The Winnipeg Jets beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Saturday evening from Canada Life Centre.
The Winnipeg Jets improved to 10-5-2 on the season with a 5-2 victory over the Central Division's Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.
The Jets have now picked up points in 11 of their past 13 games and are riding a three-game winning streak through the middle stages of November.
Kyle Connor scored his league-leading 14th goal of the season, while Laurent Brossoit picked up his second win, as four different Jets registered multiple points in a back-and-forth affair.
Mark Scheifele had three points, while Connor, Josh Morrissey and Brenden Dillon each had two points on the night for Winnipeg.
"Tonight, there were some areas, especially in the first, where we were a little bit sloppy but you know what? We found a way," interim head coach Scott Arniel said postgame.
"In this league, every team is tough to beat and everybody has their different things that they throw at you. Our group right now is confident and we're doing a lot of really good things and we're a hard team to play against."
The Jets fell behind 1-0 late in the opening frame, as Matias Maccelli put home an easy tap-in off a perfect JJ Moser shot-pass. In cutting to the net, Maccelli easily finished off the pretty passing play to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 5:07 left in the frame.
But Winnipeg was not interested in trailing for long.
First, it was Mark Scheifele who fired home his sixth of the year just over two minutes later. Following a strong offensive shift from the Adam Lowry line, Scheifele came off the bench and scored off his own rebound from the slot, pulling the Jets even with 2:56 to play.
Winnipeg was not done there, as Vlad Namestnikov made Karel Vejmelka look silly on a big-time goalie gaffe 58 seconds after Scheifele’s marker.
After the backstop opted to let the puck go behind the net, the forechecking Namestnikov slid the disc through his legs and off the skate of Lawson Crouse, to which the puck redirected perfectly into the net.
The Jets gave up their lead just a few minutes into the middle stanza, however, as Mathew Dumba knotted things up for Arizona on a two-on-one six minutes into the period.
Outside of goal scoring, Brenden Dillon and Liam O'Brien threw down in a spirited tilt, as the fisticuffs worked their way into the storyline.
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But the NHL’s goal scoring leader Kyle Connor put Winnipeg back ahead with his league-leading 14th goal as the period wore on.
“He’s amazing," Scheifele said of Connor. "He’s been awesome all season. I’ve been lucky to be on his line, that’s for sure. Obviously, he has an amazing shot. It’s been fun to play with him. He’s just got to keep it going.”
With nine minutes left, the sniper cut up the ice and wired home a wrister, top shelf, restoring the Jets’ one-goal lead. Winnipeg pulled ahead 19-15 in the shot chart entering the final frame.
“Yeah, I'm just trying to be as lethal as I can, I guess, in the offensive zone," Connor said. "Trying to have that attack mindset like you kind of alluded to. Being a little bit more versatile as well and just trying to score in as many different ways that I can. I think we’re playing well offensively as a unit as well."
Holding onto the one-goal lead, the Jets' top offenders put things out of reach on a two-on-one in the early stages of the third.
Connor got the puck to Scheifele, who was joined up ice by Josh Morrissey. The smooth-skating defender caught up to Scheifele and fired home his second of the year, finishing off the play, and the Coyotes in the process.
“Josh’s route makes the play," Scheifele said. "It’s not always the passer. The way that he put himself in that triangle to be ready for it, obviously just a good play by him. Way to put it in, big goal at the time, for sure.”
Mason Appleton added his sixth of the season into the empty net with 2:30 remaining, putting the finishing touches on a successful homestand.
Winnipeg held on, with Brossoit shutting the door on everything else the desert dogs threw his way, helping the Jets to a 4-1 record in their season-high, five-game homestand.
He turned aside 16 of Arizona's 18 shots on net, while Vejmelka made 21 saves on the 25 Jets shots sent his direction.
Next up for Winnipeg is a three-game road trip beginning on Wednesday in Tampa Bay, before the team moves to Florida on Friday and Nashville on Sunday. Wednesday's game begins at 6:00 PM central on Sportsnet, while the other two games feature 7:00 PM start times and will be broadcast on TSN.
