Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, Mark Scheifele recorded his 25th goal of the season, and Connor Hellebuyck posted his 6th shutout of the season—his third consecutive regular-season shutout against Colorado.

With the victory, the Jets improved to a 29-12-3 record. They now have jumped back into first place in the NHL’s overall standings, while disrupting Colorado’s hot streak as of late.

Nikolaj Ehlers got the party started for the Jets just 68 seconds into the contest. Ehlers broke through the Avalanche defenders and sniped his 13th of the season high, glove side past Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 1-0.

The Ehlers goal was pretty much it for highlights in the opening frame. But there were times where Colorado was buzzing in the Jets’ end, challenging Hellebuyck to be up to the task—which he was.

The first period wrapped up with the Jets ahead 1-0. Shots were essentially even at 11-10 in favour of Winnipeg.

The second period was just like its predecessor as there wasn’t much action in terms of scoring.

Finally, at 4:07, Mark Scheifele doubled the Jets lead making it 2-0. Josh Morrissey behind the net centred the puck to Kyle Connor. The puck took a bounce off a stick and it landed right on the tape of Scheifele who put home his 25th of the campaign.

After 40 minutes of hockey the scored remained 2-0 Winnipeg. The Shots were 23-15 in favour of the Jets.

At 15:18 the Jets found themselves down a man. Kyle Connor was too careless with his stick which resulted in Jere Innala getting a stick in the face, drawing the high-sticking penalty. The Avalanche cycled the puck very well on the man advantage, but, the Jets were impressive with their sticks and they killed off the penalty.

With all the sustained pressure the Avalanche put on the Jets, they still couldn’t buy one past Hellebuyck

Nikolaj Ehlers, at 00:57, sealed the game with an empty netter. He recorded his 2nd of the game and his 14th of the season.

The final buzzer sounded, sealing Winnipeg’s second win of their eight-game homestand (2-2-2) with a dominant shutout victory.

This game was a real test for the Jets. Coming off a loss the night before on home ice, missing their second-line center due to injury, and facing off against the hottest team in the NHL, Winnipeg knew they had to respond—and they did.

Connor Hellebuyck is more than just a Vezina candidate; he deserves to be in the Hart Trophy conversation. It’s clear at this point that he is the MVP of this team, and tonight was another example of why. His stellar performance between the pipes was the backbone of the victory.

The Jets’ defence was outstanding. A big reason for that was Dylan Samberg’s presence. You can see the difference he makes in how confidently the team manages the puck in their own zone. The defensive cohesion was evident from start to finish.

Now, the Jets will need to carry this level of performance into Tuesday’s matchup against a hungry Vancouver Canucks team, desperate for a win.

The Jets will play their sixth game on this eight-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, Jan. 14th. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. CT, and it will be available to watch on TSN3.

Make sure to check back here for the pre-game and post-game article.