Mark Scheifele Bounces Back, Neal Pionk Stays Hot But Jets Still Handed 7th Straight Loss

It was yet another tough night for the Winnipeg Jets, who entered Thursday with six straight losses and hoped to find their way out of an early-season hole. They were not handed an easy opponent to avoid a seventh, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The perennial Eastern Conference contender has surprisingly been one of Winnipeg's best matchups in recent years, but that wasn't the case Thursday, as the Jets fell 6-4 to the Bolts.

Winnipeg fell behind early when Brayden Point scored in the opening minutes, but the Jets finished the first period strong. Neal Pionk, filling in for the injured Josh Morrissey in the top defense role, continued his recent hot streak. 

The second period was a major step back as the Lightning showed why they are elite, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead into the third, with Pontus Holmberg collecting three assists in the period alone.

The Jets offense, dormant lately, finally woke up in the third, scoring three straight goals. Dylan Samberg opened the scoring in the period, Pionk added his second of the game, and Kyle Connor scored his tenth of the season to make it a one-goal game. The comeback fell short, though, when Holmberg scored an empty-netter for his fourth point of the night.

It was a great night for the Jets offense in many ways, as they suffered a rare loss with four or more goals scored. Mark Scheifele, who entered with no points in his previous four games, finally broke through with three assists. 

Pionk has done well in Morrissey's role, and his two-goal night added to a recent run of three goals and six assists for nine points over his last ten games. Cole Perfetti and Samberg also had two-point nights.

It was a rare off night for the Jets' back end and for goaltender Stuart Skinner, who allowed five goals on 21 shots before being pulled. Nico Daws, who arrived from the Connor Hellebuyck trade with the New Jersey Devils, stopped all nine shots he faced in his first action as a Jet.

Another piece from that trade, Dawson Mercer, recorded his first point as a member of the Jets in his third game in Winnipeg. He made a sensational cross-zone pass to a wide-open Pionk for a cross-crease goal on Pionk's second tally, a promising sight for Mercer.

It was a rough night for Connor, who finished with two points but was also on the ice for a team-leading four even-strength goals against. The Jets will look to snap their abnormal losing streak on Friday when they visit the Florida Panthers.

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