Blue Jackets face problem in go to to 20-win Jets

The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to end their five-game road trip on a high note Sunday, but that will be a tough task with the Winnipeg Jets waiting for them.

The Jets became the first NHL team to reach 20 wins this season with a 4-2 victory at the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Winnipeg got goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Nino Niederreiter, Mark Scheifele and Mason Appleton, who also assisted on Niederreiter’s goal. Kyle Connor finished with two assists, giving him a team-best 32 points.

The Jets, who are tied with the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild for a league-best 40 points entering Sunday, have won two straight contests. They ended a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win at Buffalo. In the games against the Sabres and Blackhawks, the Jets overcame 2-1 first-period deficits in each.

Scheifele, whose third-period goal Saturday served as the game winner, told reporters afterward that the team has worked hard to be in the right position.

“We all can get a loose puck,” said Scheifele, whose 14 goals are tied with Connor for the team lead. “We all can make a pass, and all can shoot. So, when our spacing is correct, we’re a tough team to play against.”

This weekend is the first set of back-to-back games for the Jets this season. Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Vezina Trophy winner as top goaltender, got the start in goal Saturday and only needed to make 12 saves — six after the first period — to earn his league-leading 17th victory of the season.

After winning the first game of the road trip last Sunday, 6-3 at Chicago, Columbus has dropped the past three, all by three goals each.

In most recent last game, Friday at Vancouver, the Blue Jackets took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, only to see the Canucks tie it up in the second period and eventually pull away with a 5-2 victory.

The Canucks tied the game with a minute left in the second period, thanks to an error by Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. A loose puck entered Columbus’ defensive zone, and Merzlikins raced out to the faceoff circle to play it, but Vancouver’s Teddy Blueger was able to corral it and connected with Kiefer Sherwood, who cashed in on the vacated net.

Friday’s loss was a frustrating one for Columbus coach Dean Evason, who told reporters after the game that the first period was the best period the team has played all season. However, mistakes later in the game made it all for naught.

“You have a start like that, and you have the momentum going our way; you have to almost play a boring hockey game at that point and not allow anything to happen,” Evason said. “We didn’t and, obviously, (the Canucks) gained momentum.”

The Blue Jackets also gave up another power-play goal in Friday’s loss, extending their streak of yielding one to 12 straight games. In that stretch, Columbus has allowed opponents to score 17 times in 44 opportunities with a man advantage. Meanwhile, Columbus is just 4 of 30 on its power play over the same period.

That could become an issue as Winnipeg entered Sunday with the league’s third-best power play, converting on 29.3 percent of its chances this season.

–Field Level Media