Scheifele has hat trick, Jets cool off Canucks to end skid

WINNIPEG -- Mark Scheifele had a hat trick, including two power-play goals in the second period, and the Winnipeg Jets won 4-2 against the Vancouver Canucks at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.

"[Scheifele's] overall 200-foot game is good," Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. "A night like tonight, he's looking at me like he wants to be out there. He's feeling it. And he looked at me a couple times and I said, 'OK, you go.' When the player is feeling it, let them go."
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored on a penalty shot, and Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves for the Jets (22-13-1), who had lost three straight. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey each had two assists.
"I thought we were good," Scheifele said. "Still some things to work on, but I thought we did a good job at not trying to chase the game. We just stuck to it and that kind of led to our success.
"That's how you score in this league; you've got to do the right things over and over and not try to chase the game. I think we had four lines that were playing well today, and we need that more and more every game."

Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist for the Canucks (16-16-3), who had won three straight and their previous seven road games. Collin Delia made 35 saves.
"I think [Winnipeg] had a little more jump," Vancouver forward Curtis Lazar said. "We didn't execute as clean, especially in our own end. Puck battles were a big thing, bearing down on each blueline. Also, our willingness to get in the dirty areas and in both the [defensive] zone and the [offensive] zone."
Elias Pettersson intercepted a Dylan Samberg pass and set up a one-timer for Kuzmenko to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead just 41 seconds into the first period.
"We were happy with the way we started, coming in ready to play, but just couldn't follow it up with anything good in the second and third," Vancouver captain Bo Horvat said. "We kind of sat back and got comfortable, and that's the result that happens. We took a couple of unfortunate penalties and they capitalized on those."
Scheifele tied it 1-1 at 13:52 of the second period on the power play, tipping a Morrissey point shot that bounced off the ice before going past Delia.
"We started skating again," Bowness said. "I think that early goal against kind of set us on our heels a little bit. And that team has been playing really well lately, so they were feeling it. Sometimes you've just got to play through it, and we were able to do that tonight. That team, they had won what seven in a row on the road. So, we had to play through it, and we did."
Dubois was awarded a penalty shot at 15:42 when he was hooked on a breakaway by Ethan Bear. Dubois scored with a wrist shot stick side to give the Jets a 2-1 lead.
"We started to focus a little too much on defense and not on offense at all," Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "The last five minutes [of the second period], they started to gain some momentum and they're a good shut-down team and they've got a good goalie."

Scheifele's wrist shot from the high slot on the power play extended it to 3-1 at 19:57.
"As the game got going, [Winnipeg] elevated and we didn't, and we weren't able to match it." Lazar said. "As you could see throughout the game, it just wasn't there. Again, it's a good hockey club; they work hard. It's the fundamentals. We have got to bear down and find ways to alter the pace and momentum of the game."
Conor Garland cut it to 3-2 at 13:11 of the third period, banking a shot off Hellebuyck from side of the net.
Scheifele scored into an empty net with 28 seconds left for the 4-2 final.
"I think we just didn't let it get to us too much," Scheifele said. "It was one play, there was a lot of game left, so we just kept on building and capitalizing when we had the chance."
The Jets honored forward Sam Gagner prior to the start of his 1,000th NHL game. He has 516 points (190 goals, 326 assists) in 16 NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Canucks and Jets.
NOTES: Morrissey left the game in the third period after taking a hit from Tyler Myers. Bowness said it is a lower-body issue and they are hopeful Morrissey will be available Saturday at the Edmonton Oilers. … It was Scheifele's second hat trick this season (Dec. 13 against the Vegas Golden Knights. ... Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn got his 3,000th hit in the NHL. … Travis Dermott had three hits and blocked a shot in 14:41 of ice time in his first game of the season; the defenseman sustained a concussion in practice Sept. 27. … Pettersson has nine points (three goals, six assists) during a four-game point streak. … Kuzmenko has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past four games.