Maurice gets 700th coaching win, Jets defeat Oilers in shootout

WINNIPEG -- Paul Maurice got his 700th NHL win when Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves in the Winnipeg Jets' 1-0 shootout victory against the Edmonton Oilers at Bell MTS Place on Sunday.

Maurice, 52, is the seventh NHL coach to win 700 games.
"When you're starting young, you're thinking, 'Wow, if I could coach 500 games in this league, that would be a milestone,'" Maurice said. "You don't even consider coaching 1,000 games. It's really since I've been in Winnipeg (2014) and come to Winnipeg that the numbers have really started to pile up.
"The last few years, I started to coach the best teams I've ever coached here, so you win more hockey games. It's nice. I'm still a young man. Would like to do it for a while."
WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Jets highlights]
Maurice, who holds an NHL career record of 700-624-116 and 99 ties, is third in wins behind Joel Quenneville of the Florida Panthers (892) and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders (813) among active NHL coaches.
"People who've been in the League for a while kind of have a better appreciation for what that number is," Maurice said. "The young guys, truly, it just means I'm old. The guys who are coming up on 1,000 games or Blake (Wheeler) hitting 700 points, you got to spend a certain amount of time to get those numbers. I think they appreciate the longevity a little bit."
It was Hellebuyck's first shutout of the season and the 15th of his NHL career, all with Winnipeg (5-5-0), which lost the first three games of a five-game homestand, all in regulation.

"For us to start off this homestand with three straight losses, it was tough for us," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "The way [Edmonton] has been scoring a lot of goals to start the year, to hold them to nothing is one of those moral victories. It's not like we're playing them next game again, so we've got to turn the page. But we can take some things from that win."
Mike Smith was also credited with a shutout; he made 23 saves for Edmonton (7-1-1). It was his first shutout of the season.
"Both teams were fighting for air out there," Smith said. "It was a tight game. It was a hard game. Not a lot of room, but I thought we stuck with it. You get to overtime, anything can happen, and obviously a shootout also. I think we're happy with the point, but obviously you want more."

Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine scored in the first two rounds of the shootout for the Jets; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid each failed to convert for the Oilers.
"Usually it only takes one or two attempts and it's in the back of the net," Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "But there will be nights like this."

Carl Dahlstrom had a goal disallowed at 8:27 of the third period after Edmonton won a coach's challenge for offside.
"Obviously a hat-tip to the video guy for finding that," Smith said. "You know those plays happen. You've just got to stay focused."
In overtime, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were unable to convert on two 2-on-1 opportunities, and Hellebuyck made a save against McDavid on a breakaway.
Draisaitl's season-opening eight game point streak (six goals, 10 assists) ended.

They said it

"That's an old-fashioned Western Conference muck fest. You get the point and get out of here." -- Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse
"Wow, what an accomplishment. Obviously, he's been in the game a long time and he's turned into an old man on us. I think the biggest quality with Paul is his ability to adapt to different seasons and different teams. I think throughout his tenure as a coach, that's why he's had such great longevity. Players never tune him out, never get sick of his message, because he's able to keep it fresh and refreshing. I think when you see teams really fall off and start really struggling big time, it's because their players stop buying into the coach's message, and not even close to what's happened here. That's a real strong quality, especially in today's game." -- Jets captain Blake Wheeler on coach Paul Maurice

Need to know

Oilers defenseman Kris Russell played his 800th NHL game. … Edmonton, which entered with the top power play in the League (41.1 percent), went 0-for-4. … Jets center Bryan Little made his season debut after missing nine games because of a concussion. He had two shots on goal and blocked two shots in 16:17.

What's next

Oilers: At the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-W, SNOL, NHL.TV)
Jets: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-W, NHL.TV)