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Winnipeg Jets Win Biggest Game Of Their Season; Beat Preds 2-0 |
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The Winnipeg Jets gain a bit of cushion room on their playoff spot with a win against the Nashville Predators, earning a 2-0 shutout.
With Calgary set to play Vancouver later, the fate of the point race is still subject to change by the end of the night, but this win couldn't have come at a more important time.
Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk each scored a goal in the victory, while Blake Wheeler, Vlad Namestnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey earning an assist each while Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 28 shots he faced to earn the shutout.
As mentioned, Calgary is still set to play tonight, but as it stands now, Winnipeg has a two point lead on the Flames, and will still have a game in hand after tonight.
The Jets could have had plenty of more goals with better finishing and more luck, which is definitely going to have to be solved one way or another headed into the postseason, but it was enough to get it done tonight. Scheifele, Ehlers and Dubois all had fantastic showings, developing some great offensive opportunities.
There were a few glaring mistakes on the Jets' defensive efforts, but they were bailed out by Hellebuyck, but for the most part they were quite sound. They weren't allowing a ton of high-danger chances, and when push came to shove, they got the job done.
I was most impressed with Connor-Dubois-Scheifele, and this line has had some impressive performances lately. This was clearly the team-driving line tonight, and their offensive play not only led them to some great scoring chances, but it negated any offensive pressure from Nashville. It is refreshing to see them, especially Scheifele, play without having a bead of sweat dripping from being nervous about defensive collapses. Now, their defensive play still isn't excellent, and there are still some places for improvement, but their pressure in the Predators' zone really helps their case.
Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo continued to work really well together as Morrissey adds to his elite production this season. It is great to see how well these two compliment each other, and DeMelo made quite a few sneaky good defensive plays to hold the puck in the zone. He will never be the kind of player that jumps off the papers at you, but his impact on the ice is much needed in Winnipeg.
I will give another update on what the playoff picture looks like tomorrow after Calgary and Vancouver play, but things are looking good for Winnipeg right now, but until there is an "x" beside their name in the standings, anything can happen.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger • 
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