Jets 4, Canucks 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- A pair of goal-starved forwards finally hit the score sheet as the Winnipeg Jets halted a six-game winless skid with a 4-1 triumph over the travel-weary Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.
Right winger Drew Stafford's second-period tally, his sixth goal of the season but just his first since Oct. 25, stood as the winner for the Jets (9-9-2), who rebounded from a dismal 0-4 road trip against Central Division rivals with a gritty performance at MTS Centre. He then added his seventh into an empty net.
Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season and first in two weeks, and then added his seventh on a rebound late in the game to secure the victory. He also chipped in an assist, while center Mathieu Perreault supplied three assists.
Left winger Daniel Sedin pulled the Canucks even at 1-1 with his seventh goal of the season in the second period.
Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec had a stellar, 29-save performance and was helpless on the only shot that ended up behind him. His finest stop of the night, a kick save on a deflection through traffic by Sedin, came with the Canucks on the power play with less than nine minutes left in the game and the hosts up by one.
His counterpart, Ryan Miller, made 30 saves for Vancouver (7-7-6), which wrapped up a seven-game road swing with a forgettable 1-4-2 record.
The Jets gained possession and set up shop in the Canucks end, setting the stage for Scheifele's goal and just the second power-play marker in the club's last 30 chances. He was the beneficiary of a bounce in front that left Miller out of position, giving him a large chunk of the net to cash in a wrist shot at 5:55.
The Canucks evened the game 1-1 with a power-play goal of their own at 6:44 of the second period when Sedin pounced on a loose puck just above the crease and beat Pavelec high.
Stafford broke the tie with just under three minutes left in the middle frame. Left unattended in front, he deflected a point shot by Enstrom that was stopped by Miller and then flipped in his own rebound to snap an 11-game goalless skid.
NOTES: Canucks D Luca Sbisa was handed a minor penalty for a head shot on Jets rookie LW Nikolaj Ehlers early in the first period, and then had to answer the bell against Winnipeg tough guy RW Anthony Peluso not long after he stepped out of the penalty box. Peluso won the tilt handily. ... D Paul Postma, D Ben Chiarot and C Nic Petan sat in the press box, while C Brandon Sutter, RW Radim Vrbata and D Yannick Webber were scratched for the Canucks. ... C Mark Scheifele's goal early in the opening period marked just the fifth time the Jets have scored first in a game this season. ... Vancouver hasn't exactly embraced the NHL's new 3-on-3 overtime format. Prior to Wednesday's game, the Canucks had tied seven of their 19 games, lost six of them in OT and earned just one victory in a shootout. ... Canucks RW Jake Virtanen led the team and all NHL rookies in hits with 44 coming into the game.