Jets statement on Dallas victory

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The Winnipeg Jets had better find a suitable container to bottle Thursday night's game in Dallas.

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While they're at it, wrap it in bubble wrap and find a safe place for it. They will need it in a week or two.

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Such was Winnipeg's composure as it finally broke the All-Star code, avoiding a season-long sweep of its Central Division rivals with a 3-0 victory at American Airlines Centre.

A playoff-feeling game was something the Jets didn't have in Nashville a few nights ago.

They were on the puck, played well on defense, were great on the floor and put the pedal to the floor from start to finish to improve to 49-24-6.

And they were rewarded with the announcement that they were a few games out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Laurent Brossoit made 25 saves for the third time of the season to help Winnipeg to its fifth straight win.

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Nikolaj Ehlers scored his 200th NHL goal and birthday boy David Gustafsson snapped a 30-game scoring drought on his 24th birthday as the Jets battled back to second place behind Colorado.

Winnipeg will face Denver in the first round on Saturday for a game that will very well determine home-ice advantage, with the two teams likely to meet when the playoffs begin in less than two weeks.

In the event of a tie between the two teams, the Jets will hold the tiebreaker.

Winnipeg played its best game in months in the heart of Texas.

From the first drop of the puck, the Jets made the hay against a Dallas team that had won nine of 10 coming into the night.

Ehlers had 24 of the season getting out of the offensive zone and helping in the win. He returned it seconds later, before taking it home from the nest at 2:51 p.m. for the first time.

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The second goal was another result of hard work, with Gustafsson using his size and strength to get to the front of the net and tip home Dylan Samberg's point at 9:20 of the second.

Mark Scheifele scored a late empty net goal to seal the victory.

And Samberg was able to share the shutout with Brossoit after making two key saves.

The first came in the opening frame, with Samberg showing great awareness to put the puck back under Brossoit after it squeaked by Winnipeg's backup in the crease.

In a desperation attempt in the second period, all five Jets took the ice, Samberg raced back to get a diving stick on Dallas' 2-on-0 cross-ice attempt.

Winnipeg went 2-for-2 killing Dallas' power play. The Jets failed to convert with the man advantage on both attempts.

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