Creaky Jets eke out victory Crafty Perreault sticks to plan to snipe shootout winner

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1 Winnipeg Free Press html Creaky Jets eke out victory Crafty Perreault sticks to plan to snipe shootout winner By: Mike Sawatzky The Winnipeg Jets did not look like a well-oiled machine Thursday night. Somehow, it didn t seem to matter as the Jets rallied from a late 3-2 deficit to beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in a wild shootout finish at the MTS Centre. Mathieu Perreault s sixth-round goal (he snapped a shot under Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo s blocker) proved to be decisive for the winners, who came into the game with four consecutive losses. "Everybody kind of throws their own move out there," said Perreault. "I just had that move picked out in my head, and I knew I was going to do that. I just stuck to it and the hole opened up, and I was able to put it in." Winnipeg got goals from Dustin Byfuglien, Adam Lowry and a third-period marker from Bryan Little to force overtime. The Jets finished well but struggled mightily against the speedy Panthers in the opening 40 minutes. "After not playing for a few days, we were expecting it to be a bit ugly, sloppy," said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. "It definitely was through two periods. We found a way to gut it out to overtime, and luckily we got the two points." The Panthers, owners of the NHL s worst power play at 12.6 per cent and having scored only 13 goals with the man advantage entering Thursday s action, resembled the mid- 80s Edmonton Oilers on this night. With Winnipeg defenceman Toby Enstrom serving consecutive minor penalties for interference, holding and interference again in the second period, Florida rattled off power-play markers by Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith and Vincent Trocheck to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. "I mean, the referee is there to make sure the game gets played the right way," said Enstrom, who was the target of some scattered boos in the middle frame. "I ve gotta do it better, that s just how it is. "I m just happy we fought back and got a win here." The margin after two periods really flattered the Jets, who had been most outplayed and outshot to that point. The Florida power play finished the game 3-for-3 while the Jets went 0-for-2.

2 "At this point, confidence is pretty low," said Wheeler of his club s clunky power play. "So it s something you ve gotta work for. Power play is supposed to be your best players on the ice, on the penalty kill you re trying to shut down their top guys. It s not really rocket science. We ve gotta find a way to build that confidence and get into a rhythm. It doesn t really seem like there s much of a plan right now." Sophomore forward Nikolaj Ehlers was Winnipeg s best skater but had little to show for his efforts except for a team-leading six shots on goal. Ehlers was stoned by Luongo on a spectacular wraparound effort in the third and almost won the game with another Grade A scoring chance with less than four minutes remaining in the third period but Luongo stood tall again. "You feel for him, but at the same time, it s a game he should build a lot of confidence from," said Wheeler of Ehlers. "He was controlling the play when he was out there, had the puck on a string. You re gonna have nights like that where you re all over it and it doesn t go into the net. Hopefully, he can watch that tape and take a lot of positive things from it, and they ll start going in in bunches, it s just the way it works." Jets head coach Paul Maurice is a big fan of the 20-year-old Dane. "Dynamic, and he really has been," said Maurice. "It s been coming in his game. I think in other games he s had some breakaways that haven t gone his way and it s affected his play at times, and tonight I don t think he felt that at all. He just has to keep that faith and keep that quickness in his game and the puck is going to go for him." Luongo finished the game with 29 saves while his Winnipeg counterpart, Connor Hellebuyck, stopped 41 shots and did well to keep his team within striking range. "Great great work by him tonight," said Wheeler. Noteworthy Luongo s 446 career victories are one win behind Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk for fifth on the all-time list for goaltending wins. Luongo has accumulated his total in 949 games split between the Panthers and Vancouver Canucks. Sawchuk, meanwhile, finished his career with 972 games while suiting up for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings... Byfuglien finished the night with a goal and an assist and a team-high 29:09 of ice time... Reilly Smith had a goal and an assist for the visitors, who dropped to Winnipeg improved to html Offering a cure for what currently ails Jets Consistency in lines would be good for a change By: Scott Campbell There s been no shortage of chatter recently about what s ailing the Winnipeg Jets. A fair bit of it is aimed at head coach Paul Maurice, suggesting he s part of the problem.

3 Mike Carlson / The Associated Press</p><p>Jets coach Paul Maurice would do well the put the blender away and give his lines a chance to generate some chemistry.</p> Mike Carlson / The Associated Press Jets coach Paul Maurice would do well the put the blender away and give his lines a chance to generate some chemistry. Well, help is on the way; I have some ideas to get his club back on track. First up: Maurice s reliance on excuses. He s mentioned the team s brutal schedule thus far 32 games in 60 days and its effect on the club s overall health, once or twice. Repeat that to the masses enough times and it works. My concern is the players know what he s saying. If you keep telling them they re tired and the schedule is sticking it to them, I worry they ll start believing it, even though they try to fight it. Excuses become a problem when they start to affect player accountability. Give them an easy out and some might take it. So, stop it, coach. Next, how can Maurice help the Jets woeful numbers during five-on-five hockey? The biggest thing is to provide stability and get rid of his line blender for a while. Maurice had no choice earlier in the year when players were falling like bowling pins, but even though some of the wounded are back on the ice, he hasn t stopped stirring. There s a big advantage to knowing what your linemates are thinking. Sometimes coaches look like geniuses when a shuffle leads to more red lights behind the opposition s goal, but the Jets need to develop some longer-term chemistry. Let s start with a veteran top line: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault. The Jets need to get Perreault going. And while he scored playing alongside Bryan Little on Sunday, I like this combination; a good veteran attack to lead the way. Then arm Little with young guns Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers on the wings. Let s follow that up with a mix of youth, speed, talent and a ferocious effort battling for pucks: Andrew Copp centring Marko Dano and Brendan Tanev. And Drew Stafford, inspired by centre Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn s passion, could produce a goal now and then against the right opposition line, although this trio s possession stats could be an issue. Keep those four lines together for a few games, offering the stability to make then accountable.

4 On to fixing the power play. One unit is Wheeler, Scheifele, Perreault, Josh Morrissey and Laine. Morrissey has been the Jets steadiest defenceman and I m comfortable taking a chance on this rookie s offensive skills soon appearing. This is also a group that has the skaters and puck-handlers needed to gain control consistently in the offensive end, a key to a good power play. It doesn t focus on Laine as the shooter (like the four left-hand shots who have been tried with him), but it allows some switching off and using both his passing and shooting skills from the right side, as well. If he drifts over to the other side, it may open up passing lanes to Scheifele or Wheeler for their one-timers; Laine isn t a one-trick pony (insert own-goal jokes here). Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Little, Ehlers and Dano playing down low and in front of the net (depending on the situation) would be the second unit. Ehlers is at the half-boards on one side on the other is Little, with Byfuglien roaming and in front of the net at times. Get this group pounding the puck toward the net... I can see this working. I could easily flip Ehlers and Perreault, but since I m looking for stability, the first line stays together. The penalty-killing unit sits worse than the power play and needs help, but specifics are tougher here, as I prefer a high-pressure game but the Jets do it sporadically and look confused at times. Pick your quickest players and hound the puck with a brain. The players, should they choose, can help their coach here by cutting out the stupid penalties. What about Maurice s assistant coaches? Defence coach Charlie Huddy has had mixed results, but it s hard to say he s responsible for a lot of the huge mental blunders his guys make, but that s worth watching. The other two Jamie Kompon and Todd Woodcroft haven t produced much in the way of results, but it s too early for conclusions. Goaltending coach Wade Flaherty seems to have escaped criticism through the years, despite the Jets consistent inconsistency in goal. I assume Maurice has had numerous conversations with him. The good news is a well-rested Jets team managed a shootout win against the visiting Florida Panthers Thursday night. The Panthers have won only two of nine games since unceremoniously firing head coach Gerard Gallant after a loss on the road. My former London Knights teammate Tom Rowe adds coach to his general manager title and I wish him well. Winnipeg has three games against hapless opponents before heading into the Christmas break one Sunday afternoon at the MTS Centre against the Colorado Avalanche, followed by two in a row on the West Coast against the Vancouver Canucks. Maurice may be able to throw any combinations over the boards and win all three.

5 I was just trying to fix what appears to be broke and stop the bleeding, in the spirit of giving during the holiday season html Jagr continues to amaze, defy Father Time Ageless wonder on verge of passing Messier for second on NHL's all-time points list By: Jeff Hamilton At a time when the National Hockey League is continuously perceived as a young man s game more and more each day, Jaromir Jagr has been equally persistent in his battle to prove age is only a number. While Jagr, who will turn 45 in February, continues to defy logic by not only keeping pace but excelling in a league filled with emerging young talent, he s also on the verge of rewriting the league s history books climbing a list of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of skates. In his third season with the Florida Panthers and 24th in the NHL Jagr, who finished with an assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, is just three points shy of Mark Messier s 1,887 points for second place all-time in NHL scoring. Simply put, it s no longer a question of whether he ll pass Messier, but when and by how many. That s OK with Messier, who, in a conference call with hockey reporters earlier in the day, said even he can t help but to be impressed by Jagr and his ability to stay relevant in today s everevolving game. "You ve got to give Jaromir a lot of credit for what he s been able to do in his career early on, and then maybe even more credit for how he s been able to sustain himself over the years and still be competitive and productive," said Messier, who played 25 seasons in the NHL before retiring at the age of 43. "I can speak first-hand that I know what s needed to do to play at this age because I did it myself, and it s not easy." Messier, who played with Jagr in his final season with the New York Rangers in , doesn t have any ill feelings of being surpassed at No. 2. If anything, he said it s been a long time coming, delayed by the fact Jagr had a three-year stint in the KHL before returning to the NHL for the season. "In my own mind he surpassed me a long time ago," said Messier, who added he d like to be there in person to congratulate Jagr. Messier also recalled the moment when Wayne Gretzky, who sits at No. 1 with a seemingly unreachable 2,857 points, passed the legendary Gordie Howe for the all-time leader and the way Howe had treated the special moment.

6 "As humble as Gordie was when Wayne passed him, I look at this like an opportunity to hopefully inspire the next generation of players and set the benchmark for them and hopefully inspire them to be the best they can be," he said. "When there s been almost 6,000 people come into the league, I m the most surprised person of anybody that I ve been sitting at No. 2 for this amount of time." The fact Jagr is set to eclipse Messier s mark in far fewer games Messier played 1,756 NHL games, while Thursday was the 1,660th for Jagr makes the feat all the more impressive. As impressive as it will be, that doesn t exactly mean it s all that surprising, particularly to those who see him on a daily basis. To his Florida teammates, Jagr falls somewhere between an enigma and superhero. "He knows everything about what will happen, what could happen, what happens we feel safe and confident when he s here," said linemate Aleksander Barkov. "I think everybody sees how hard he works, especially me. I see him working hard, and I want to work harder than him. He s 44 years old and he s the hardest-working guy in this locker room and in this league." A vigorous work ethic has been the key reason Jagr has been able to extend his playing career, one that has spanned across eight NHL teams, including Pittsburgh, where he won back-toback Stanley Cups in the early 1990s, with additional stops in Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston and New Jersey before being traded to the Panthers midway through the season. Ask around, and that willingness to put in the work has always been there, even in the early stages of his career when Jagr first joined the league as an 18-year-old after being drafted by the Penguins fifth overall in the 1990 NHL Draft. A gifted player offensively, Jagr s strength was often overshadowed by his prowess around the net. "Everybody thinks of Pittsburgh as this incredibly talented team back then, but very few people realize how big and strong their team was on top of talent, and Jaromir was one of those guys," said Messier. "He was incredibly talented, as we ve all seen throughout his career, but his sheer size and power has been one of the things that s been able to separate himself from so many other players alongside his skill and skating." It s that part of the game Jets head coach Paul Maurice remembers most, among other things. "The hair probably the round helmet from back in the day," said Maurice, speaking Jagr s iconic mullet hairstyle and Jofa headgear. "And then, how frustrated our defence was not knowing how to play a guy like that it was different." "He would wait for you to come to him, and then you didn t know which way he was going by the time he decided he wasn t just around you, he was five feet off you." Perhaps the only one unwilling to give Jagr s pending milestone the kind of credit it deserves is Jagr himself. After a strong showing last season, a year in which the Panthers claimed the Atlantic Division with a record of , this year has been defined by turmoil. The Panthers have struggled to find consistency in their game, eventually leading to the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant 22 games into the year.

7 "To be honest with you, I don t really think about it right now," said Jagr early Thursday. "We have to win some hockey games that s the priority to me right now. I know if I just stay healthy I m going to play good and the points are going to come. The team is No. 1 for me right now." Even if the chance to be No.2 is right around the corner. Winnipeg Sun Jets rally to claw win from Panthers BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN A three day break proved to be a magic elixir for the Winnipeg Jets sort of. It was far from picture-perfect effort, but a team riding a four-game losing skid isn't about to get too fussy when it comes to finding a way to win. Especially when that 4-3 shootout win over the Florida Panthers included rallying from a 3-2 deficit by evening the score in the third period and then rallying once again in the penalty-shot contest. It's nice to gut that one out, said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. Like I said, we kind of came into this one anticipating it was going to be a little bit ugly. We didn't think we were just going to come in after a couple of days off and be right back on top of our game. It wasn't pretty, by any means, but you're going to need wins like that in this league. It was a good sign there in the third period we could gut it out, get it into overtime and get the two points. With the win, the Jets improved to and they'll close out a brief two-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon. The second period has been a source of great consternation for the Jets this season and Thursday merely added to the frustration. By getting outscored 3-1, the Jets have now given up 47 goals and scored only 22, leaving them with an inexcusable minus-25 goal differential. Part of the problem is that it's not just one issue plaguing the Jets. Jets defenceman Toby Enstrom had a tough second period, taking three minor penalties (two for interference and another for holding) and all three proved to be costly. I'm not worried about Toby's penalties. He's not a careless player and he's not a lazy player by any means, said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. Our penalty kill is struggling to say the least. It's got a ways to go.

8 Despite coming into the contest with the 30th-ranked power play in the NHL, the Panthers scored on each of Enstrom's infractions, giving them a 3-2 edge going into the third period. I haven't seen (video of the penalties). The referee is there to make sure the game gets played the right way. I've got to do it better, that's just how it is, said Enstrom. It was tough. I trust the referees. They do a great job. It would have been easy for Maurice to sit Enstrom down and make an example of him after taking three minors in only nine shifts during the second period. Instead, Maurice leaned on the veteran blue-liner and played him 28:15, which was second on the team behind Dustin Byfuglien, who had a goal and an assist. You never want to sit in the box and when you're in there, get scored on, said Enstrom. I've been around for some time and you just have to put that aside and try to fight back. We did that. The team stepped up really good. I'm proud of the boys. I'm happy for every minute (of ice time) I get. I try to play the right way every night. Sometimes maybe it doesn't work out, but you have to try to put that (behind you). Enstrom had only 12 penalty minutes going into the contest and is an infrequent offender when it comes to taking careless minors. Rallying around Enstrom can't be overlooked either. It's just one of those games that for whatever reason, it's your day, said Wheeler. (Enstrom) never really gets above 10 to 15 penalty minutes a year, he's one of our most consistent guys. Just bad luck on his part and it's nice to be able to pick up a guy who has been so good for us. The Jets shook off the suspect second period and found a way to get the game back to even as Bryan Little scored his fourth goal of the season early in the third with the two teams playing four-on-four. Adam Lowry scored the other goal for the Jets. Vincent Trocheck scored the lone goal in the shootout for the Panthers and with the game on the line, Little found a way to extend it in the third round. Mathieu Perreault finally ended the contest in the sixth round, beating Roberto Luongo on the blocker side after several teammates tried to go high to the glove side. Sometimes coming down as a lefty, sometimes low blocker is an option. It was there for me and I took it, said Perreault. Coming off three-days off, sometimes your team can be a little flat and we kind of were. I wouldn't say we played our best game, but we got the result. Sometimes, you'll play a good game and you lose, so we'll take those two points. Looking at the standings, they're very important for us and we know that in this point. After falling below the playoff line, the Jets realize they need to fire off a winning streak to get back to where they want to be.

9 So this was just a small step, but it's a step nonetheless. We know as a team, we have it in this room and we've shown it before, said Enstrom. We battled back. It might not have been our best game, but we found a way to win and we're happy. THREE STARS Nikolaj Ehlers, Jets No points, but had a team-high six shots on goal and was the most dangerous player on the ice. Reilly Smith, Panthers Scored a goal to snap 10-game drought and an assist to highlight a strong performance. Dustin Byfuglien, Jets The minute-munching defenceman scored his fourth goal and added an assist for a two-point effort. JAGR CLOSING IN ON HISTORY When it comes to the prolonged greatness of Jaromir Jagr, leave it to Andrew Copp to provide a little perspective. He had already won two (Stanley) Cups before I was born, said Copp, the Winnipeg Jets forward. It's pretty crazy that he's 44. I don't know what I'm going to be doing when I'm 44. But I'm pretty sure it's not going to be playing in the NHL. He's gone against time basically. And he's such a unique player too. Through two lockouts and playing in Europe and coming back. He's a special player to watch. Copp was indeed born in 1994 and Jagr had already raised the Stanley Cup over his head twice by that time as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, both in 1991 and There was Jagr on Thursday night, skating on the Florida Panthers with Aleksander Barkov. With six goals and 16 points in 31 games, Jagr had closed within three points of Hall of Famer Mark Messier for second in all-time NHL points. When speaking to members of the media before the game, Jagr (chosen fifth overall in the 1990 NHL Draft) wasn't feeling really in the mood to reflect on a career that has seen him score 755 goals, 1,884 points in 1,660 regular season games while adding 78 goals and 201 points in 208 Stanley Cup playoff games If I'm going to stay healthy and I'm going to play good, the points are going to come so I don't even worry about it, said Jagr. Team is No. 1 for me right now. I believe if I stay healthy I'm going to play enough games and I might do it. It doesn't mean I'm thinking about it. Not right now. We're in a tough situation and we need to get some wins together. Jagr's longevity is something players strive for. It's crazy. Seeing a guy that old, but so physically strong and that in shape is pretty special to see, said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. It just shows you that if you play the right way and play a simple game, you can play for a long time and produce for a long time. Let's give the last word to Jets forward Drew Stafford.

10 He's one of a kind, said Stafford. Ehlers dazzles despite not scoring BY TED WYMAN, WINNIPEG SUN It s hard to imagine a player having a better game without recording a point. Jets second-year winger Nikolaj Ehlers had an almost-magical night in Thursday s 4-3 shootout win over the Florida Panthers. Almost because he did absolutely everything but score. With a bit of finish we could easily be talking about the best game of his career. Ehlers, 20, was a wizard with the puck all night, showing tremendous confidence, making great moves, driving to the net and creating scoring chances at every turn. He had six shots on goal and directed 11 pucks at the net. I wouldn t mind a couple of points or a goal or something, Ehlers said. I felt great today, I felt confident. I tried some extra stuff and it worked. That stuff won t work every single game, I know that, but I felt good. Ehlers has only one goal in the last 18 games. But he refuses to let that get him down and he continues to generate points and scoring chances on a nightly basis. He was the best player on the ice Thursday night. Dynamic, Jets coach Paul Maurice said. It s been coming in his game. The rest certainly did him an awful lot of good cause he was real quick and real strong on the puck. He just has to keep that faith and keep that quickness in his game. The pucks going to go for him. DYLAN S STORY It hasn t exactly gone the way Dylan McIlrath hoped or expected. Drafted 10th overall by the New York Rangers in 2010, the Winnipegger worked his way up to the NHL through the AHL, where he spent three full seasons. He finally started getting some significant playing time last season in New York and had high hopes of being a full-time NHL blue-liner this year.

11 Instead, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound former Moose Jaw Warrior found himself the odd-man out in New York, placed on waivers in late October, sent back to the minors and eventually traded to the Florida Panthers. It has taken him a while to get used to his new surroundings in south Florida, but McIlrath is finally starting to get a chance with his new team. He played just his third game of the season Tuesday in Minnesota and made his mark physically, while scoring his team s only goal. I ve been the seventh guy here so far, but these last few games I ve gotten an opportunity to so I m just trying to make the most of it, the 24-year-old said. I have no bitter feelings. I think I took the right path for my development. I needed time in the AHL to really work out my game. Unfortunately I didn t get that chance to stick it out in New York but, like I ve said, I m just happy to be here and starting fresh. McIlrath got into two fights on Tuesday, once protecting goalie Roberto Luongo, and once engaging winger Chris Stewart after delivering a body check. He s an unbelievable physical presence, Panthers coach Tom Rowe said. He s a real good teammate. The guys love him and love having him around the room. It s been a real positive, he s got a real good energy. The thing I don t think he gets enough credit for is he s a real good puck mover.very smart at making that first pass out of our end of the ice. Unfair to him, he only played one game for New York and he s only played a couple for us. This is probably his training camp right now but he s done a great job for us and he really knows how to play the game. McIlrath was expecting a large number of family and friends and Thursday s game against the Jets. It s his second game in his hometown, having played one with the Rangers last year. A little less nerves than last year when it was my first time playing in Winnipeg since I was in bantam, he said. He finished with 6:09 of ice time on 10 shifts and recorded one hit Thursday. BABY IT S COLD OUTSIDE Panthers McIlrath and James Reimer grew up in Manitoba and for that were held responsible by teammates for the frigid weather this week. I ve been trying to pump up Winnipeg as best as I could, but there wasn t much of an argument getting of that plane when it was -30, McIlrath said. Winterpeg is in full force. But we had a good team dinner last night and got to show them some good food in Winnipeg. KEEP THE SKATES COMING

12 There s much debate in the NHL these days about the value of gameday skates, with some coaches moving to abolish them altogether and others viewing them as an important part of a team s routine. Ehlers sure knows which side of the debate he s on. Honestly if I wouldn t have to go to the rink for the gameday skate, I d be sleeping till 12 p.m., he said. I wouldn t like it. Coming to the rink in the morning, going on the ice for minutes is good. It s good to go on the ice and feel things out and see how it goes. I would still ask to go on the ice if we didn t have to. PETAN BACK ON ICE Centre Nic Petan was the latest of the injured Jets to get back on the ice, taking part in Thursday s gameday skate at MTS Centre in a gray non-contact jersey. Petan and injured wingers Joel Armia and Shawn Matthias all came on late in the skate and stayed out for considerable time after the playing group left the ice. Jets coach Paul Maurice said Petan will skate over the next three or four days and could be back Around Christmas. If that s the case, he s likely out for the next three gsmes, Sunday at home against Colorado and Tuesday and Thursday in Vancouver. Maurice said Armia is ahead of Petan and Matthias, which means he could see action in Vancouver. Connor finds his groove with Moose BY KIRK PENTON, WINNIPEG SUN Kyle Connor had nearly 20 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut, getting 18 minutes and 15 seconds of action in Winnipeg's season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 13. Those were the days, because it was never that good again for the Jets' rookie left winger. In fact, Connor played just more than 20 minutes combined during his final four games with the big club before being assigned to the AHL's Manitoba Moose last Friday. Even though young players like Connor are on the ice nearly every day, getting few minutes of game action can quickly have a negative impact. The toughest part is just your rhythm and kind of just the feel for the puck, and getting in game shape as well, Connor said Thursday as the Moose travelled from Charlotte, N.C., to Rockford,

13 Ill. All the stuff involved in the game, if you don't play... it comes back pretty quick, but it's tough. Connor had gone without a point in his final six games with the Jets, but he's back to putting them up with the Moose. Manitoba has scored only six goals in the four games since Connor was assigned to the team, but he was in on half of its tallies, scoring once and adding a pair of assists. The former University of Michigan star, of course, is getting a regular shift from Moose head coach Pascal Vincent, so his rhythm and feel for the puck returned in a jiffy. He hasn't had regular linemates, either, playing alongside leading scorer Jack Roslovic, Chase De Leo and even tough guy Anthony Peluso. That's always nice, and that's what you want as a player, is to play as much as you can, Connor said. It benefits anybody to be playing. When the Jets sent him down the hall to join the Moose, they told him his mission was simple. Just be the best player you can, Connor said. Work on all the little things I learned when I was up with them: winning puck battles, making strong plays and being a complete player. It's all those little things. So far, so good for the Shelby Township, Mich., native, who has one goal and three assists in 19 games for the Jets this season. Winnipeg's first round draft pick in 2015 laughed when asked if he's been getting the rookie treatment from his new teammates. It's my first year, so... Connor said. Naw, it's a good group of guys. ROUGH TIMES The Moose are currently experiencing their longest skid of the season; their winless streak has reached four games. Manitoba is in its last four after losing a pair of home games to Cleveland last weekend, including once in a shootout, and then dropping another two in Charlotte against the Checkers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The second loss in North Carolina occurred in overtime. We played a pretty good hockey game (Wednesday) night, Connor said. We just couldn't finish it out at the end there. We're trying to find the positives in a bad situation, and last night we found a couple. It doesn't get much easier for the Moose ( ), who are about to play three road games in three days: Saturday and Sunday against the Rockford IceHogs and Monday versus the Iowa Wild. The good news for Manitoba is Rockford and Iowa both have worse records in the Central Division standing. NO JACK The Moose will also be without their leading scorer for the next little while, as Roslovic left the team on Thursday to join the U.S. junior squad that will compete in the world championship in Montreal and Toronto over the Christmas holiday.

14 The Moose had no problem letting him go. We want to develop players, Vincent said. We want to help them grow. For him not to go to that tournament, it would be a mistake. LOOKING AHEAD The Moose will be finished with their pre-christmas schedule after Monday's game in Iowa. Their first game after the break will be at home on Dec. 30 against Charlotte. Global Winnipeg Winnipeg Jets come back to beat Florida Panthers 4-3 in a shootout By Mitch Rosset Reporter/Anchor WINNIPEG The Winnipeg Jets slipped past the Florida Panthers in a six-round shootout to snap their four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory at MTS Centre on Thursday. Mathieu Perreault put away the game winner for Winnipeg. The Jets also got a goal from Bryan Little in the shootout while Vincent Trocheck scored for Florida. Winnipeg scored the only goal of the first period despite being out shot Dustin Byfuglien beat Roberto Luongo for his fourth of the season with 11 seconds left to play. Rookie Patrik Laine set up the goal with a cross-ice pass. Both teams had chances earlier in the period to open the scoring. Florida s Nick Bjugstad jammed at a rebound less than six minutes into the game but the puck was gloved by Connor Hellebuyck on the goal line. Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey missed an open net opportunity mid-frame. The Panthers scored three power play goals in the second period all of them with Winnipeg defenceman Toby Enstrom in the penalty box. Aleksander Barkov chipped in a rebound from the Jets doorstep for the equalizer. Reilly Smith later made it 2-1 by sniping a shot to the top corner of the net over a screened Hellebuyck. Trocheck swept in a loose puck at the 11:58 mark of the period. Florida entered the game owning the NHL s worst power play. Winnipeg has now given up a goal while shorthanded in each of its last four games. Adam Lowry whacked in a rebound 10:11 into the second for Winnipeg s lone goal of the period. Lowry s seventh matches his season total from last year. Bryan Little tied it up 3-3 for Winnipeg less than three minutes into the third period during a fouron-four. Little put the puck past an out-of-place Luongo for his fourth of the season. After not playing for a few days, we were expecting it to be a little bit ugly and sloppy, said Jets captain Blake Wheeler.

15 It definitely was through two periods. We found a way to gut it out in overtime and luckily got the two points. Hellebuyck made 41 saves to earn his 11th win of the season. Across the ice, Luongo stopped 29 shots. Jaromir Jagr picked up an assist on Barkov s second period goal to move three points back of Mark Messier on the NHL s all-time leaders list. The loss marked Florida s sixth in its last seven games. The Jets ( ) wrap up their two-game homestand on Sunday against the league s last place Colorado Avalanche, the same team the Panthers ( ) face Friday night. Miami Herald Florida Panthers kick off Jets Week with shootout loss in Winnipeg BY GEORGE RICHARDS Two South Florida teams play the Jets this week. Despite getting three goals from their much criticized power play, the Florida Panthers lost 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night as the host Winnipeg Jets won it on a Mathieu Perreault shootout goal in the sixth round. The Panthers are on this abbreviated road trip which ends Friday night at 9 against the host Colorado Avalanche (FSFL). Florida outshot the Jets We had enough leads in this game to close it out and you can't let those ones slip away, said Reilly Smith, who scored Florida s second power play goal of the night in the second period to give Florida a 2-1 lead. It's tough that it ended up going to a shootout because it's anyone's game at that point. But I think we controlled the pace of the game from the start of the game. It's just frustrating. The opportunities are there, we had 44 shots. The power play was better which is night. But with those many opportunities, you need to find a way to win. Florida was all over Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck from the start as the Panthers outshot the Jets 19-8 in the opening period yet trailed after Dustin Byfuglien charged up the ice and scored on a botched line change and made it 1-0 with 11 seconds left in the opening frame. The Panthers came right back in the second, scoring on their first power play chance 4:51 in when Sasha Barkov picked up his seventh goal of the year by banging in a loss puck.

16 A few minutes later, Smith whipped in a shot with Jaromir Jagr and Nick Bjugstad blocking Hellebuyck. Winnipeg scored midway through the period to tie the score with Vincent Trocheck scoring his second in three games on Florida s third power play of the period and game. Florida s power play came into the night ranked dead last in the NHL as the Panthers had scored just twice on their previous 28 chances. By Friday morning, the Panthers power play jumped all the way up to 23rd in the league with a success rate of 15.1 percent. It was a tough one but we did a lot of good things, interim coach Tom Rowe said afterward. We outshot them dramatically in the first and second period, we had great chances and just couldn't finish. The good thing is the power play came around, which is great. There s a lot of good stuff to build on. Florida went into the third period up 3-2 after a last-second scoring chance by Trocheck didn t cross the goal line and the homestanding Jets who had last four consecutive games coming in tied it on a Bryan Little goal early in the third. The two teams played an energetic and exciting overtime period with both Luongo and Hellebuyck forced to make some key saves. In the shootout, Florida took the initial lead in the opening round on a goal from Trocheck but the Jets tied in Round 3. The Panthers, after a good start to the season, have now dropped four of their past five games decided in a shootout or overtime. It was back-and-forth, we got a lot of shots, capitalized on the power play but we made a few errors in the defensive zone and that s going to cost you, said Bjugstad, who got his first point in 12 games this season by getting the primary assist on Florida s opening goal. Canadian Press Read more here: Mathieu Perreault Scores Shootout Winner as Jets Get Past Panthers By Judy Owen, The Canadian Press WINNIPEG Mathieu Perreault thought he would try to take advantage of being left-handed and it worked. After some of his Jets teammates couldn t beat Roberto Luongo on his glove side, the veteran forward picked up the puck in the sixth round of the shootout and gave Winnipeg the deciding goal in a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers Thursday.

17 Coming down as a lefty, sometimes low blocker is an option and it was there for me so I took it, said Perreault, who began with some slow stick-handling toward the veteran goaltender. Bryan Little also scored in the shootout for Winnipeg and Vincent Trocheck had Florida s goal in the shooting contest. Dustin Byfuglien had a goal and an assist, with Adam Lowry and Little also chipping in during regulation for Winnipeg ( ), which ended a four-game losing streak. Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves in net. Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith and Trocheck scored a trio of power-play goals in the second period for Florida ( ). Jets defenceman Toby Enstrom was in the penalty box for each one. Smith added an assist. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice wasn t dumping on Enstrom after the game. I m not worried about Toby s penalties. He s not a careless player and he s not a lazy player by any means, said Maurice. The coach is, though, concerned about his team s power play, which went 0 for 2 while the Panthers were 3 for 3. The Jets have given up at least one power-play goal in each of their past four games. I didn t think that our PK would play as poorly as it did, but it s good to win ugly, Maurice said. Florida head coach Tom Rowe was impressed with his team s play with the man advantage. I think we were just moving it a little quicker, keeping it simple, getting more shots on net, he said. And then when you get the penalty killers out of position, plays will open up. Luongo made 29 stops for the Panthers. He was great, Rowe said of his goalie. I mean, he s one of the best in the world for a reason and we re lucky to have him. Florida had a 3-2 lead heading into the third period, but with the teams on a four-on-four, Little took a cross-ice pass from Blake Wheeler and shot it into the net at 2:36 as Luongo was sliding over from the other side. Florida outshot the Jets after three periods. We had enough leads in this game to close it out and you can t let those ones slip away, Smith said. It s tough that it ended up going to a shootout because it s anyone s game at that point. The Jets were being outshot 19-7 in the first when Byfuglien took a pass from rookie Patrik Laine and put a high shot from the bottom of the circle over Luongo s glove with 11 seconds left in the period. The Panthers scored the power-play goals as Enstrom was sitting in the penalty box for interference, then holding, then interference again.

18 Barkov evened the game 1-1 at 4:51 of the second. Jaromir Jagr picked up his 1,129th career assist and 1,884th point on the goal. Jagr is now three points away from tying Mark Messier (1,887) for second on the NHL s all-time points list. Smith followed up with his fifth goal of the season at 8:36 to give the Panthers the 2-1 lead, but Lowry put the Jets back in a tie at 10:11 when he banged in a loose puck. Trocheck made it 3-2 with a shot that went past a screened Hellebuyck at 11:58. Winnipeg had three shots on goal in overtime, while Florida had two. Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba watched as his shot banged off the post. The Panthers finish a three-game road trip Friday against Colorado, while Winnipeg hosts the Avalanche Sunday. NHL.com Jets defeat Panthers in six-round shootout Connor Hellebuyck makes 41 saves, Mathieu Perreault scores deciding goal for Winnipeg by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent WINNIPEG -- Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault scored in the shootout, and Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves to give the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers at MTS Centre on Thursday. Perreault went from his backhand to his forehand several times before beating goalie Roberto Luongo with a wrist shot in the sixth round for the deciding goal, ending the Jets' four-game losing streak. "A bunch [of players] were trying to go high glove and it just wasn't there," Perreault said. "So as a lefty, a bunch of the other guys are righties coming down as a lefty, sometimes low blocker is an option, and it was there for me, so I took it." The Jets trailed 3-2 entering the third period, but Little scored at 2:36 to tie it. "We had enough leads in this game to close it out, and you can't let those ones slip away," Panthers forward Reilly Smith said. "It's tough that it ended up going to a shootout because it's anyone's game at that point. But I think we controlled the pace of the game from the start of the game. It's just frustrating." Dustin Byfuglien had a goal and an assist for the Jets ( ), and Adam Lowry scored. Aleksander Barkov, Smith and Vincent Trocheck scored on the power play in the second period for the Panthers ( ). Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom took all three minor penalties.

19 "I'm just happy the guys fought back and got a win here," Enstrom said. "It's tough. You never want to sit in the box. You never want to see when you're in there you get scored upon." Luongo allowed three goals on 32 shots. He is one win shy of tying Terry Sawchuk (447) for fifth in NHL history. Jaromir Jagr got the second assist on Barkov's goal and is three points behind Mark Messier (1,887) for second place on the NHL all-time scoring list. Wayne Gretzky is first with 2,857. "It was back and forth," Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad said. "We got a lot of shots and capitalized on the power plays, but just a few errors in the defensive zone, and that'll cost you against a good team in this arena." Byfuglien made it 1-0 with 11 seconds left in the first period. Patrik Laine found Byfuglien with a cross-ice pass, and he put a wrist shot past Luongo. Barkov scored to tie the game 1-1 at 4:51 of the second period. It was his fourth goal in his past six games. Smith scored to make it 2-1 at 8:36 with his first goal in 11 games. Lowry's second attempt on a rebound got past Luongo at 10:11 to make it 2-2, but Trocheck scored at 11:58 to make it 3-2, tapping in his second goal in three games after a 17-game drought. Goal of the game Perreault put a low shot past Luongo on his blocker side for the shootout winner. Save of the game Luongo made a left-pad save on Nikolaj Ehlers' wraparound attempt in the third period to keep the game tied 3-3. Highlight of the game Blake Wheeler, trailing the play, took a quick pass from Byfuglien and found Little cross-ice to tie the game in the third period. Unsung performance of the game Ehlers had six shots on goal and created several other scoring chances. "You want it to go in," he said. "When you're getting a lot of pretty big chances it's like you think to yourself, 'What's going on?'" They said it "We kind of came into this one anticipating it was going to be a little bit ugly. We didn't think we'd just come in after a couple days off and be right back on top of our game. It wasn't pretty by any means. But at the same time you're going to need wins like that in this league. It was a

20 good sign there in the third period, to gut it out, get it into overtime and get the two (points)." -- Jets captain Blake Wheeler "It was a tough one, we did a lot of good things. We outshot them dramatically in the first and second period, had great chances, just couldn't finish. The good thing is the power play came around, got three there, which is great. Four-on-4 [defensive]-zone coverage, we need to work on because we lost a couple of assignments on that. A lot of good stuff [to] build on tomorrow." - - Panthers coach Tom Rowe Need to know Panthers forward Jonathan Marchessault was injured in the pregame skate and did not play. Bjugstad's assist on Barkov's goal was his first point in 12 games this season. Perreault's assist on Byfuglien's goal was his 200th point in the NHL. What's next Panthers: At the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, FS-F, NHL.TV) Jets: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; TSN3, ALT, NHL.TV) TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) Weibe: Jets need to stack up wins Ken Weibe of the Winnipeg Sun joins Hustler & Lawless to discuss the upcoming schedule for the Winnipeg Jets and the continuing problems with special teams Yost: Surprisingly, Laine s shot chart mirrors Stamkos Travis Yost joins Hustler & Lawless to discuss where and how Patrik Laine scores from in games, and explains how the Winnipeg Jets can use Laine s strengths to improve their power play. Jets battle back, get "ugly" win over Panthers Mathieu Perreault scored the shootout winner in a 4-3 decision by Ryan / WinnipegJets.com WINNIPEG - A win's a win. Was it pretty? Not especially. Does it count for any less in the standings? Heck no.

21 "It's good to win ugly," said Head Coach Paul Maurice, echoing what many of the players had told the crush of media moments earlier. It wasn't the Jets' best game - not by any stretch after being outplayed in the first and second periods - but they battled back, showed great character and earned themselves a victory with a firm final 25 minutes, and more. Mathieu Perreault scored the shootout winner as the home side rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to beat the visiting the Florida Panthers 4-3. Dustin Byfuglien, Adam Lowry and Bryan Little scored in regulation, while Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves, and another five in the six-round shootout. The Jets' penalty kill - which entered the night tied for the 26th with a 77.6 percent success rate - almost cost them, surrendering all three of the Panthers' goals. The power play, meanwhile, wasn't much better, going 0-for-2 and generating little, if any, in the way of quality chances. "We just kind of gutted it out. It wasn't pretty," captain Blake Wheeler said. "After not playing for a few days we expected it to be a little sloppy and it definitely was through two periods, but we found a way and we luckily got the two points." The Jets trailed 3-2 and were being outshot after 40 minutes, but were the better team early on in the third, knotting the game at three just 2:36 in. During 4-on-4 play, Little was the beneficiary of a great feed from Blake Wheeler at the top of the circle, and No. 18 made no mistake, picking the puck up on his backhand before snapping it home for his fourth of the campaign. "If you look at the standings, we needed that urgency and we needed to get some points. To get the full two points tonight, it's huge," Perreault said. "We have three games left before Christmas so we're looking forward to putting some good games together." While he was unable to register a point, Nikolaj Ehlers was Winnipeg's best player all night. He finished with six shots on goal, and another five that were either blocked or missed the net, in more than 19 minutes of ice time. "(He was) dynamic and it really has been (coming) in his game," Maurice said. "In other games he's had some breakaways that haven't gone in and it's affected his play at times and tonight, I don't think he felt that at all. He was real quick and strong on the puck. He just has to keep that faith and that quickness in his game. The puck is going to go for him and when it doesn't, he's still going to bang up enough points. He's still early in his second year in the NHL and he's a pretty dynamic young man." Byfuglien drew first blood for the Jets off a great feed from Patrik Laine with only 11 seconds left in the opening period. The big man started the play with a great outlet pass to Mathieu Perreault, whose work along the blue line allowed Laine to pick up a drop pass and find the D man streaking down the right side. Byfuglien made no mistake, firing it high over the sprawling Florida goalie, Roberto Luongo.