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![\"HEATHER](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CP176022847_fa8c54.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHEATHER KHALIFA \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
\nGoalie Eric Comrie (1) and centre Mark Scheifele (55) celebrate after the Jets\u2019 win Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the fact two good shooters, KC and Gabe, picked the corners nice,\u201d Arniel told the Free Press inside Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
The Jets were facing a Rangers goaltender making his NHL debut in Dylan Garand, so they didn\u2019t have much of a scouting report on his habits and tendencies the way they would with most big-league netminders.<\/p>\n
Maybe that worked in Winnipeg\u2019s favour. The Jets had lost four of five shootouts this season, scoring just once on 13 total attempts \u2014 a goal by Vilardi, who admitted some improvisation was required against Garand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s a newer goalie, like the guy today, I wasn\u2019t sure. I have a few different moves that I like to do in those situations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a cat-and-mouse game in the shootout, right? You want to see who moves first. If you go slow, then maybe the goalie oversteps or doesn\u2019t follow the puck at the right speed kind of thing? Everyone has different mindsets towards the shootout.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg improves to 29-29-12 after going 1-1-1 on this quick three-game Eastern Conference road trip. They are at 70 points through 70 games, keeping them within sniffing distance of the final Western Conference wildcard playoff spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cProud of all the guys that we pulled that one off,\u201d said Arniel.<\/p>\n
Several teams ahead of the Jets have been scuffling along lately, which has allowed them to stay in this race, which is more like a turtle derby at this point.<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside of Nashville it seems like whenever we stub our toe all the other teams stub their toe, as well,\u201d said Jets captain Adam Lowry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have gotten a lot of help from the out-of-town scoreboard, but we have to start stacking some wins and take care of our own business. Getting three of four (points) this weekend \u2014 especially after the start on Saturday, getting down two (goals) just two minutes in and a quick turnaround, back-to-back, against a rested team \u2014 bodes well.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York falls to 28-33-9.<\/p>\n
ALL HE DOES IS WIN: Eric Comrie is making a compelling case for more playing time.<\/p>\n
The backup goaltender was terrific in this game, stopping 27 of 29 shots during regulation and overtime and then turning aside both breakaways during the shootout.<\/p>\n
Comrie has now won six consecutive starts dating back to January, which is the longest streak of the year for a Winnipeg goaltender. He\u2019s given up nine goals in that span, for a 1.50 goals against average, stopping 149 of 158 shots for a .943 save percentage.<\/p>\n
The only two pucks that beat him Sunday \u2014 off the stick of Tye Kartye early in the second to tie the game 1-1, and a power play blast by Mika Zibanejad later in the middle frame to tie the game 2-2 \u2014 can be filed under the category of \u201cno chance\u201d to stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis streak of great play continues,\u201d said Lowry.<\/p>\n
Connor Hellebuyck had started 11 of 13 games coming out of the Olympic break and was really looking tired of late. He gave up 13 goals over his last three games this week, going 0-1-2 in the process.<\/p>\n
Could Comrie\u2019s surge along with Hellebuyck\u2019s struggles lead to some goaltending plans being changed for upcoming games, especially with the Jets in desperate need of results?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see. We\u2019re going to see how this plays,\u201d said Arniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe schedule is so crazy. We do have a two-day break coming (next Sunday and Monday) and that will be the end of it for the rest of the year, We\u2019ll look at it and see how we\u2019re lined up, making sure that both goaltenders are more than likely going to get an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
SLUMP BUSTER: Lowry is the first to admit he hasn\u2019t produced the way he\u2019d hope this season. Offseason hip surgery, which caused him to miss the first few weeks of the year, has been an obvious factor.<\/p>\n
But the proud veteran centre still has a knack for coming up big, as he did Sunday when he opened the scoring in the first period following a beautiful Tic-Tac-Toe passing play with linemates Vilardi and Cole Perfetti.<\/p>\n
It was just Lowry\u2019s fifth of the year \u2014 and his first in 25 games.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cThere have been some chances the last few games, tipped one off the post,\u201d Lowry said of thinking his puck luck was about to change.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like that one was going to fall and sometimes when you go a long time without scoring you stop shooting the puck and you stop wanting the puck around the net. So that was a heck of a play by Perfetti and a heck of a play by Vilardi to allow me to tap that one in.\u201d<\/p>\n NEW HEIGHTS: Vilardi gave the Jets their second lead of the day early in the second period when he pounced on the power play, scoring his 27th of the season.<\/p>\n That ties the career-high he set last year (in one additional game than he\u2019s played so far this year), but the young winger wasn\u2019t celebrating the milestone.<\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t mean much,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s just a matter that we\u2019re in a playoff push right now, and that\u2019s bigger than my personal goals and points and whatnot. So that\u2019s my job to produce. So I\u2019m gonna keep trying to do that and keep trying to set career highs every year.\u201d<\/p>\n Vilardi is now up to 58 points, which is just three off the career high he set last year.<\/p>\n KEY PLAY: The decision by Arniel to send his best shooters over the boards for the shootout.<\/p>\n THREE STARS:<\/p>\n 1. WPG RW Gabe Vilardi: 1 goal, 1 assist<\/p>\n 2. NYR G Dylan Garand: 35 saves in his NHL debut<\/p>\n 3. WPG LW Cole Perfetti: 1 assist, and at least two, possibly three posts hit.<\/p>\n EXTRA, EXTRA: The Jets were furious in overtime when Mark Scheifele was called for interference, believing a very similar infraction (essentially a pick play) had just happened against them seconds earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cOur penalty kill came up big,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cThat was huge. It gave us a chance to get to the shootout.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnipeg went 1-for-4 on the power play, while New York went 1-for-3.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Defencemen Jacob Bryson and Ville Heinola were the two healthy scratches for the Jets.<\/p>\n Winnipeg flew home following the game and will spend Monday away from the rink. They return to action on Tuesday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a sprint to the finish,\u201d said Lowry.<\/p>\n \u201cThe margin for error is slim for us and we know the position we are in and we know the teams coming up. We\u2019ve got to take care of the one game in front of us and not look too far ahead and hope you are getting help on the out-of-town scoreboard. There are a lot of really good teams coming up for us and we are going to need to play our best hockey here.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHEATHER KHALIFA \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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\nWinnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie, right, makes a save against New York Rangers centre J.T. Miller (8) in the shootout Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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