The good news for the Winnipeg Jets was that they found a way to score on last year’s Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender four times Thursday night.
The bad news was that their opposition found the net six times.
A four-goal second-period surge by the Tampa Bay Lightning helped them defeat the Winnipeg Jets 6-4, sending Winnipeg to their seventh straight loss and a 4-6-3 record overall.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel shook up the team’s top forward lines, splitting up Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. It led to the Jets hitting the four-goal mark for just the second time this season.
But the defensive side of the puck was the problem on this night as the Jets gave up three goals in around three minutes for the second straight game.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” said Arniel. “Again, a three-minute span in the second period we gave up the three goals. And that’s, you’re a pro hockey player, that’s professionalism. You have a job to do, and staying focused and doing it.
“We can’t have those brain cramps. We can’t have those situations where you miss an assignment.”
The Jets trailed 5-1 after two periods but scored three times in the final frame to make it interesting before an empty-netter sealed their fate.
“We just weren’t sharp in all areas,” said Connor. “Power play, PK (penalty kill), 5-on-5, it was just a little flat. We needed a little bit of jam, and I think that’s kinda what led to success in the third.
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“We are well aware that we haven’t played our best lately. We got to get out of this funk and maybe that third was kinda the recipe for success here. Hopefully we can kinda replicate that going forward.”
The Jets’ power play was 0-for-2 on the night and they’re now 0-for-16 on the man advantage over their last six games.
They’ve now given up the first goal in all of their last five straight contests.
“Just wasn’t good to start,” said Jets defenceman Neal Pionk. “Had a good effort in the third, but it’s too late. Kinda like Arny says all the time, we got to play a full 60 (minutes).”
Pionk had two goals in the loss, while Connor and Dylan Samberg had the other Jets markers. Scheifele recorded three assists after going four straight games without a point.
Dawson Mercer had an assist for his first point with the Jets, while Nico Daws replaced Stuart Skinner in goal for the third period and stopped all nine shots he faced.
After scoring just five goals in their last four games, Arniel shuffled his top two forward lines, moving Connor down to the second line, while transferring Gabriel Vilardi up to the top unit to separate Connor and Scheifele for the first time this season.
“I talked to both of them yesterday about it,” Arniel said. “And they were both strongly in favour of it.
“We need more than just one line scoring and they recognize it. I like the leadership in that perspective. Just now we need to come out with a win by doing it.”
The Lightning are now 6-0 on home ice this season.
Just over two minutes in, the Lightning struck first as Brayden Point got loose in the slot and ripped a shot past the blocker of Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner.
But before the period was out, the Jets responded as Pionk, playing in his 600th NHL game, one-timed a shot from the point and ripped it past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the score.
With the game still tied just before the midway point of the game in the second period, the Lightning took over with a Manitoban beginning the Lightning surge. Strathclair’s Conor Geekie converted a pass from Dominic James on a partial two-on-one for the Tampa lead.
And then in the period’s final five minutes, the Lightning struck three times — Anthony Cirelli on the powerplay, John Carlson on a one-timer off a Pontus Holmberg pass, and Brandon Hagel capitalizing on a Jets turnover in their own zone.
Skinner was pulled at the second intermission after allowing five goals on 21 shots, meaning Daws made his debut in the third period after being traded from the New Jersey Devils last week.
And the Jets ended up making a game out of it with Samberg, Pionk, and Connor all scoring goals in the final frame, cutting the lead to one. But with Daws pulled, Holmberg scored on the empty net, giving him four points on the night.
Cirelli and Hagel both had three points while, for the Jets, Cole Perfetti added a pair.
The Jets are right back at it Friday night when they visit the Florida Panthers, looking for revenge after Tuesday’s 5-1 loss, with puck drop just after 6 p.m.
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Source: globalnews.ca
