Dano, Jets defeat Canucks

VANCOUVER -- Marko Dano is finally feeling comfortable with the Winnipeg Jets and making the most out of an opportunity to be a top-six forward.
Dano had two goals and an assist in the Jets' 5-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Monday.
"I'm getting more comfortable with every game, every shift," said Dano, who came to the Jets as part of the Feb. 25 trade that sent Andrew Ladd to the Chicago Blackhawks. "Trying to get the chemistry going, that's key for a new guy in the room."

Dano was held without a point in his first five games with the Jets, but he was moved up to the second line with Mathieu Perreault and Alexander Burmistrov after Joel Armia was injured. In four games since the switch, Dano has three goals and five points.
Dano's line combined for seven points against the Canucks; Burmistrov had a goal and an assist, and Perreault had two assists.
"When I came here, I was trying to impress and I was probably trying too much," Dano said. "When you're trying too much, the goals (won't) come. When you stop thinking about it and play a simple game, the goals come and you don't even know how."
Dano scored his first goal 4:28 into the first period by driving the net to deflect a pass from defenseman Tyler Myers, who also scored for the Jets. Dano scored his second goal when a Burmistrov shot hit him and deflected in.

"When a player's getting more ice time, it feels better," Dano said. "I appreciate the time on the ice and I'm just trying to be good on the ice and give the coach a chance to play me more. Hopefully, he likes me there."
Mark Scheifele has an eight-game point streak after he scored in the third period for the Jets (29-35-5), who won their second straight game despite playing without No. 1 defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (flu) for the first time this season.
With eight goals and 12 points during his streak, Scheifele is making the most of a chance to center the top line with Bryan Little injured.
"I like that challenge," Scheifele said. "I want to play again the best. It makes you a better player and shows you what you've got. I'm happy to be playing with those guys (left wing Drew Stafford and right wing Blake Wheeler). Each night, I want to come out and be on the better side of it."
Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson made 26 saves.

Canucks rookie forwards Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen each had a goal. McCann scored 8:57 into the third period, ending a 25-game goal drought, and Virtanen beat Hutchinson with 52 seconds remaining.
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for the Canucks (27-29-12), who failed in their bid to win a third straight game for the first time this season.
"We just didn't play an honest game," Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. "I just think we were cheating a little bit. … We hoped, we wanted it to come, so we were leaving the zone early and the pucks weren't coming out. We just didn't have our best game, and for us to win, we have to play well. That's just how we are built right now."
Vancouver got off to a good start, outshooting Winnipeg 7-1 before Dano opened the scoring. The Canucks were still at seven shots when Myers scored on the Jets' ninth shot with 3:15 left in the first, a pass attempt that deflected off the leg of Vancouver forward Derek Dorsett and in between the legs of Markstrom to make it 2-0.
"I don't know if we thought it would be an easy game after (the strong start), but they came hard after that and we didn't have an answer," Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said.
Winnipeg made it 3-0 late in the second period after defenseman Dan Hamhuis bobbled the puck backpedaling into his zone, creating a 3-on-2 that Burmistrov finished with a high shot over a screened Markstrom from the top of the left faceoff circle.
Scheifele finished a 2-on-0 pass from Wheeler after Hamhuis fell in his own end early in the third to make it 4-0, and Dano scored his second at 6:45 to give Winnipeg a 5-0 lead.

Hutchinson made his best save early in the second period, pushing right to left across the crease to rob Sven Baertschi with his blocker on an open backdoor chance. Hutchinson's bid for his first shutout of the season ended when McCann's wrist shot was deflected up and over him off the stick of Winnipeg forward Chris Thorburn, but he was happy to end his three-game losing streak.
"In both the first and second period, their team came out with a lot of jump, got some chances early, but after that, we took it to them," Hutchinson said. "I was bored for three quarters of (each) period, it seemed."
It was a costly loss for the Canucks, who welcomed top-pair defenseman Chris Tanev back from an upper-body injury but lost forward Markus Granlund in the first period and defenseman Luca Sbisa in the second, each to an upper-body injury.
Sbisa, who was injured on a hit by Jets forward Adam Lowry, had his left arm in a sling after the game.
"I don't expect them back right away," Desjardins said. "I don't know if it's a week or two; you never know until the morning when it settles down."