Hellebuyck notches shutout as Jets thrash Sens
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets made sure their stay atop the standings in the Western Conference was more than a 48-hour thing with an utterly dominant 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night at Bell MTS Place.
The Jets improved to 17-6-4, good for 38 points, one ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 21 shots for his first shutout of the season, while Ottawa's Mike Condon was pulled after giving up five goals on 22 shots. Craig Anderson weathered the storm the rest of the way, stopping all 27 shots he faced.
The Senators gave the Jets an early Christmas present by taking a bench minor for too many men just 2:06 into the game, and Winnipeg wasted no time in taking advantage.
Dustin Byfuglien kept the puck in at the point and passed it to captain Blake Wheeler, who found center Mark Scheifele alone to the right of Condon. Scheifele beat him low to the stick side for his team-leading 14th goal at 2:20.
The Jets doubled their lead just a few shifts later when defenseman Jacob Trouba accepted a pass from Wheeler at the point and his shot was deflected home by left winger Mathieu Perreault for his seventh of the season at 6:00.
With his second assist, Wheeler took the league lead in helpers with 27, passing Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos with 26. Wheeler added another assist in the third period.
The Jets had a number of excellent scoring opportunities -- notably center Bryan Little, who had Condon out of position at the midway point of the period, only to be stopped by a diving goalie -- but couldn't extend their lead. The shots on goal in the open period told the tale -- 19-3 for Winnipeg.
The Jets kept the onslaught coming after the first intermission. After some great forechecking by Perreault down low behind Ottawa's goal line, Scheifele found Wheeler alone in the slot. Wheeler ripped his seventh of the season past Condon at 3:18.
The Senators' frustration came to a boil after defenseman Dion Phaneuf took a cross-checking minor at 5:36. The peanut gallery on the visitors' bench -- reportedly assistant coach Marc Crawford -- started in on the referees, and 21 seconds later, Ottawa assessed a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Senators' collective mood no doubt worsened when Wheeler found Patrik Laine alone to Condon's right. Laine whipped his 13th of the season home at 6:20.
Then, to add insult to considerable injury, with the Jets still on the power play, Little fed defenseman Tyler Myers at the point, and his one-timer bulged the twine at 6:50 before Laine's goal was finished being announced. It was Myers' fifth of the season.
NOTES: Jets LW Shawn Matthias exchanged his press-box pass for a jersey, replacing LW Kyle Connor, who is out day-to-day after blocking a shot on Friday night against Vegas. ... The Jets have the fourth-best power play in the NHL with a success rate of 25.6 percent. The Senators, meanwhile, are clicking at 17.4 percent. ... The Senators have an efficiency rate of 79.4 percent on the penalty kill. ... The Jets have one of the best home records in the NHL this season, 10-2-1, good for a .792 winning percentage. ... Senators RW Mark Stone had a large contingent of hometown friends and family in the stands at Bell MTS Place.