The Winnipeg Jets will look to make it back-to-back wins as they travel to Newark, N.J., to face the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists as the visiting Jets topped the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Thursday to shake off a 0-2-1 stretch. The skid was preceded by a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.
Kyle Connor added a goal and a helper, Nikolaj Ehlers and Adam Lowry also found the back of the net and Gabriel Vilardi had three assists for Winnipeg, which owns a 20-11-0 road record.
“We did a great job of taking the middle of the ice away,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “We tracked back well. (Philadelphia) is a good transition team. They skate well. I thought we really limited them in that rush game, and then our power play was big in the first period and really got them on their heels. Any time you can do that on the road, that’s big.
“It was a real good solid team win.”
Connor, who paces the Jets with 46 assists and 78 points, has one goal and four assists over his past three games.
Scheifele also extended his point streak to three games (two goals, three assists) in the win over the Flyers. He has a team-leading 35 goals this season.
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg’s likely starter on Friday, leads the NHL in all of the major goalie statistical categories: 36 wins, a .926 save percentage, a 2.01 goals-against average and six shutouts. In 11 career games against the Devils, Hellebuyck is 8-2-1 with a 2.34 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
The Friday game will be the first of two meetings between the Devils and Jets in three weeks, as the teams will reconvene in Winnipeg on March 28.
The clubs split last season’s two-game season series, each winning on home ice. Winnipeg doubled up New Jersey 6-3 before the Devils picked up a 4-1 win.
The Devils will look to snap a two-game skid on Friday, and they could have a new-look blue line.
On Thursday, New Jersey acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward prospect Herman Traff and a 2025 second-round pick.
“He’s a veteran defenseman, reliable, consistent defender,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He’s got size and length but also skates and moves the puck well.
“Pretty comfortable thinking he’s going to help our depth and give us another left-hand shot, which I think is really important at this particular time.”
Dumoulin could fill the hole left by Dougie Hamilton, who was injured Tuesday in a 4-3 defeat against the Dallas Stars.
The Devils, third in the Metropolitan Division, are 4-6-0 in their past 10 games and are 15-10-4 on home ice this season.
Jack Hughes, the team leader in goals (27), had season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
Captain Nico Hischier has 26 goals and 49 points in 57 games, while Jesper Bratt paces New Jersey with 53 assists and shares the team lead for points (70) with Hughes.
Jacob Markstrom returned to the Devils’ net for the past two games after an 11-game absence caused by an MCL injury. In 38 starts this season, Markstrom is 21-11-5 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA.
The 35-year-old is 9-15-2 with an .896 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA in 26 career appearances against the Jets.
New Jersey’s other goaltending option, Jake Allen, has lost four of his past five starts.
–Field Level Media
