Hellebuyck Shutouts Blue Jackets to Lead Jets to 7th Consecutive Victory
The Winnipeg Jets continued their dominant season on Tuesday night, as they sit atop the NHL standings following a 5-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets, to win their seventh straight game. The victory for the Jets extended their point streak to 13 games, as they improved to (27-9-4), with their last regulation loss coming on Dec. 12 against the San Jose Sharks. In the win, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck continued his dominant season, as he made 29 saves for his second shutout of the season and his 21st victory in 30 games started. With the win, the Jets moved ahead of the Vancouver Canucks for the best record in the NHL, with a total of 58 points, one better than the Canucks.
The Jets would get off to a fast start against the Blue Jackets, as defenseman Brenden Dillon would finish a 3-on-2 rush at 3:12 in the first period to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Jets would extend their lead to 2-0 at 10:50, after Jets’ center Cole Perfetti extended his goal streak to three straight games when he scored off a pass from defenseman Dylan Samberg. Later in the period, at 14:03, Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey scored off a slap shot from the top of the circle to extend the Winnipeg lead to 3-0. At 3:34 of the third, Perfetti produced a turnover and scored with a wrist shot from the right circle for his second goal, making the score 4-0. At 9:29, Jets’ center Gabriel Vilardi would score on a power play to seal the 5-0 victory.
Following his two-goal performance, Perfetti met with reporters post-game to give insight into his team’s mindset as they enter the mid-way point of the season. “I think everyone in this room is just really focused on winning,” Perfetti continued, “There are no nights off in this league, and we know that. Obviously, being on top of the standings we’re going to get every team’s A-game. We can’t take a night off or a team jumps you in the conference or in the division.” The Jets will look to break the team record for most wins in a row (7), as they go for their eighth straight win at home on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
