WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets won back-to-back games on home ice for the first time this season fighting off a pesky Buffalo Sabres team to hold on for a 3-2-win Friday night. The Jets were opportunistic especially in the second period when they scored three goals on just five shots on former Jet Eric Comrie. Cole Perfetti, Mason Appleton and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Winnipeg who saw their record improve to 9-5-2. Nino Niederreiter (2A) and Vladislav Namestnikov (2A) had multipoint nights for the Jets who will close out the five game homestand Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes.
HELLEBUYCK’S TURN TO SHINE
To the Jets credit, they haven’t had to lean on Connor Hellebuyck a whole lot this season. Tonight, Buffalo outshot the Jets 22-11 over the final two periods and 28-18 overall. Five-on-five, the Sabres had 17 high danger scoring chances with 14 of those coming over the final 40 minutes where the Jets really had a tough time defending. Hellebuyck’s best stop came in the third period when Jordan Greenway had a wide-open net, but the Jets goaltender stuck out his left leg and kept the tying goal out with his toe. On top of that save, he denied Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka on breakaways.
PERFETTI POINT STREAK AT 8
Cole Perfetti opened the scoring 2:12 into the second period after some great work by Neal Pionk, who fought a couple of Sabres behind the Jets goal and sent a perfect pass up to Vlad Namestnikov who dropped it to Perfetto at the Buffalo blueline, Perfetti snapped it past Comrie to extend his point streak to eight games (5G, 5A) and his goal streak to five.
