Special teams powers Jets to win over Lightning

WINNIPEG -For two teams that only play against each other twice a season, the Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning always seem to turn up the intensity when they face off.
Friday night was no different.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice, and Kyle Connor notched the eventual game-winner on the power play in the third period to give the Jets (25-13-1) their fourth straight win and a 4-2 victory over the Lightning.
"We knew going into it they have the experience and talent. We knew it could be a one-goal game, a 1-0 game," said Dubois, who played his 400th NHL game. "It's a good measuring stick for us."
The game saw roughing penalties, two of the game's elite forwards drop the gloves, and two 5-on-3 power plays. In a game with that much emotion, special teams plays a big role, and the Jets won that battle. They converted twice on the power play and killed off all four shorthanded situations - including one in the final 1:52 of regulation - with Morgan Barron scoring an empty-netter shorthanded to round out the scoring.
"The special teams were obviously outstanding," said head coach Rick Bowness. "(Associate coach) Scotty Arniel has done a fantastic job with the penalty kill. They won the game for us tonight because that's a great power play."

The Jets got four regulars back in the line-up on Friday. That list included Nikolaj Ehlers (who hasn't played since the second game of the season), Blake Wheeler, Cole Perfetti, and Nate Schmidt.
Bowness kept their ice time a little lower than what they're used to as a way to work them back in slowly.
"As the game wore on, all four of them got better," Bowness said. "You can't miss that many games and expect them to step right in and pick up where they left off. That's not going to happen. They'll need a couple of games."

The visitors opened the scoring with Anthony Cirelli potting a rebound off a Steven Stamkos shot 11:48 into the first period. Shortly before the goal, Cirelli's second of the season, Hellebuyck stuck out his right leg to rob Stamkos in tight. But off the ensuing face-off, Stamkos held off a check from Brenden Dillon and got another puck to the net, but the rebound kicked right out to Cirelli on Hellebuyck's right.
Winnipeg responded in the final minute of the period during 4-on-4. Connor took possession of the puck along the left wing boards, and had both Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov back off him, giving the speedy forward some space to use. He exploited it, moving toward the left face-off dot and snapping one on net that was deflected past Andrei Vasilevskiy by Dubois. By picking up assists on Dubois' 18th of the season, Connor and Josh Morrissey extended their home point streaks to 12 games.
Morrissey finished the night with three assists, just one day after being named to his first NHL All-Star Game.
"He's having a pretty spectacular year. I don't think anybody is surprised," said Connor, who represented the Jets as last year's all-star festivities. "I couldn't be happier for him or more proud of him and how he has flourished this year. Even off the ice, he is a big leader for us. I think it is awesome that he is representing us."
Tampa took the lead back just over 90 seconds into the middle frame, as Nikita Kucherov's wrist shot from the top of the circle squeaked its way through Hellebuyck.

Once again the Jets bounced back, once again it was Dubois, and once again it was a deflection. The forward was stopped in tight by Vasilevskiy on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, but the puck came back to the point, with Mark Scheifele feeding Morrissey up top. Morrissey's blast got through a scrambling Tampa penalty kill, and Dubois tipped it in.
"It's one of those where you see it happening, you see it coming, and you lose it for a second but you put your stick there and hope it hits," Dubois said, adding that particular deflection was a little different than his first one. "I was scared it was gonna hit me in the face and it just hit my shaft. That was a little bit different."
The Jets took their first lead in the third, on their second 5-on-3 advantage of the contest. When one of the Lightning penalty killers, Mikhail Sergachev, lost his stick, it became even more of an advantage, and Connor's one-timer from the right circle got through the legs of Vasilevskiy. Connor's 17th of the season made it 3-2 Jets with 14:22 left in regulation.
"In that scenario, we want to hit the seam," said Connor. "We want to make the goalie go side-to-side. Whether that's what Scheif did to me or we find someone down low. But you try to make them move a little more, and obviously the guy with no stick, you want to attack him. We did that pretty well."
Scheifele finished with two assists on the night, and a fighting major, which came immediately after the Jets alternate captain threw a clean check on Tampa Bay defenceman Haydn Fleury.
Cirelli jumped in immediately.
"He just kind of knocked the wind out of him and Cirelli it looked like he saw his teammate down and started cross-checking Scheif, and he's not going to take that," said Connor. "Scheif is a leader on our team, obviously one of our best players, but he's not going to take that.'

Connor was in the penalty box for the final 1:52 of regulation after a tripping penalty, so with the Jets clinging to a lead, he was able to watch Barron seal the win and a spectacular night for the penalty kill.
"That was a hell of a play," Connor said. "Two Tampa players looked the other way and next thing you know, (Barron) has the puck. Good on him to take it to the net and pretty good finish there."
It was the perfect end to the night for the Jets. As Dubois said, it was a bit of a measuring stick night for the Jets, and they certainly measured up.
Now, they move forward.
"With the injuries and everything else we went through in December, here we are in this fight," said Bowness. "They're taking great pride in it. You can tell with the intensity that they played the game with tonight. You talk about a buy-in, our guys are all-in, man."