Jets Hit 20 Wins with Showstopper Over Visiting Bruins

The Winnipeg Jets are hitting the holidays in style, thanks to a commanding 5-1 win over the visiting Boston Bruins on Friday.

The Christmas spirits are flowing early in Winnipeg.

Getting a head start on the festive celebrations were the season-high 14,405 fans gathered downtown at Canada Life Centre on Friday night. 

Those in attendance watched the hometown Winnipeg Jets take down the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins for their 20th win of the season in an entertaining 5-1 affair. 

With the win, the 20-9-3 Jets have jumped back into first place in the Central Division and enter the league-mandated Christmas break with points in five-straight and nine of their last 10 games. 

Nino Niederreiter scored twice, while Josh Morrissey, Gabe Vilardi, and Adam Lowry each had singles, as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 24 shots and picked up his league-leading 16th win of the season. 

“I think we came out wanting to win the game and go into the Christmas break with a good feeling," Niederreiter said postgame. "I think we left it all on the line and we gave ourselves the feeling that we can compete against anyone.”

The Jets thought they had opened the scoring just 2:29 on a strong rush up ice by Vlad Namestnikov, but upon video review it was determined that Morrissey redirected the puck into the net with a distinct kicking motion, thus leaving the officials no choice but to call off the goal.

Morrissey got one back very late in the frame, however, as Mark Scheifele got the puck to the red-hot Gabe Vilardi, whose rebound landed on the stick of the Jets' top blueliner. He made no mistake tapping it home, before signalling the 'good goal' himself. 

Winnipeg took the 1-0 lead into the room following 20 minutes of play, with Morrissey's game-opening tally coming within the final 10 seconds.

"Maybe that game being the last game before the break is a good thing just knowing if you don’t come out ready to go they can make you look bad," Morrissey said. "I thought from the drop of the puck we were skating and aggressive and just trying to play our game.”

The Jets killed off an early period penalty, before failing to even get setup, let alone register a shot on a power play of their own near the half-way mark of the middle stanza. 

But they got it back off the fiery stick of Vilardi. With 8:43 left in the second, Scheifele put the puck on Nikolaj Ehlers' stick, who turned and fired it on net. 

The puck bounced off Jeremy Swayman and landed on the stick of Vilardi. He put home his seventh of the season and sixth goal in his past six games, bringing his current total to 12 points in his past 4.5 games of hockey. 

Then, with the Bruins serving a too-many-men bench minor, Scheifele was awarded with a rare power play penalty shot after Parker Wotherspoon closed his hand on the puck. 

But to the disappointment of most in attendance, he was denied by Swayman after a slow and steady approach. 

But it didn't matter, as Niederreiter put home a power play marker just 25 seconds later, showing off his nifty hands in the process. His ninth of the season gave Winnipeg a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes. 

The Jets wasted little time adding to the lead. 

Captain Lowry put the home club up by four just 1:25 into the final frame, jamming home a rebound from linemate Mason Appleton, putting an exclamation point on an extremely dominant offensive outing. 

Brandon Carlo spoiled Connor Hellebuyck's shutout bid with 5:38 to go, as his long-range wrist shot snuck through the screened Jets goaltender. 

But that was all the visitors would tack on, as the Jets shut things down for the remaining handful of minutes. 

As a matter of fact, Niederreiter added another on for good measure, scoring his second of the game on a last-minute power play goal, sending Jets fans off to orbit, blowing the roof off of Canada Life Centre in the process.

“I absolutely have been having a few chances in the last few games," Niederreiter added. "It’s definitely great and I’m happy that they went in today.”

Hellebuyck finished the night with 24 saves on the 25 Bruins shots against, while Swayman made 28 stops on 33 pucks faced. 

Winnipeg now has four days off over the holidays, before returning to action on December 27th as the team travels to the Madhouse on Madison for a test with the Blackhawks, before taking on the Minnesota Wild in a home-and-home to end the calendar year.