Jets shine with total team effort to eliminate Stars 3-0 – Winnipeg Free Press

DALLAS – This is how playoff hockey should be.

On a night when the Winnipeg Jets avoided a four-game season series against the Dallas Stars, Thursday night's 3-0 victory at the American Airlines Center had virtually nothing to do with the final score.

In addition to showing you exactly what it takes to have a chance to play well in April and beyond.

It was a clinical effort, the puck handling was accurate and it was clear to do the little things when they got back to playing a pressure game on the ice.

“It was like a lot of games where we didn't score a lot,” said Jets forward Nikolai Ehlers, who scored the game-winning goal. “But it's not just the opposing goals — it's seeing how everyone works together here and that's what we need, so it's exciting.”

Such a complete game was even more impressive considering the Stars had won 10 of their previous 11 games.

“Oh, that's huge,” said Ellers, whose team extended its winning streak to five games. “I'd say they're number one right now. They have a great team and for us to play against such a great team, it shows what we can do if we play the right way. We just have to buy.”

One of the items at the top of the to-do list was to significantly ease the life of the man between the pipes.

The Jets were very successful on that front, drastically reducing the number of high-threat chances as Laurent Brossoit delivered his 14th win and third shutout of the season.

Offensively, the Jets improved to 49-24-6 with goals from Ehlers, David Gustafsson and Mark Scheifele.

“This is the game we want to play. “Obviously, this team is a great hockey team,” Jets head coach Rick Bowness said. “We knew we had to bring our A game every shift and we did. That's how we want to play and that's how we will play.”

The Jets wrap up a four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon for a tilt that could determine second place in the Central Division.

Here's a closer look at what happened in the Lone Star State:

Answer

Eilers didn't enjoy spending the better part of the third period on the bench in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Nashville Predators, but he responded quickly after rejoining Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli.

Ehlers, who was limited to a season-high 9:37 of ice time on the trip, was alone in the slot and buried a beautiful pass from Sean Monahan for his 24th goal of the campaign at 14:51 of the first period.

Before the contest, Bowness talked about the importance of finding consistency on his two-point line and hoped that Ehler's reunion with Monahan and Tyler Toffoli could be a way to spark some production. Bowness said Toffoli was averaging a goal per game clip before he got sick and missed the April 1 game due to illness.

Monahan quickly grabbed the puck as a souvenir, as it was Ehlers' 200th NHL goal.

“It was good to score that goal and get the kids going,” Ehlers said. “When you play casually, you don't have to think too much and you just do what comes to mind first. You don't do a lot of turnovers, so I think I was able to use my speed a lot today and I tried to shoot when I got the puck. It was a lot of fun playing with those two guys, so it was fun to come back and play well.

“They are easy players to play. (Toffoli) has a great shot. We want him to take advantage of that as much as he can, and (Monahan's) defensive game and his playmaking skills, the way he reads the game, it's fun to play. And for myself, I try to skate as much as possible, open up to those two, and do something. It's been great so far and we want to keep it going.”

Bowness and Ehlers had a productive conversation Thursday morning.

“Yeah, he wasn't happy with his performance (against the Predators),” Bowness said. “Listen, he was good at both ends of the ice, you saw that backcheck in the second period. “It was impressive as a goal, so I thought he had a really solid game on both ends of the ice,” Bowness said. “But he was ready to go tonight and he's a loyal guy. Right. He is responsible. And he knows he's not at his best. And he is proud of it. So give him a lot of credit for a good swing game.”

Gustafsson ends drought

The Jets made one lineup change, subbing David Gustafsson for Cole Perfetti, who logged 9:23 of ice time in Tuesday's game against the Predators. Gustafsson, who had played eight of the previous nine games as a healthy scratch, had a 30-game goal streak that lasted until Oct. 30, when Dylan Samberg's shot deflected off his skate and skidded off his skate. Stars forward Mason Marchment.

“I'm not surprised. He is here packing his bag for the last time. We all see this,” said Brossut. “I'm glad to see him there and I'm glad to see him succeed.”

Gustafsson is having a good season, but he fell victim to the numbers game after the arrival of Toffoli and had to be patient for his next chance.

Interestingly, Gustafsson was included in the lineup for his defensive prowess, but also found his way onto the scoresheet.

Brossoit stands tall

Much of the talk of the race revolved around Jake Oettinger's outstanding performance against the Jets this season – and the first six of his NHL career.

Playing with the confidence that has allowed the Jets to field one of the best tandems in the NHL this season, Brossoit finished his 21st and 22nd game with 25 saves.

Brossoit improved to 4-0-1 against the Stars and stopped 110 of the 115 shots he faced in those meetings.

“It doesn't matter who's on the other end,” said Brossoit, “but thanks for letting him down.”

He handled the puck well, controlled rebounds and made timely saves when called upon — once again showing multiple teams around the NHL that he's ready for a heavy workload next season after becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

One of the Stars' best chances was Thomas Harley's point which was deflected by Jamie Benn and hit the post.

“That's all I gave him,” Brossuth said with a smile.

A certain period

Lowry pitched in his 700th NHL game on Thursday, another milestone for being selected in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft.

“I'm very grateful to have been in the league this long doing what I love,” Lowry said. “Grateful for the support of my family and grateful to have done it all with the help of one organization, you will look back on your career. It's a different game for me now, at this point, but it's always good to reach these milestones.”

Lowry has done an outstanding job in his first season as team captain, and his performance on the ice has matched his leadership skills.

“He plays right and he plays a 200-foot game and he plays a tough game. So when you play as hard as he does and as physical as he does, to play that many games is impressive,” Brossoit said. “He was fantastic (as captain). He has a very calming presence. He's very inclusive, he plays it right on the ice and he leads by example. That's why I can't say good things about him.”

Additional, additional

Jets winger Nino Niederreiter was more involved in Thursday's morning skate and took part in on-ice practice as he returned from a torn leg as a result of a skate cut. Bowness wasn't ready to put an exact timeline on his return to the lineup, but he said he is “hopeful” Niederreiter will be able to play Saturday against the Nomads.

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Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter

Growing up in the booming metropolis of Altoona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were better at typing than scoring goals, he turned his attention to covering his favorite sport as a writer.

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