Jets Offensive Outburst Backs 4-3 Road Win Over Devils

The Winnipeg Jets opened their four-game road trip with a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, leaning on a dominant start and a milestone performance from forward Gabe Vilardi to earn the victory.

Vilardi scored his 20th goal of the season, marking his fourth consecutive season with 20 or more goals, and added an assist to finish the night with two points. Mark Scheifele also recorded a goal and an assist, while Connor Hellebuyck started between the pipes and earned his 13th win of the season by stopping 26 of 29 shots.

Winnipeg came out firing and set the tone early in the first period. Just a minute and a half into the game, Scheifele opened the scoring after a quick tic tac toe passing sequence with Kyle Connor and Vilardi, finishing the play by roofing a shot top shelf. The early goal energized the Jets bench and established the pace of play.

The Devils responded just under midway through the period when Lenni Hameenaho capitalized on a poor centering pass by Jets forward Alex Iafallo. Hameenaho broke in alone and fired a low shot through Hellebuyck’s five hole, evening the score on a goal the Winnipeg netminder would like to have back.

The Jets answered quickly and regained control of the game as their top line struck again. Scheifele, Connor, and Vilardi moved the puck with precision through the offensive zone before Vilardi finished the play with a goal similar to Scheifele’s opener, giving Winnipeg a 2-1 lead.

Winnipeg continued to press and stayed relentless in its attack. Iafallo made up for his earlier mistake by blowing past the Devils defense to collect a loose puck and setting up a breakaway chance with fourth line forward Cole Koepke, who finished the passing play to extend the lead.

The Jets closed out an eventful opening frame with their fourth goal of the game and the third of the period. Nino Niederreiter finished off a quick saucer pass from Vladislav Namestnikov to give Winnipeg a four to one advantage after twenty minutes.

New Jersey began to push back in the second period and gained momentum late in the frame. Jesper Bratt scored on the power play before the intermission, cutting into the Jets lead and setting the stage for a tighter finish.

The Devils pulled within one late in the third period when captain Nico Hischier scored his 17th goal of the season, creating tension in the final minutes. Despite the pressure, Winnipeg held firm defensively and closed out the 4-3 win.

The victory marked a strong start to the Jets road trip, especially with rumors circulating that top four defenseman Neal Pionk could be nearing a return. Winnipeg will look to build on the result Thursday when it continues its road swing with a difficult matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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