Friday night in Winnipeg was exactly what the doctor ordered. The Jets were in desperate need of a stellar performance and they got the job done, to the tune of a 6-2 thrashing over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
The Friday night affair was the start of a five-game homestand for the Jets, which will also double as the longest set of games at Canada Life Centre on the season.
And it couldn't have come at a better time.
Owning the league's seventh-best home record this year at 23-12-2, Winnipeg - which currently owns the final Western Conference wild card spot - will need to continue rediscovering its offensive flair.
Friday's 6-2 win over Detroit was a step in the right direction.
"Tonight is obviously more of an example for how we want to play," said head coach Rick Bowness post-game, who had earlier called out the lack of production from some of his star players following the 3-0 shutout defeat in San Jose.
"Now we know they played last night and they came in a little tired but that’s more of an example," he continued, cutting Detroit some slack. "We’ve also played some pretty good games where we’ve lost here at home. We played really well and we scored some goals, that’s really the biggest difference. That’s how we want to play.”
Considering the team did so without leader Josh Morrissey - who was under the weather on Friday - does speak volumes to the Jets' offensive depth, even without their top minute-crunching and point-producing defender on the roster.
As a matter of fact, a number of players worked their way out of scoring slumps on the evening, starting with Blake Wheeler, who potted his first goal in a span of 21 games.
“Honestly, I had no idea; he told me on the bench," Nikolaj Ehlers said of his linemate's first period marker. "So, obviously, that’s huge for him. We all know when you go through something like that, it’s not the most fun. But he still found ways to contribute. But obviously it’s great to have him back scoring."
Kyle Connor picked up what was just his second goal in his past 15 games, while Mark Scheifele scored his first in 10 games - which also helped him hit a new career high (39). Nino Niederreiter also got his first goal in eight games late in the third period.
But more importantly, Winnipeg scored the first goal of the game and pulled out to a 3-0 lead before 20 minutes had even passed, helping set the tone for what was a thoroughly dominant performance.
“They went out and got that first goal," Bowness said. "We haven’t had a lot of first goals lately, so that give us a big boost. Before we even scored, they had some really good shifts in the offensive zone and that gave us a big lift. Finally getting that first goal again certainly helped us too.”
The Jets also welcomed Andrew Copp back to Canada Life Centre for the first time since his deadline day trade to New York last spring. He signed a five-year $28.125 million contract with Detroit this offseason.
An Andrew Copp video tribute is shown on the jumbotron at Canada Life Centre
The next test comes against the league's fourth-ranked New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening. With contests against the ever-present Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators to follow, every point matters, and the Jets are fully aware of what's at stake.
“We can’t be satisfied with what happened,” Niederreiter said of Friday's performance. “We did a lot of great things but we know we have to back up what we did and (Sunday's game) is going to be a different animal with New Jersey. They’re a great team and they play against Chicago (on Saturday). We’re all aware of it. We gotta make sure we come out on top and do whatever it takes.”
Sunday's game from Canada Life Centre features a 6:00 PM central puck drop. It can be viewed live on TSN in Canada and MSG in the United States.