Injuries and lineup shuffling contributed to a recent dry spell for the Winnipeg Jets’ power play.
It’s a far different story lately, though, as Winnipeg enters Friday’s visit to the Chicago Blackhawks with six goals on the man advantage over the past three games.
“It’s nice to see. You can see the confidence growing,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “The puck’s moving a bit, and great plays, and the puck’s going in the net.
“We’ve waited a long time, but again, give the guys credit and now it just needs time to build a little chemistry.”
Gabriel Vilardi scored a pair of power-play goals to key Tuesday’s 6-3 road victory against the Minnesota Wild as he continues a torrid stretch. Vilardi has four goals and four assists during a three-game point streak.
He added an assist to join Kyle Connor, also a counterpart on the top power-play unit, in a three-point game. Connor collected a goal and two assists at Minnesota.
Recent acquisition Sean Monahan is surging, too. After being held without a point in his first four games with Winnipeg following a Feb. 2 trade from Montreal, Monahan has scored in three straight games.
“(Monahan is a) really smart player,” Vilardi said. “He’s going to keep getting better as he keeps getting more comfortable. But yeah, we are all seeing how good he can be.”
The Jets have won four of five on the heels of a five-game losing streak bridging January and February.
While Winnipeg has encountered some unevenness over the past month, the Jets have won five straight against counterparts from the Central Division, where they occupy third place in what is shaping up to be a tight race with Dallas and Colorado.
Winnipeg’s most recent divisional loss doubles as Chicago’s last intradivision victory, a 2-1 overtime win for the host Blackhawks on Dec. 27.
Connor Bedard tallied his first career goal in OT as Chicago goaltender Petr Mrazek outdueled Connor Hellebuyck.
A victory Friday would allow the Jets to clinch the season series from the Blackhawks. Winnipeg has won two of the first three meetings.
Bedard, whose 39 points lead NHL rookies, set a career high with 24:49 of ice time during Wednesday’s 3-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
He was held without a point, however, for the first time in four games since returning from a six-week absence due to a fractured jaw.
Nick Foligno’s point streak ended at six games with Chicago struggling to keep pace offensively in the opener of a five-game homestand. The Blackhawks have lost 10 of 11 games and enter Friday with an NHL-low 33 points.
“It’s been a little while now, we haven’t been able to get a couple games in a row streaking some wins together,” said Colin Blackwell, who scored a first-period goal for the Blackhawks.
“I hope the other guys feel the same way, too, but it’s frustrating. It’s just doing the little things in order to get the ship moving in the right direction.”
–Field Level Media
