The return of support
The fact that the Jets were able to play so freely that evening was also due to another personality trait. Connor Hellebuyck made his comeback in goal for Winnipeg. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner had not played a game since November 15th and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on November 22nd. A downtime of four to six weeks was originally predicted, but Hellebuyck returned much earlier and immediately showed his class.
With 24 saves, he exuded exactly the calm that Winnipeg had often been missing in recent weeks. “It feels great to be back and I felt like I didn’t miss any time,” Hellebuyck said after the game. He particularly emphasized the support of those in front of him, who made his work easier on his return.
“The team really gave it their all today,” praised the goalkeeper. “They did everything and more today. They blocked shots, they let me see the pucks, they really controlled the pace of the game. Our execution was good today.” Until shortly before the end it even looked like a perfect debut. Only a power play goal from Jakob Chychrun when the Capitals had a 5-on-3 advantage prevented the shutout with 3:28 minutes left.
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Offensive support
While Hellebuyck kept things tight at the back, the offensive kept things clear. Gabriel Vilardi became the evening’s top scorer with two goals. The Jets showed their qualities especially in the power play. Vilardi scored shortly before the end of the second period to make it 4-0 after Alex Iafallo had already increased the score to 3-0. Vilardi’s second goal in the final period to make it 5-0 came from a nice combination via Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele.
The evening was also statistically significant for several Jets players. Josh Morrissey recorded the 400th point of his NHL career with his assist in the 1-0 win. After Seth Jones, he is only the second defender from the 2013 draft class to reach this mark. Kyle Connor extended his point streak to eight games with two assists.
What was particularly remarkable, however, was the record that Connor and Scheifele set in the shadow of Niederreiter’s anniversary. When both had their sticks in play for the 5-0 goal, it was the 259th time that the duo had been involved in the same goal. In doing so, they overtook the previous franchise record, which Scheifele had held together with Blake Wheeler. It shows how much offensive firepower there is in this squad when the key players perform.
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The team is complete again
The clear win against a strong opponent like Washington was a statement. He illustrated what the Jets are capable of when the roster is healthy and complete. After the game, coach Scott Arniel was visibly relieved about the relaxed personnel situation. “This is the very first time all year that we had everyone back. It was the first game,” said Arniel.
The coach emphasized the immense value of his star goalkeeper for the group’s self-image. “I like to think that had something to do with it. But at the end of the day, like I said yesterday, when you have a Hart Trophy guy, a Vezina guy back there (Hellebuyck), that makes a difference.”
There couldn’t have been a better setting for Niederreiter to celebrate his 1000th mission. He was on the ice for 15:45 minutes in this memorable victory and finished the game with a plus-one record. With the certainty that the team is now complete again and top performers like Hellebuyck have returned to top form, the Jets and their Swiss record player can approach the upcoming tasks with optimism.
