Next day takeaways: 3 thoughts as the Winnipeg Jets defeat the ...

Following Scott Arniel’s comments after Monday’s 5-2 loss to Utah and the news that Adam Lowry was week-to-week with an injury, the Jets went to Colorado and walked away with a 3-2 win in overtime over the Avalanche.

It was a strong bounce-back performance for Winnipeg, with plenty to take away from it.

Neal Pionk scores a Déjà vu game-winner 

Neal Pionk stepped into a slapshot, in overtime, from the right circle, on the road, taking on the Colorado Avalanche, and beat the goaltender over the blocker side to give the Jets the win, and it wasn’t the first time he had done it. 

October 19, 2022, the first time Pionk completed this exact scenario, was running through a handful of Winnipeg Jets fans’ brains as Pionk had space to work with and wound up for the slapshot in overtime. 

“The puck must go a little faster in the altitude,” Pionk said after the game. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

It was Pionk’s seventh goal of the season, as he closes in on his previous career-high of 10. It was also his 31st point of the season in game 49, which is very solid, given he had 33 in all 82 games of the 2023-24 season. 

Josh Morrissey said he and the other Jets’ players were thinking the exact same thing: “A few of us were talking after, when he picked the puck up and had the room, we kind of had flashbacks. But I think he outdid that last shot with this one. It was a perfect shot, I had a good angle at it. It was a huge win.”

The clutch shot from Pionk gave the Jets the win over the Avs in their final regular season meeting of the season, and the Jets closed the season 3-1-0 against their division rivals. 

The Jets’ penalty kill could potentially be turning a corner

In January, the Winnipeg Jets’ penalty kill is clicking along at an 81.8% rate, which is good for eighth-best in the league over that time. 

The PK only had to kill two penalties off on this night, but it came up huge late in the third period when Nikolaj Ehlers was called for a questionable tripping penalty on Nathan MacKinnon with 4:13 remaining in a tie game. Alex Iafallo and Dylan Samberg stood out on that play specifically, breaking up a handful of opportunities, and Connor Hellebuyck, as he always does, stood tall. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

The 10-game sample size of solid play from the Jets’ PK is likely too small to glean anything, except for the fact that they may be turning a corner as we get into the back half of the season. 

“There were a couple where they did get into the middle with it or tried to make plays. I think Al was one, Sammy was another, they were trying to go (to the middle), they even tried the high tip but we did a good job of packing it in.”

Jets bounce-back after Arniel’s comments

Scott Arniel called the Jets’ performance “embarrassing” on Monday evening after the 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club. Morrissey spoke to that challenge after the game, and how his team responded. 

“Yeah I think it’s good. Coach challenges us, we’ve asked for that, we want to be pushed like an elite team and we have been an elite team this year,” Morrissey said. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

While plenty of credit goes to Connor Hellebuyck on this night, Arniel’s comments on Monday could have snowballed into a 5-1 loss on this night, left with even more questions. After those comments, it was even more critical for the Jets to go on the road and win this game over another playoff team in the Central Division and Western Conference. Doing it all without their Captain Adam Lowry, who is week-to-week with an injury, makes it all the more impressive. 

“We’ve responded well when we haven’t had our best games this year so far, and it’s a tough building to play in here with the altitude and the players they can put out there on the last change and all that kind of stuff. I thought we battled hard, and it wasn’t perfect, but that’s the game of hockey and we found a way to get two points.” 

Up next

The Winnipeg Jets will get another chance to take down the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night inside Canada Life Centre, before getting another chance against another team they recently lost to, the Calgary Flames on Sunday at 5:00 PM, also inside CLC. 

Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for the latest news regarding the Jets and Moose over the coming days.