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THE CANADIAN PRESS\/John Woods<\/p>\n
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Winnipeg Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner makes one of his 32 saves in the Jets 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Winnipeg on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Roars of Stuuuuu echoed through the building with great frequency, but reached a fever pitch when Skinner robbed Martin Necas on two occasions: once during a power play in the first period and again in the second when he sprawled to reach across and get his glove on a glorious rebound chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just doesn\u2019t seem really fazed by anything,\u201d said Jets left-winger Kyle Connor, who scored the game-winning goal with a minute left in regulation time. \u201cHe\u2019s just so calm in the net. He takes up a lot of the net. The game comes to him easily, he reads the play so well. It gives us a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jets, who improved to 3-0-1, are back in action on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the fashion that we\u2019re able to win games, that shows the character in this room,\u201d said Skinner. \u201cIt shows a lot of character, but a lot of experience as well. It\u2019s been a lot of fun seeing how these guys battle every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a closer look at what went down in this one:<\/p>\n
Staying hot<\/p>\n
Connor continues to pace the offensive attack, scoring two more goals for five goals and seven points in four games.<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s decisive marker was a thing of beauty as he corralled a crisp, cross-ice feed from Mark Scheifele in the high slot and unloaded a quick wrister that found the back of the net.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to say I was surprised, but he does it so often. That\u2019s a top tier play,\u201d said Connor. \u201cI don\u2019t know that a lot of guys can do that in the league. He\u2019s done it so often. I just know that in the back of my mind, I\u2019ve just always got to be ready. He almost has a sixth sense of knowing where I\u2019m at, at all times and trusting him and being in a shooter position and being ready. He threaded the needle and all I needed to do was put it in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t THE CANADIAN PRESS\/John Woods<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele celebrate Kyle Connor’s goal on goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood in the second period, Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n After doing a lot of damage on the power play in the first two games, the Jets\u2019 top trio scored all three goals in this one at even strength.<\/p>\n Scheifele had his first two assists of the season, while Cole Perfetti is providing excellent support since his promotion to the top line, chipping in his third goal and sixth point in four games.<\/p>\n For the sake of comparison, Perfetti didn\u2019t record his third goal last season until his 27th game (which came on Jan. 6).<\/p>\n The play of the top line has been critical in the Jets early-season success.<\/p>\n \u2018Every superstar has a different way of playing, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean one guy is better than the other,\u201d said Skinner. \u201cThe way that I see our top line taking care of their business is impressive. They\u2019re able to stay calm within the chaos, make plays in big times. You saw it with a minute left.\u201d<\/p>\n The injury<\/p>\n The Jets lost star defenceman Josh Morrissey early in the second period with a suspected right wrist or hand injury.<\/p>\n In the waning seconds of the second period, Morrissey went to hit Avalanche forward T.J. Hughes and seemed to jam his hand into the glass.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t THE CANADIAN PRESS\/John Woods<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Colorado’s Cale Makar tries to slow down Winnipeg’s Cole Koepke in the second period.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Replays showed Morrissey grimacing as he made his way off the ice, but it seemed like a potential crisis may have been averted when he came back out to start the second. However, Morrissey went down the tunnel for further evaluation after his lone shift of the period and didn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n Arniel didn\u2019t sound overly concerned about the severity of the injury, though more tests may be required.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll check on it (Thursday) and see how it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With the Jets down to five blue-liners for the better part of the final two periods, four of those D-men were north of 20 minutes of ice time.<\/p>\n Dylan Samberg led the way with 29 shifts for 25:25 of ice time and also chipped in two assists, five hits and one blocked shot.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the circumstances, that was one of his better games,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cHe was really involved in a lot. He saw an awful lot of (Nathan MacKinnon) out there, almost matched up every shift against him. That\u2019s a handful right there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need Sammy to be that every night. He did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n The key play<\/p>\n Scheifele found Connor in the slot for the game-winning goal with one minute left in regulation time.<\/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 THE THREE STARS<\/p>\n Stuart Skinner, Jets: 32 saves. The decision<\/p>\n Arniel has often mentioned how difficult the discussions are when letting players \u2014 especially veterans \u2014 know that they will be a healthy scratch on a particular night.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now done that with veteran winger Nino Niederreieter for consecutive games after the Swiss forward was held without a shot or shot attempt the first two games of the season.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t THE CANADIAN PRESS\/John Woods<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Winnipeg’s Viggo Bjorck drives the net around Colorado’s Sam Malinski in the second period.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cThose are hard conversations. As a head coach, those aren\u2019t the ones you look forward to,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cBut at the end of the day, he\u2019s handled it professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n Niederreiter has been stuck on 499 career points since Jan. 27, when he scored the game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils. A knee injury limited him to 12 games in that span.<\/p>\n Extra, extra!<\/p>\n Jets captain Adam Lowry went 14-9 in the faceoff circle and his line helped keep MacKinnon off the scoresheet, limiting the Avalanche centre to one shot on goal (and seven shot attempts). The Jets other healthy scratches were defencemen Tyrel Bauer and Haydn Fleury.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken 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 Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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\nKyle Connor, Jets: two goals.
\nDylan Samberg, Jets: two assists, five hits, 25:05 of ice time.<\/p>\n
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