The Winnipeg Jets' three-game winning streak has come to an end.
The 7-5-2 Winnipeg Jets fell to the Dallas Stars 3-2 from Canada Life Centre in an afternoon battle for first-place in the Central Division.
Entering the matinee one point ahead of Winnipeg, Dallas owned a 7-3-0 record in its last 10 contests, including a 5-1-1 road record on the season.
The Jets, on the other hand, entered with points in eight of their last nine games, while riding a three-game winning streak.
“Credit to Dallas," defenceman Brenden Dillon said postgame. "We knew they’re a veteran team. They’re not going to give you much."
As opposed to regular starting netminder Jake Oettinger, Dallas countered Connor Hellebuyck with backup Scott Wedgewood.
That decision proved just fine for the Stars, who saw goals from Thomas Harley, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene in a four-goal second period, which ultimately dictated the eventual outcome on Saturday.
Winnipeg's comeback fell just short, as the Jets could not find the equalizer with the extra attacker late in the game.
Wedgewood fared well in the early going, as their starter turned everything aside in the opening frame. Meaning all 10 pucks fired his way were stopped, including two big saves on Cole Perfetti - one of which came on a breakaway.
Tied 0-0 through 20 minutes, Winnipeg pulled ahead to a slight 10-9 shot lead entering the middle stanza.
But it was Dallas that came out firing in the second. Taking the first four shots of the frame, the Stars scored three times in the opening 12 minutes.
First, it was Thomas Harley, who fired a one-timer past an out of position Connor Hellebuyck, which gave Dallas a 1-0 lead just 2:13 into the period.
Then, with Winnipeg on an early power play, it was a mix up at the defensive zone blueline between Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti that led directly to Wyatt Johnston's fifth of the year.
"They played it well. I got it on the wall and two guys came at me," Perfetti recalled. "You never want to just give the puck away or shoot it away. Obviously, in hindsight, you’d probably just rip it back to no one and hopefully just regroup."
Perfetti did atone for his sin, with his fourth goal of the season on a line-rush up ice moments later.
Finishing off a play that started with Vlad Namestnikov, Perfetti tapped home his seventh point in the past six games, pushing a Nikolaj Ehlers rebound over Wedgewood.
“Fetts is just great, a huge part of our team, and the organization really," Dillon said of Perfetti. "He’s learning and getting better every day. He’s adding. It’s tough to be a centreman in the NHL, There’s big strong guys. I think for him he’s just so smart and always knows where to go. He just creates so much room for himself. That line, they have so much skill. Fetts knows where to go to those right areas, and he’s making them count. He’s a great kid. You root for those guys to have success. It’s nice to see him put the puck in the net.”
But, once again, Dallas found a way to respond.
Just as Brenden Dillon exited the penalty box door, it was Johnston who made a nifty behind-the-net pass to Matt Duchene, who put his fourth of the year past Hellebuyck.
The Stars outshot Winnipeg in the period, pulling ahead 22-17 through 40 minutes of play.
It the Jets quite a while to find the scoresheet again, but they did with half a period remaining. This time it was the red-hot Brenden Dillon, who found his fourth goal in just four games with a long-range wrister that beat Wedgewood cleanly.
“I keep telling the forwards I’m open," Dillon laughed. "It’s nice to contribute for sure. It was a big time in the third period there. I thought we were getting momentum, we played a great third period there. It would have been nice to get another one and make it a really big goal.”
Morgan Barron and Vladislav Namestnikov almost tied things up on a shorthanded rush just moments later, but the Stars' backstop was up for the test.
“I thought it was a good push," Perfetti said of his team's attack in the final frame. "We started getting pucks behind them, they’re obviously not giving us much in the neutral zone at times. So we just had to get it behind their D and try to make them turn and create more from down low in their zone. I thought we did that and created a lot of good chances. We scored one, but it would have been nice to get another one.”
With Hellebuyck on the bench for the extra attacker, Winnipeg had a slight six-on-five advantage for the final 1:22, but it was Wedgewood who stood tall in the Stars' crease, shutting down the Jets' late-game attack.
Hellebuyck finished the night with 27 stops on the 30 Dallas shots fired his way. Wedgewood made 31 saves on the 33 pucks he faced.
Next up for Winnipeg is the third test of the five-game homestand. The New Jersey Devils make their way to Canada Life Centre for a Tuesday night affair, before Buffalo and Arizona visit Manitoba to wrap up the season-long stretch.
