The Winnipeg Jets continue their quest for the Central Division title when they wrap up their brief road trip against the Utah Hockey Club Saturday in Salt Lake City.
With a postseason spot already clinched, the Jets (52-20-4, 108 points) lead the Dallas Stars by just four points in the Central Division race, though the Stars have a game in hand and are riding a seven-game win streak to keep pressure on Winnipeg.
Winnipeg brushed off that pressure Thursday while blanking Vegas 4-0, which snapped an eight-game regular-season losing slide to the Golden Knights.
“We really got off, all the lines, the (defense), everybody got running right away,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel after the victory in Las Vegas. “When you can get up a couple of goals like that, it certainly makes them change their game a little bit.”
Scoring first has been a major key for the Jets all season long. They boast a 32-3-3 record when getting on the board first.
“The messaging in our room and from (Arniel) is just about the process and taking care of that and the results will follow,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry on Thursday. “Real happy with the result. (We will) review it… tweak some things and get right back at it.”
Utah, meanwhile, limited visiting Los Angeles to just nine shots in the first two periods Thursday night. Alas, the Kings only needed two shots in the third – goals scored 44 seconds apart by Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore — to secure a 4-2 victory.
The loss dropped Utah (34-30-12, 80 points) nine points behind the Minnesota Wild, who hold the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While not yet mathematically eliminated, their playoff chances are now slim.
“I don’t think you change it,” said forward Dylan Guenther when asked how to approach the final stretch with the playoffs now highly doubtful. “If we were in last or first place, you’re always playing for something. These next seven games can give us momentum into the next season, so they’re all big.”
After taking a puck to the face Tuesday against Calgary, Guenther played Thursday night with a bubble cage to protect his two black eyes and nine stitches.
That level of ruggedness was no surprise to his coach.
“There’s not many guys in any locker room in the NHL at this point of the year that don’t have something wrong,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny. “It’s a tough sport. There are tough players. They go through a lot and they demand a lot of their bodies over 82 games … (Guenther) and others, (I have) a ton of respect.”
The Jets are dealing with several other injuries. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers is day-to-day after being hit by several pucks in Thursday’s game in Las Vegas. Center Rasmus Kupari has re-entered concussion protocol, while winger Gabriel Vilardi is week-to-week with an upper-body injury and hasn’t practiced yet. Defenseman Neal Pionk is skating again after missing the last 10 games with an undisclosed injury, but there’s no timeline for his return.
–Field Level Media
