Mark Scheifele picked the right night to keep climbing.
With Winnipeg opening its Mentors Trip in Dallas on Thursday, Scheifele kept his steady march up the Jets’ all-time scoring list going in the most fitting way possible: against the Stars, the team he has punished more than any other NHL opponent. He entered the night with 56 points in 49 career games against Dallas, and he added three more in an 8-3 Winnipeg win that pushed the Jets to a season-best five straight victories.
Scheifele’s night ended with him tied to Dale Hawerchuk on the franchise’s all-time points list, and his second-period power-play goal also moved him within one of Hawerchuk in both goals and points. The 33-year-old finished as one of six Jets with a multi-point performance, joining Gabriel Vilardi, Kyle Connor, Dawson Mercer, Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg in a night full of offense.
“Yeah, that’s the biggest thing for me over these last five games is that the confidence now is back, and it’s when you’re not scoring and you’re losing games,” said Arniel.
“Nobody wants to make a play. Everybody wants to get rid of the puck, and right now we’re we’re doing the opposite. We’re very confident.”
Winnipeg had to work from behind early. Dallas scored first when Arttu Hyry blasted a one-timer from the slot past Stuart Skinner at 4:19. The Jets thought they had answered on the power play when Kyle Connor scored his 16th of the season, but the Stars challenged for offside and the goal was wiped out after review.
Dallas capitalized on that swing. Jason Robertson set up Roope Hintz for his eighth goal of the season at 18:32, sending the Stars into the first intermission up 2-0.
The Jets were also forced to play the rest of the night with five defencemen after Dylan DeMelo left with a lower-body injury, and Arniel later said DeMelo will be out week-to-week. Even with that setback, Winnipeg found its rhythm quickly in the second period.
Dylan Samberg got the comeback started just 1:11 in, beating Jake Oettinger over the shoulder for his third goal of the season. Then Scheifele got to work. At 7:03, Josh Morrissey sent a shot toward the net, Vilardi got a piece of it, and Scheifele buried the rebound for career goal No. 377 to tie the game 2-2.
Dallas briefly jumped back in front on a strange bounce when Thomas Harley’s wrist shot from the point went off David Perron and in for Perron’s first goal of the season. Winnipeg answered again almost immediately.
Perfetti found Mercer alone, and Mercer scored for the third straight game to make it 3-3. Brayden Yager picked up his first career NHL assist on the play.
The Jets then took control before the period ended. Jamie Benn was whistled for slashing Neal Pionk’s stick, and Winnipeg made the power play count. Scheifele scored his second of the night at 18:12 to give the Jets their first lead, and the assist moved him to 551, passing Hawerchuk and Blake Wheeler for second all-time in franchise assists.
Just 99 seconds later, Mercer struck again, going to his backhand and beating Oettinger for his second goal of the game. Perfetti earned his third assist of the night on the play, and Winnipeg went to the second intermission with a 5-3 cushion.
“Yeah, like obviously the goals sometimes you play good sometimes, and you create as a team,” said Perfetti when asked if that was the Jets best period of the season.
“But sometimes you don’t score, and when you score five, obviously it’s easy to say that’s your best period of the season. But I think, yeah, I mean, we were creating a lot.”
The third period kept the pressure on Dallas. Connor scored his 16th of the season after taking a pass from Vilardi and ripping it over Oettinger’s glove, and Scheifele picked up the secondary assist to reach 929 career points and tie Hawerchuk for the franchise lead.
“Yeah, words can’t really describe how it feels, it’s pretty incredible,” said Scheifele.
“Just the amazing player that he was and what he meant to the city of Winnipeg and what he meant to me it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Oettinger was pulled after Connor’s goal, and Casey DeSmith came in. Winnipeg still wasn’t finished.
Morrissey started another clean passing sequence that went to Connor and then to Vilardi, who looked like he might send it across before finishing short side to make it 7-3. Fourteen seconds later, Cole Koepke capped the scoring with a quick shot off a feed from Morgan Barron.
It was the first time since Dec. 10, 2024 that Winnipeg scored eight goals in a game, matching its 8-1 win over Boston.
The Jets head to Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Jets Lineup Gets Shaken Up Again With One Big Question On Defense
The Jets lineup shuffle continued at practice ahead of their game against the Blackhawks, with Nino Niederreiter back in after Isak Rosns injury opened a spot. On the blue line, Haydn Fleury is expected to step in for the injured Dylan DeMelo, giving Winnipeg another look at a defense group that has had to adjust on the fly.
Elias Salomonsson was back on the ice and could be close to rejoining the team, which adds another layer to a defense situation that still feels unsettled. Elsewhere in the organization, the Manitoba Moose had a full practice with Ashton Sautner and Noah Gregor taking part, while three Jets prospects also turned in notable NCAA performances, a reminder that the pipeline is still giving the club reasons to keep watching beyond the immediate injury news. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Just Made A Quiet Blue Line Move Worth Noticing
The Stars quietly shuffled their blue line by activating defenseman Luke Krys from the injured/non-roster list and sending him to the Texas Stars in the AHL, a small transaction that still matters for a team trying to keep its depth chart in order. It is the kind of move that rarely grabs headlines on its own, but it can tell you plenty about where a club is in terms of health, roster flexibility and the next layer of help waiting in the system.
Around the league, there was also a healthier note for Vancouver, where defenseman Tom Willander has recovered from a lower-body injury and is available to play. For Winnipeg, though, the injury picture remains less encouraging, with forward Isak Rosen still unavailable. In a stretch where every available body can affect lineup decisions, those status updates continue to shape how teams manage both their immediate plans and their longer-term depth. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Call-Up Debate Is Heating Up Around Dima Zhilkin
Dima Zhilkins strong start with the Manitoba Moose has put him back on the radar in Winnipeg, and it is easy to see why. The Jets 2022 third-round pick has produced 18 points in 16 games in the AHL, a pace that keeps his name in the conversation whenever the organization starts looking for help down the middle or a spark in the lineup.
Zhilkin has already gotten a taste of the NHL with six games under his belt, so this would not be a pure leap of faith if the Jets decide they need another look. The comparison making the rounds is Brayden Yager, who earned a promotion after opening his AHL stint well, and Zhilkins case may only get louder if Winnipegs offense cools off and the club decides it needs to reward the hot hand. [Read more 🡒]