We've officially made it to Olympics week and the Jets are in need of a break. After four games on the road the Jets are heading back to Manitoba with 5 out of 8 points on the trip. Certainly the most entertaining game of the trip came last night at the American Airlines Center as the Jets fell 4-3 in overtime against the Dallas Stars. This was the Stars' third consecutive victory over Winnipeg, all by one goal. Despite the loss, there were a few highlights for the Jets.
Second Line Continues To Make A Difference
Gabe Vilardi and Cole Perfetti were sensational last night. The pair connected for two goals in the span of 92 seconds as the Jets took the lead early in the second period. They played with speed and were opportunistic when it counted. Combined with Adam Lowry for the second straight game, they registered 5 scoring chances and gave up 3. Wherever Vilardi has played this season he has picked up the play of his linemates. On the road trip alone he scored 2 goals and dished out 3 assists in 4 games. If the Jets keep Perfetti through the trade deadline, he and Vilardi can continue to bulid chemistry going into next season.
Alex Iafallo Shows His Versatility
In the middle of the second period the Jets were in trouble. Shortly after Luke Schenn was marched to the box for interference, Morgan Barron joined him for tripping Jason Robertson. With the way the two teams were trading chances, giving Dallas more than a minute of 5-on-3 play felt like it would result in a knockout blow. Enter Alex Iafallo. The penalty killer played the puck out of the defensive zone and dragged 2 Stars with him, alleviating the attack in a heroic solo effort. You thought he would be exhausted but he came back to defensive duties and gave up the body to block a big shot. Iafallo hasn't been filling up the net as of late with just 1 point in his last 8 contests, but head coach Scott Arniel has been using him in a variety of spots. He's played on the first, second, and fourth lines over the last week, adding some spark and defensive reliability when called upon.
It Was A Good Night For Out Of Town Scores
At this point in the season, we are just waiting on general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to start selling. Unfortunately for Jetsland that means rather than watching scores around the league with playoff positioning in mind, we're watching with an eye on draft position. The Nashville Predators got points and are starting to pull away from the bottom 6 who will be eagerly awaiting the draft lottery. Of those 6 teams, the Blackhawks got 2 points last night and jumped the Jets who sit 28th in the league. The likelihood of finishing in the bottom 2 positions seems to be dropping but if Winnipeg can stay close enough to get a decent chance in the lottery, the draft could be especially exciting this June for Jetsland.
Up next the Jets will take on the Montreal Canadiens at the Canada Life Centre Wednesday night before a 3 week break.