Perreault providing depth, versatility for Jets

WINNIPEG --There's a growing list of reasons for the Winnipeg Jets improvement this season.
Goaltending, power play, quickness, center Mark Scheifele and forward Blake Wheeler each have been prominent. The Jets also have a fourth-line center, Mathieu Perreault, who's averaging nearly a point per game this season.

The 29-year-old from Drummondville, Quebec, had two goals and an assist to help the Jets defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 at Bell MTS Place on Monday. Perreault has 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 19 games, including 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 14 games since he returned from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 12 games between Oct. 17 and Nov. 14.
"I'm just starting to feel great and we're winning, too, and winning cures everything, makes everybody feel better about themselves," Perreault said. "Every game is so much more fun, so maybe that has something to do with it."
The Jets (18-8-5) have Perreault playing on a line with Joel Armia, also a skilled player, and veteran Matt Hendricks, more in the category of a grinder.
Armia has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 28 games this season; Hendricks has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 24 games.
"I love his enthusiasm for the game," Hendricks said of Perreault. "He's a great worker. He's smart. He knows I'll keep it simple. I like playing with him because we kind of have the same type of game, but he has a high skill level. I'm going to get more offensive opportunities playing with him as well."

Perreault's enthusiasm is contagious, Jets coach Paul Maurice said.
The matter of Perreault's reduction in ice time, from more than 16 minutes per game in each of his first three seasons with Winnipeg to 12:32 this season, is offset by his production on the Jets' second power-play unit. He has seven power-play points (two goals, five assists) this season.
"You can play down a role or down minutes if you're on a hot power-play unit," Maurice said. "You can stay comfortable and confident [because] you're putting up points and feel like you're earning your pay."
Perreault, in his ninth NHL season, has 258 points (100 goals, 158 assists) in 445 games, but has never scored at the pace he's on this season. He's not big (5-foot-10, 188 pounds) but Maurice believes Perreault's skill, quickness and energy are perfect for 5-on-5 play.
"He's going to get out more times than not against players that aren't used to playing against a guy like Matty," Maurice said. "He's a really skilled guy. [It's] a handful as a fourth line. They don't have to be the fourth line. They can outscore the other lines but if you come off the bench fourth, most times that's the matchup we get at home, that's pretty effective for us."
It shows in the record. The Jets, with 41 points, began Tuesday three behind the first-place St. Louis Blues in the Central Division. Winnipeg is 10-0-1 in its past 11 games at Bell MTS Centre.
The fourth-line label often implies limits -- checking or penalty killing -- but that doesn't seem to apply to Perreault.
"We don't see ourselves as a fourth line," he said. "We get the great matchup if they're going to match us up against other fourth lines and third D pairings. That's go time for me. As long as I get out there, get the minutes, I would never be [upset] about whoever I'm playing with. I like this team and I'm willing to play with anybody."
The Jets have enjoyed some measure of lineup stability this season, with 54 man-games lost to injury through games Monday.

But when changes are required, a sharp and hungry Perreault can be a seamless fit on Winnipeg's top lines.
Against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 3, when rookie forward Kyle Connor was out with a lower-body injury, Perreault moved into his top-line spot with Scheifele and Wheeler and had a three-point game (one goal, two assists).
"He's a consistent player," Scheifele said. "You know what he's doing on the forecheck. You know what he's doing in the neutral zone. When I play with him, I get an easy feel. When [Perreault] is on my line, I know what he's doing.
"You see what he does. He battles for pucks. He's vocal, he's funny and a great guy to have in the room and on the ice, he has a lot of spunk in his game. He wants to win every battle. He wants to go to the net. He wants to get a tip goal. I think that's what you can respect him for, because he's a smaller guy who's willing to grind like that. That's what makes him so good."
Perreault said he is thrilled about his contribution, but it's one of many that has driven the Jets to their strong start.
"It starts with goaltending," he said. "[Connor] Hellebuyck's been amazing for us. And our D corps. Having [Tyler] Myers healthy, he didn't play at all last year, and he's playing big minutes for us. He's been a key player. And [Josh] Morrissey, he's growing into a great defenseman for us. And Jacob Trouba, the same. I think our D corps is as good as anybody else's.
"And our top two lines, well, you see what Scheifele and Wheeler are doing. We have the players. I think last year, we were just missing a little bit on all those guys I named, and they're giving us a little bit more, and it's all the difference."