WPG@OTT: Scheifele records third career hat trick

OTTAWA -- Mark Scheifele had three goals and an assist for the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

"He's earned it," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "He's certainly played well for us."
Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist, and Laurent Brossoit made 29 saves for the Jets (32-25-5), who won for the seventh time in their past 10 games (7-2-1) and lead the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes by one point for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Patrik Laine and Neal Pionk each had two assists.
WATCH: [All Jets vs. Senators highlights]
"We played great," Connor said. "I think our power play really got us going. We didn't come out too hot, and then [we scored] a couple there on the power play, and in the second period really took over the game."
Nicholas Paul scored, and Marcus Hogberg made 29 saves for the Senators (21-29-11).
"Once they got on the power play, they just kept scoring," Paul said of the Jets, who were 3-for-6 on the man-advantage. "We needed a better bounce-back. I think we started to try and make too many plays and turned pucks over."

WPG@OTT: Connor taps home the loose puck

Paul's wrist shot from the right hash marks gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 11:50 of the first period.
Scheifele got to a loose puck in front of the net and scored a power-play goal to tie it 1-1 at 16:35.
Scheifele tipped a Pionk point shot on the power play for his second goal to make it 2-1 at 17:46.
"We knew what they were going to do and we capitalized when we had the chance," Scheifele said of scouting the Senators penalty kill.
Connor scored at the side of the net to extend the lead to 3-1 at 4:52 of the second period. It was Connor's 30th goal of the season; he has scored at least that many for three straight seasons.
"We don't feel Kyle to be very lucky this year. There's more there," Maurice said. "This guy's going to score an awful lot of goals."
Nikolaj Ehlers made it 4-1 off a rebound at 5:54.
Scheifele completed the hat trick when his wrist shot went in off Ottawa defenseman Andreas Englund with 1:33 left in the third period for the 5-1 final. It was Scheifele's third NHL hat trick.
"We just didn't play smart enough tonight," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "That's really what it is. We turned a lot of pucks over. I didn't think we got to their net nearly enough. We've got to be a little harder offensively."
Defenseman Dylan DeMelo, who was traded to the Jets by the Senators on Tuesday, blocked three shots and played 18:36 in his Winnipeg debut.
"Coaches love those kinds of games," Maurice said of DeMelo's performance. "It's not flashy, but his consistency with his reads, and then his passes … that was a real complete, kind of quiet game that coaches love."
Senators forward Vladislav Namestnikov was scratched for precautionary reasons. The NHL Trade Deadline is Monday.
"Certainly, some of the guys were a little thrown off," Smith said of Namestnikov being held out of the game. "It threw our lines off, but it's part of hockey. It is what it is. Everyone knows this time of year, when you're in our situation, this happens. And you've got to be pros and you've got to get back to work."

Enterprise Hat Trick: Scheifele nets three goals

They said it

"Definitely a little weird to start. Weird being on that side of the bench and looking over, going against red. But I was obviously impressed with our team. We've got a really good group of guys in here, and I thought we did a good job tonight of, once we got settled in, playing our game. The power play came in huge with a couple of goals, and then we really found our game. You can tell the guys can make some plays out there." -- Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo on facing his former team in his first game with Winnipeg
"He's been good for us all year. He does what I ask of him; [plays] right wing, left wing, center, penalty kill. He does a little bit of everything, he can play on any line. So we're going to need him down the stretch here because he's a guy that shows up to play every night."-- Senators coach D.J. Smith on forward Nick Paul

Need to know

The Jets went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. … Forward Jayce Hawryluk had three hits in 12:50 in Senators debut. He was claimed off waivers Monday after playing 15 games for the Florida Panthers this season.

What's next

Jets: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; SN, NBCSP, NHL.TV)
Senators:Host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, CITY, SNE, TVAS, NHL.TV)

Scheifele's hat trick propels Jets to 5-1 victory