WINNIPEG - The night at Canada Life Centre had a little extra edge from the start, and the Jets fed off it.
A loud Winnipeg crowd was in full voice before puck drop, and the storyline only got richer from there with Nico Daws facing his former team and Dawson Mercer stepping into the spotlight against the Devils. By the end of it, Mercer had scored twice, Kyle Connor had two goals of his own, and Winnipeg had a 4-2 win that stretched its run to four straight.
Daws handled the moment well enough to earn his first victory as a Jet, stopping 19 shots in a game that carried plenty of emotion for the players with ties to both clubs.
“A little bit leading up to it. Once you get out there, it’s hockey. People are shooting a puck at me and I’m trying to save it," said Daws.
"It doesn’t really matter who it is, obviously I know those guys and I’ve practiced against them a million times, so you kind of know their tendencies but at the end of the day, you’re just going out there and your mind is free.”
Winnipeg’s special teams made the difference. The Jets scored twice on the power play and killed off every New Jersey chance with the man advantage. Josh Morrissey was back in the lineup after missing 14 games with an upper body injury, logging a team-high 24:05 and firing four shots on goal.
Mercer got the Jets rolling early, snapping a shot over a screened Jake Allen’s shoulder at 7:54 for his second goal in as many games.
The pressure kept building when the Devils took back-to-back penalties, and Winnipeg made them pay on a 5-on-3. Connor cashed in at 15:06 for a 2-0 lead, while Mark Scheifele picked up his 550th career assist and moved into a tie with Dale Hawerchuk and Blake Wheeler for second in franchise history, behind Thomas Steen’s 553.
New Jersey answered fast in the second period. Jesper Bratt scored 1:14 in on a one-timer from Arseni Gritsyuk, and 44 seconds later Manitoban Cody Glass tied it at 2-2.
From there, the Jets kept leaning on the Devils, and the third period tilt finally broke their way when New Jersey was whistled for too many men on the ice. On the ensuing power play, Mercer finished off a sharp three-way sequence with Alex Iafallo and Viggo Björck to put Winnipeg ahead 3-2 at 11:58. It stood as the winner.
“I think obviously the energy was pretty crazy, especially how we finished the game," said Mercer.
"We came back that third period was pretty nice. And then the chants were pretty special. I haven't heard that before, so that was good.”
Connor sealed it with an empty-net goal, his second of the night and 15th of the season.
The Jets now head to Dallas to open a two-game road trip against the Stars on Thursday.
In Other News...
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There has also been strong work in net from Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic, giving Manitoba a chance to turn tight games into points while the organization keeps sorting out who is ready for more. The finale will be available on 680 CJOB and AHLTV, and for a Jets system that is always watching the next layer of talent, this trip has already offered plenty to track beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Have A Bigger Concern Than The Moose Losing Streak
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For Jets fans, the bigger worry is the health of Colby Barlow, who was hurt in the game and is listed as day-to-day. The Moose will keep moving with a stop against the Rockford IceHogs in Rosemont, Illinois, but any setback involving a top Winnipeg prospect is the kind of development that can matter well beyond the AHL standings. [Read more 🡒]
Moose Waste Zhilkins Hot Streak In Frustrating Loss To Texas
Danny Zhilkin kept finding ways to make an impact for the Manitoba Moose, but it was not enough to extend the clubs momentum at the H-E-B Center. His goal gave Manitoba a spark and stretched his point streak to five games, a run that has quietly become one of the more encouraging developments for the Jets AHL affiliate as the season moves along.
The problem was everything around it. Texas answered with the game-winner and then leaned on a disciplined defensive effort, surviving a night in which Manitoba kept pressing for an equalizer. The 2-1 loss snapped the Mooses four-game winning streak, and it left them with the familiar frustration of a game where one timely finish and one missed chance made the difference. [Read more 🡒]