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The Winnipeg Jets look to close out their four-game homestand with a strong 3-1 record as they host the Vancouver Canucks at Canada Life Centre for the final meeting between the two clubs this season.
Winnipeg clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday and is coming off a dominant 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. The Jets struck early, scoring twice in the first two minutes with goals from Alex Iafallo and David Gustafsson. Iafallo added another tally late in the second period on the power play for his 13th of the season, while Mark Scheifele extended the lead to 4-0 with his 36th, capping off the middle frame. Winnipeg held firm in the third period to improve to 52-19-4, becoming the first team to hit the 50-win mark this season. Connor Hellebuyck recorded his league-leading seventh shutout of the campaign.
The Canada Life Centre faithful showered Hellebuyck with chants of “MVP! MVP! MVP!” throughout the night, and the Jets’ netminder expressed his gratitude after the game.
“That’s really cool,” Hellebuyck said. “They really believe in me, and I’m really grateful to have them around and spend my career here. It means a lot.”
Iafallo also stepped up in a big way, notching his 12th and 13th goals of the season while contributing his usual steady defensive presence, particularly on the penalty kill.
“Well, he’s been real good,” interim head coach Scott Arniel said of Iafallo’s impact on the top line. “There’s things that he has to do as that linemate. Getting to the net—look where he scored both his goals. I know one was on the power play, but he was right beside the crease. The other night on JMO’s goal, he was driving the middle lane and getting some traffic on the goalie. He knows what to do. He does it whether he’s on the fourth line or the first line. He’s a smart hockey player, but he’s also competitive, goes into the hard areas, and wins a lot of his puck battles.”
Mark Scheifele, meanwhile, snapped his nine-game goal drought, giving the Jets another boost ahead of their clash with Vancouver.
WPG Projected Lineup:
Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo
Ehlers – Lowry – Appleton
Niederreiter – Namestnikov – Perfetti
Gustafsson – Barron – Tanev
Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Schenn
Stanley – Miller
Hellebuyck
Comrie
VAN Projected Lineup:
DeBrusk — Suter — Boeser
O’Connor — Blueger — Garland
Joshua — Raty — Sherwood
Karlsson — Aman — Lekkerimaki
Hughes — Hronek
M. Pettersson — Myers
Forbort — E.N. pettersson
Demko
Lankinen
(Lineups are per Daily Faceoff and are subject to change)
Up Next:
Puck drop this afternoon is at 2:00 p.m. CT, and the game will be available to watch on TSN3.
