If the Winnipeg Jets pulled away with one in Buffalo on Thursday, they sure deserved every bit of the two points they got thanks to a 4-1 win in Pittsburgh on Friday night.
Mark Scheifele scored twice and Cole Perfetti recorded three assists as the Jets found a complete effort after stringing together a few consecutive subpar performances.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness said, “It’s probably one of the best games we’ve had all year.” “It was really about how we want to play. And how can you be successful going forward. There were definitely no passengers tonight, everyone contributed. Everyone did the job they were supposed to do.” was asked for, and give players full points for answering again.
It was the Jets’ first win in Pittsburgh since 2019, and their second at home to the Penguins since moving back to Winnipeg.
The game remained tied at one until late in the second period when the Jets scored goals just 22 seconds apart and never looked back.
“We had all the lines looking the same,” Schaeffel said. “Every line was deepening the grip when needed, closing it when needed. When you have all the players doing the same thing, it becomes difficult for the team to gain any momentum or get any sustained pressure.
Parfetti was a game-time decision due to having the flu, but he still bested his career-high with three assists.
“It shows he’s becoming a good pro,” said Bowness. “Because you learn how to overcome those things. You’re not going to feel good every night, especially after the last few days, but being a good pro means you’ve got to be successful and play your game.” A way has been found.
The Jets had two goals in the first period for offsides and goalie interference.
“He can derail a team sometimes,” Scheuffel said. “You get two goals. You feel like you’re getting some momentum. If the other team comes back and takes control of the game, it can derail you for the rest of the game.
Dylan DeMelo had two assists in the win and with 14 points, he has already surpassed last season’s total.
“It’s something I’ve tried to develop in my game,” he said. “Be more aggressive, and our coaches have done a good job. I think our system allows for a little bit more of that as well. Just a little bit of initiative to take that mindset.
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After a fairly uneventful first ten minutes, the Jets earned their first power play of the game and took full advantage.
A loose puck was mishandled by the Penguins in front of their net and found its way to Perfetti at the faceoff dot. With Dustin Tokarski out of position, the rookie had a shot on goal that was blocked but made a massive scramble in the crease, leading to a Blake Wheeler tap-in to open the scoring.
The Jets thought they had a 2–0 lead later in the period when Scheuffele deflected a point shot from Tokarski, but Pittsburgh challenged for offsides and a quick review confirmed that Scheuffele hit the puck well. Entered the first zone.
Pittsburgh drew level with only three minutes left. A blocked shot went into the neutral zone where Kasperi Kapanen won a 2-on-1 battle with DeMelo. DeMelo dropped his stick and then flipped on it as Kapenen found a flimsy Drew O’Connor who beat David Rettich to tie the game.
Late in the period, Winnipeg was not allowed to score a second goal when officials ruled that Pierre-Luc Dubois interfered with Tokarski as a Neil Pionek point shot hit the back of the net. Rick Bowness decided to challenge the call but it was confirmed on review, giving Pittsburgh a power play that the Jets killed.
The game remained tied at one for most of the second period until the Jets broke through with two goals in a span of 22 seconds late in the frame.
After Perfetti took the puck to the Pittsburgh end, he saw Wheeler down the far side. The former captain moved on Tokarski, barging past the goalkeeper, then passed in front to Scheuffele, who this time blazed home his 25th of the season.
Moments later, Kyle Connor hit Nikolaj Ehlers in stride as he went to the net and whipped a shot through Tokarski to double the lead on 40 minutes.
The shots were 29–16 in favor of Winnipeg after two periods and they did not give up in the third, with the second line doing even more damage.
Perfetti bounded into the slot on the Penguins end, but the puck found its way back to DeMelo, who sent a crisp cross-ice pass to Scheifele for a one-timer into an open net. This made it 4–1 at the 6:39 mark and the Jets kept the slate clean from there to improve to 28–14–1 on the season.
After playing sparingly in Buffalo due to an illness, Perfetti matched a career-high with three assists as he was named the third star of the night. His classmates Wheeler and Scheifele were named as the second and first stars, respectively.
Ritich wasn’t tested often, but was rock solid when he needed to pull apart 22 shots for the win, which was just the sixth win in Pittsburgh for the Jets/Thrashers franchise in 34 tries.
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Winnipeg returns home for a game against Arizona on Sunday before embarking on another road trip. Pregame coverage on 680 CJOB begins at 4 p.m. puck drops after 6 p.m.
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