The Winnipeg Jets won their third-straight game on Thursday, beating the Nashville Predators 6-3 at Canada Life Centre.
Kyle Connor had three goals for his fifth-career hat trick, linemate Mark Scheifele had four assists, while Laurent Brossoit picked up his first win of the year, as the Winnipeg Jets topped the Nashville Predators 6-3 from Canada Life Centre on Thursday.
Coming off a three-game, Western Conference road swing, the now 7-4-2 Jets have picked up points in eight of their last nine games played and are now 5-1-2 without head coach Rick Bowness.
“Great way to start a homestand, for sure," Connor said postgame. "We built off the end of that road trip. We came home, got off to a great start and got contributions from everybody. We played our systems really well, 5-on-5 we played really well.”
Fans in attendance at Canada Life Centre certainly got their collective money’s worth in just the first period alone. With two goals, two fights and 22 shots, the Jets and Predators were not messing around.
Winnipeg opened the scoring on Mason Appleton’s fourth of the season, as he and his red-hot linemates picked up points 21, 22 and 23 for the group over the past seven games.
In sticking with the third line, it was Adam Lowry who had the most eventful period of any player. Fighting not just once, but two times in the frame, the Jets captain stepped up after forward Rasmus Kupari was drilled from behind by Jeremy Lauzon.
"I mean, that’s what you want from your captain, know what you are getting every single night and that’s Adam," Connor added. "He plays an extremely tough game, really hard to play against and he’ll be the first guy on our team to stand up for somebody and that’s what he did."
One shift after returning from the penalty box, Lowry stood up for himself after former MJHL star Cole Smith took exception, and dropped the mitts a second time.
“The first one, Kups goes down in the corner – I don’t really see the contact, just that he goes down – so I ask Lauzon to fight," Lowry reflected. "Pretty respectful by him to let me up right off the bat. I appreciate that, he certainly didn’t have to, and could have teed off."
Outshooting the visitors 15-7 through 20, Winnipeg’s lone goal came off the stick of Appleton, while Nashville responded with a response from Filip Forsberg.
The second period was the Kyle Connor show, as the Jets’ leading scorer put up back-to-back tallies, busting the game wide open just 3:48 into the frame.
“The production is what we expect," Lowry said of Connor. "We see it every day in practice and morning skate. He’s so fast, so quick, twitch in tight areas and he can score in so many different ways."
His first goal was a beautiful one-timer from Mark Scheifele, before he dangled his way through the Predators’ zone, putting home his 10th of the season while moving into third place in league scoring.
“It’s something I’ve never been able to do," interim head coach Scott Arniel said of Connor's move. "It’s just fun to watch.”
Cole Perfetti found his third of the year on a brief two-man advantage, giving Winnipeg a hefty 4-1 lead at the midway point.
But back-to-back too-many-men penalties led to Forsberg’s second of the game, which actually came on a four-on-four situation. Forsberg’s snipe cut Winnipeg’s lead in half, leaving the Predators trailing 4-2 after 40 minutes of play.
After unsuccessfully arguing his way to the box following a defensive zone slashing call, defenceman Brenden Dillon talked his way out of a 'no-goal' call. Originally waved off for goaltender interference, the Jets argued Adam Lowry's bump on Saros, reversing the call on the ice, restoring Winnipeg's three-goal lead.
It was the third goal in three games for Dillon, and as things would prove, it served as the needed insurance.
Phil Tomasino got one back for Nashville as the clock wound down, but Connor put the finishing touches on his hat trick performance into the empty net.
Brossoit turned aside 21 of Nashville's 24 shots, while Saros struggled, giving up five goals on the 36 pucks the Jets fired his way.
Next up on the season-high, five-game homestand is an afternoon affair with the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Puck drop is slated for 2:00 PM central time, while the game can be viewed live on TSN.