The Winnipeg Jets continue a four-game homestand tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals…The Jets are 2-0 on the homestand so far after a pair of a 5-2 victories over the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils…The Jets finish the homestand Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
Getting Offensive
After averaging 2.4 goals per game in their previous five games, the Jets have scored five goals in back-to-back games…With 51 games, the Jets are tied for 17th in the NHL in goals scored this season for an average of 3.2 per game…Last season Winnipeg was second in the NHL with 273 goals for an average of 3.3 goals per game…After leading the NHL in scoring at home last season with 156 goals, the Jets are continuing to light the lamp at Bell MTS Place this season, as they are tied for fourth in the NHL with 37 goals in 10 home games.
Friendly Confines
After Sunday’s win, the Jets have an NHL-best home record of 16-1-1 since Mar. 2/18 (excluding being considered the home team for the Nov. 2 game in Finland)…Winnipeg’s Oct. 24 loss to Toronto was the Jets first regulation loss at Bell MTS Place since Feb. 27/18 vs. NSH…The Jets haven’t lost back-to-back games at Bell MTS Place since Feb. 20-27/18.
Dominating the East
Tonight is the second of three consecutive games for the Jets against an Eastern Conference team to finish off the homestand…Winnipeg is in a stretch of eight of nine games against a team from the East…The Jets are 4-3-0 against Eastern Conference teams this season, but went 19-7-6 against the Eastern Conference last season, including a 10-3-3 record versus the Atlantic Division and 9-4-3 record against the Metropolitan Division.
Star II
Blake Wheeler was named the NHL’s second star of the week on Monday after tallying seven points (1G, 6A) in two games…He recorded a new career-high with five points (1G, 4A), as he played a part in each Jets goal to lead the club to a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday…His empty net goal against the Avalanche snapped a string of nine straight Jets goals where he earned an assist, as Wheeler joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to assist on nine-or-more consecutive team goals…On Sunday, the Plymouth, Minn. native added another pair of assists to propel Winnipeg to a 5-2 victory over New Jersey…He is currently riding a 10-game point streak (2G, 17A)…On the season, Wheeler shares the NHL lead with 20 assists and is tied for fourth in the league with 23 points (3G, 20A) in 16 games played…This is the third time in his career that Wheeler has been selected in the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week…Wheeler joins Mark Scheifele (Oct. 29 – Second Star) as members of the Jets that have earned NHL Three Stars of the Week honours this season.
Streaking
Defenceman Dustin Byfuglien had an assist on Sunday to extend his point streak to six consecutive games (1G, 7A)…It’s the first stretch of games this season in which he has a point in consecutive games…Byfuglien also has an assist in five consecutive games (7A)…Nikolaj Ehlers is on a three-game point streak (3G, 1A), which includes scoring a goal in all three games.
Lots of Contributions
Nine players had at least a point in Sunday’s win, led by Mark Scheifele’s three-point night (2G, 1A)…Blake Wheeler (2A) and Nikolaj Ehlers (1G, 1A) also had multi-point nights…Wheeler leads the Jets with six multi-point games this season and has multiple assists in four consecutive games.
Heating Up in November
After going 4-4-1 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in October, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has started all four games for the Jets in November, going 3-1-0 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .923 save percentage…He’s stopped 62 of 66 shots through the first two games of the homestand for a .939 save percentage…Hellebuyck had a sub .900 save percentage in four of the six games in which the Jets were the home team prior to his homestand.