The 2024-25 Winnipeg Jets had only lost four games in a row once all season.
They weren’t about to let that happen again, taking it to the Flyers 4-1 Thursday night in Philadelphia to ensure they would be alone in first place in the NHL’s overall standings heading into Friday’s trade deadline.
The Jets scored a pair of power play markers in the first period, and tacked on two more goals in the middle frame to end their three-game losing slump, while also becoming the first team to reach the 90-point plateau.
“We played great,” said forward Mark Scheifele. “We got back in the win column. Wouldn’t say the last couple games we played awful, but obviously our power play scoring like that, it was a good game.”
Scheifele scored once and added two assists in the victory. Gabriel Vilardi also had a three-point night with three helpers, while Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry also notched goals in the win.
Coming into the game, the Jets had just four goals over their last three contests.
The Jets held the Flyers to only 22 shots on goal.
“We did a great job of taking the middle of the ice away,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “We tracked back well. They’re a great transition team. They skate well. I thought we really limited them to that rush game and then the power play was big in the first period, really got them on their heals. Anytime you can do that on the road, that’s big, and then it was a real good solid team game.”
Jets goalie Eric Comrie was less than three minutes away from his second shutout of the season, but Matvei Michkov ruined the shutout bid late in the game.
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“Our mindset going into that game was to win a 2-1 hockey game,” Comrie said. “It’s nice to get a little extra goals, but our mindset was to make sure we defended first and defended hard.”
The Jets are now 6-0-1 in the first half of back-to-backs this season with only one more the rest of the way.
After a recent 0-for-19 spell on the man advantage, the Jets power play is clearly clicking again, scoring four power play goals in their last five opportunities.
“We always talk from the start of the year that we want an attack mindset, a retrieval mindset, and then it’s the details, the support,” Arniel said. “And that’s what it was tonight. It all hit home.”
The Jets had Dylan Samberg back in the lineup after he missed their last game due to family reasons. But forward Rasmus Kupari sat out after being placed in concussion protocol.
The Jets earned their first power play of the game at the 7:47 mark of the first when Michkov bowled over Comrie in the Winnipeg crease, and less than a minute later the Jets made him pay.
Winnipeg’s top PP unit got set up and the puck landed on the stick of Connor on the half-wall. He held it for a few seconds before sliding it to Vilardi in the slot, whose shot was stopped by Samuel Ersson but the rebound was knocked home by Scheifele to open the scoring at 8:32 with his 35th of the season.
Philadelphia took another penalty at the 14:30 mark and once again Winnipeg’s power play took advantage. Connor’s cross-ice pass attempt was touched by Vilardi in the slot before landing on the stick of Scheifele, who quickly steered it back-door where Ehlers was waiting to pot it home for his 20th of the season.
Winnipeg outshot the Flyers 10-8 in the first and blew the doors off Philadelphia to start the second.
Connor made it 3-0 at the 5:28 mark after taking a Scheifele pass in full flight through the neutral zone, zooming into the Flyers’ end and ripping a wrister through Ersson.
It was the captain who made it 4-0 at the 9:03 mark. Samberg got the play started with a perfect stretch pass from his own end to Nino Niederreiter, who dished it to Mason Appleton as they entered the Philly zone. He drove the puck low before sending it in front to Lowry, who scored into a wide-open net.
The Flyers didn’t register a shot on goal over the first 11 minutes of the period and while they outshot the Jets 6-1 over the final 8:50, the score remained 4-0 heading to the third.
Philadelphia finally broke the goose egg with 2:42 to go when Michkov beat Comrie with a wicked wrister from the faceoff dot to Comrie’s right.
Winnipeg’s backup netminder made 21 saves to earn the win while Ersson turned aside 23 shots in defeat.
All eyes now turn to Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to see what moves he might make before Friday’s 2 p.m. trade deadline. A few hours later, the Jets will be back in action against the New Jersey Devils. Pregame coverage on 680 CJOB begins at 4 p.m. with the puck dropping a little after 6 p.m.