jets can dip deep into the farm for trades

The Hockey News senior writer Matt Larkin joined host Kevin Olszewski to look ahead to the NHL Trade Deadline. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/kidd-hellebuyck-is-well-rested-1.1009077

Kidd: Hellebuyck is well rested

TSN Jets analyst Trevor Kidd joined host Kevin Olszewski to preview Friday night's Winnipeg Jets game against St. Louis. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/yost-there-aren-t-a-lot-of-teams-in-the-market-for-big- names-1.1008116

Yost: There aren't a lot of teams in the market for big names

TSN.ca’s Travis Yost discusses the most intriguing storylines ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, why Michael Grabner is an attractive option for buyers at the trade deadline, the price for Rick Nash, which players the Winnipeg Jets should target, and the Erik Karlsson trade rumors. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/hellebuycks-34-saves-lead-jets-past-blues/c-296287252

Hellebuyck's 34 saves lead Jets past Blues Petan, Wheeler, Connor & Laine supply the offence as Jets open road trip with 4-0 win by Jamie Thomas @JamieThomasTV / WinnipegJets.com

ST. LOUIS, MO - Slowly but surely, Connor Hellebuyck is etching his name in the Winnipeg Jets record books.

The goalie's 34-save effort led the Jets to a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Blues Friday at Scottrade Center. The win not only moved the Jets to a 36-16-9 record, but his sixth shutout of the season surpassed Ondrej Pavelec's five shutouts in 2014-15 to set a new franchise mark. It also leaves Hellebuyck two wins shy of Kari Lehtonen's franchise record of 34.

"I was seeing pucks, seeing (them) well and the guys were doing the right thing in front of me," said Hellebuyck. "They were taking their guys, they were clearing rebounds and they were giving me sightlines, and that's all I ask from them and they did a phenomenal job with it."

Nic Petan, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine scored in the win for the Jets, who had a slow start to the opening frame, but quickly found their game and took over by the midway point of the period.

"I thought we could have been a little better," said Wheeler who extended his point streak to seven games with a goal and an assist. "Connor (Hellebuyck) played really well and when we got off to a nice lead in the first, we were able to cruise from there."

The Jets have won eight of their last 10 games against the Blues, including all five matchups last season.

"About 30 minutes, we were really good after that (the opening six-and-half minutes)," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "Again, on the puck very well, knocked a lot of stuff down and countered really quickly off that. So, it was maybe not the start we wanted, but we would expect that start from St. Louis. But we were able to get up to our speed and play pretty solid."

Mark Scheifele was the primary reason the Jets opened the scoring, stealing the puck in the attacking zone before sending a perfect pass over to Petan, who tapped it home for his second of the season at 10:03 of the first.

"It (the pass) was awesome," said Petan, whose goal ended up being the game-winning tally. "It was a little turnover and my eyes lit up and it was a great pass."

The Jets made it 2-0 just 45 seconds later Wheeler picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, carried it down the right wing and wired a shot far side on Jake Allen.

Former Jet Chris Thorburn was in the box for hooking when Winnipeg made it 3-0 at 18:31. Allen stopped Wheeler's initial shot, but Connor was there in tight for his 22nd of the season. The captain recorded a career high 53rd assist, and Dustin Byfuglien got the other helper, giving him at least a point in five straight games.

The scoring continued for the visitors at 6:04 of the middle frame. From top of the right circle, Laine wired a shot high, stick side that Allen would like to have back. Laine's 29th goal of the campaign was Winnipeg's fourth of the night on the first 13 shots they fired on goal.

After their previous on Feb. 9, a 5-2 Blues win saw St. Louis pull within two points of the Jets in the Central. With the victory tonight, Winnipeg sits nine points ahead of the Blues in the standings and still hold a game in hand.

"It's huge. A huge two points," said Wheeler. "That's a team that's trying to catch us in a tightly contested division and conference, so every game is magnified now."

Winnipeg is now two points back of Nashville for top spot in the Central with the Predators once again holding a game in hand. Meanwhile, the Blues are barely hanging on for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, one point up on the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.

The Jets will face another Central Division opponent on Saturday when they visit the Dallas Stars - a team they've beaten twice already this season.

Winnipeg is 3-2-1 in the second game of a back-to-back contests in 2017-18.

- Jamie Thomas, WinnipegJets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--paul-maurice/t-277437442/c-58127903

POSTGAME | Paul Maurice

Paul Maurice on his team's performance following their 4-0 win in St. Louis https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--connor-hellebuyck/t-277437442/c-58127703

POSTGAME | Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck on his game tonight and his 6th shutout of the season https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-58127603

POSTGAME | Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler on his team's performance, the play of Connor Hellebuyck and much more https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--nic-petan/t-277437442/c-58127403

POSTGAME | Nic Petan

Nic Petan on tonight's game and his game winning goal in the first period