Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/jets-win-5-3-over-blues-411423205.html

Jets hit all the right notes in 5-3 win over Blues Rejuvenated power play, timely saves help club capture second win in a row By: Jason Bell The Ondrej Pavelec reclamation project isn’t the only part of the Winnipeg Jets’ game generating momentum for the NHL club these days. Gone but not apparently not forgotten to begin the season, Pavelec was handed a second consecutive starting assignment since his promotion from the America Hockey League last week and impressed again Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Blues. Toss in some slick puck movement by the offensive leaders — sparking a three-goal output on the power play — and a sound performance from the penalty killers, and a team that was spinning its wheels a week ago is showing new signs of life. Veteran centre Bryan Little scored a pair of goals with his club enjoying a man advantage and the Jets built a four-goal lead midway through the third period en route to a 5-3 victory over the Blues at the MTS Centre. He said the Jets are most effective when feet are moving and the puck is getting thrown around with accuracy. "You’re seeing it with some of the goals we’re scoring. Three or four guys touching the puck before it goes in the back of the net," said Little, who has 10 goals and 11 assists in 26 games since he returned to the lineup Nov. 29 after missing 23 games with a lower-body injury. "I say it all the time, that has a lot to do with confidence. It’s not like we’re trying to do too much, we’re making plays when they’re there. And we have the confidence to do it. You’ve seen the last couple of games with nice goals and nice passing plays. We’re making big plays when we need to." The Jets (22-23-4) haven’t stacked up three consecutive wins this season but get a ninth opportunity Monday when the Anaheim Ducks visit the MTS Centre. Game time is 7 p.m. When the Jets halted a four-game winless skid Wednesday, they did it at the expense of the sad-sack Arizona Coyotes. The Blues (23-19-5) — a dishevelled group after losing their third in a row and five of their last seven — still aren’t the Coyotes. St. Louis has plenty of firepower, with the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Paul Stastny and David Perron, and a blue-line corps of studs such as Kevin Shattenkirk — who had a pair of goals against the Jets — and Alex Pietrangelo. But the Jets’ best players were simply better.

Mark Scheifele batted in his 21st goal, Nikolaj Ehlers scored his 16th on a wicked slapshot and captain Blake Wheeler finished off a sweet three-way passing play for his 15th. "Trying to keep it simple, use our speed, that’s what gives us success, so just trying to stick with it," said Wheeler. "I think our focus is getting our legs moving right off entry or winning a puck battle down low. I think it’s given us a little more separation to make a little bit more happen. Jets head coach Paul Maurice raved about the work of his experienced, second-line combination of Little, Wheeler and Perreault. "Little’s line (Saturday) was absolutely spectacular. A week ago they were all sick," he acknowledged, before singling out the slick centre. "The dividing line on our power play is Bryan Little. From the time he’s come back, we’ve got to be running over 20 per cent. Even on the nights we haven’t scored, we’re getting the time we need (in the offensive zone)." Saving the day Pavelec was outstanding with a 34-save effort, even replacing himself in the franchise record book by turning aside 25 shots in the second period. The old record of 24 stops in a period was set on Halloween 2009, when the team was based in Atlanta. The Blues came in waves in the middle frame, buoyed by a trio of power-play opportunities, but Pavelec and the Jets didn’t falter. The Czech-born netminder robbed Schwartz near the nine-minute mark with a sliding save to preserve a 2-1 lead. Those timely saves were missing from Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson in several games, leading to the arrival of Pavelec, who was out of the picture until his call-up Tuesday from the Manitoba Moose. "I was focused the whole game before every shot. I felt comfortable in the net, that’s for sure," he said. "The guys battled so hard in front of the net. That’s not an easy team to play against. Big bodies, they forecheck well, they hit." Wheeler, the beneficiary of some great passing by Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien, broke a 1-1 tie 1:27 into the second. Perreault had the puck and, while falling, managed to slip it over to Byfuglien, who found Wheeler alone on the doorstep. Little and Shattenkirk traded power-play goals in the first. Perreault and Byfuglien each had a pair of assists. Perreault could have had at least one goal but was denied on a brilliant glove save by Blues goalie Pheonix Copley, making his first big-league start. "It was just a glorious chance and it seems like right now I’m struggling to find the back of the net," said Perreault, who has just four goals in 35 contests. "This kind of stuff happens, but I’m just going to stick with it because the chances are there and they’re eventually going to go in." On the horizon

The Jets play their next eight games against clubs from the Western Conference, including six against rivals from the Central Division. Winnipeg plays host to the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks (Tuesday) then heads to Chicago to face the Blackhawks Thursday night. The league then takes a break for the all-star game weekend in Los Angeles. The Jets close out the month in St. Louis Jan. 31. Stafford leaves with injury Drew Stafford’s frustrating 2016-17 season continues. The veteran right-winger, who drew a starting assignment on the Winnipeg Jets’ top line with centre Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers Saturday afternoon, was injured in the second period and missed all of the third. Head coach Paul Maurice said he’ll provide an update on the veteran forward after the club’s morning skate today at the MTS Centre. Stafford, who has just four goals in 34 games, missed a month (15 games) with an upper-body injury, returning to the lineup in late November. Meanwhile, Maurice said all-star rookie winger Patrik Laine, out two weeks with a concussion, skated in the morning with the Jets’ healthy scratches prior to the battle with the St. Louis Blues and will practise again today. “He had all restrictions removed from what he can do,” said Maurice. The Finnish sniper will be assessed after the skate to determine whether he can rejoin the squad this week. Laine was hurt Jan. 7 in Buffalo after getting crushed by Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe in an open-ice collision. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/jets-blues-tenders-familiar-foes-from-time-in-ahl-411432065.html

Ondrej, Pheonix rise from AHL ashes A week ago, goalies faced one another in minors By: Mike McIntyre Just one week ago, Ondrej Pavelec and Pheonix Copley stood tall at the MTS Centre as their respective American Hockey League teams met in a two-game series. On Saturday afternoon, the two goalies were again between the pipes — but under a much more intense spotlight.

Pavelec and Copley have been summoned from the farm as their struggling National Hockey League teams look for some emergency help in keeping pucks out of the net. Life moves fast, especially with such a fine line between winning and losing. Pavelec came out on top Saturday, leading the Jets to their second consecutive victory since being called up from the Manitoba Moose. Following the game, the 29-year-old goalie wasn’t taking anything for granted given the recent turn of events with his career. "I take it day by day. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, to be honest. I don’t ask, I don’t want to know. I’m just going to show up, and whatever they tell me do I’m going to do it," Pavelec said Copley was the hard-luck loser in his first career NHL start. Despite being beaten five times, the 25-year-old from North Pole, Alaska, made several highlight-reel saves. "I think a couple of those were stoppable on my end, and it’s a different game. But it was good to get in there and get in a game, and we’ll go from there," Copley said. "I felt good going in, and I felt confident the whole way through." The Blues have been a mess in net recently, having surrendered 13 goals in two losses earlier this week before arriving in Winnipeg. They’ve given starter Jake Allen some time away from the team for an apparent mental break in an attempt to find his game, which is why Copley got the call from the AHL. Copley’s debut came in a familiar building. Last week, he stopped 35 shots as his Chicago Wolves beat the Manitoba Moose 4-2. Two days later, Pavelec shone in net for the Moose in stopping 43 shots in a 4-1 win over Copley’s Wolves. Both goalies were called up to the NHL days later. "It is kind of ironic, a familiar building. Different locker room over here than the one we used over there, but that’s about it," Copley said Saturday. Given the similar circumstances of how they got to the NHL this past week, there was a clear sense of mutual respect between the goalies. "Pavelec played a heck of a game down there," said Copley. "I don’t think that goalie had a chance to stop those pucks. It was a tough game for that other goalie, he made some huge saves over there," said Pavelec. Although he seems likely to have earned himself another start with the Jets, Pavelec said he’s living in the moment.

"That’s the way it is. In the next week I could be in the minors again. I go day by day. Every time I get the chance to play I’m going to try my best. We’ll see what happens," he said. Jets head coach Paul Maurice left open the possibility Saturday of keeping three goalies on the NHL roster for the foreseeable future. Pavelec admitted it creates a "tough situation" especially when it comes to quality practice time, but said it’s manageable. "We’re all pros. It’s like training camp, there are usually more than three goalies in training camp. We know each other, we’re all pros. We can handle it, we know how to handle it. A few teams do that around the NHL, and that’s the way we’re going to do it, I guess," he said. Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/01/21/pavelec-steps-up-as-jets-bust-blues

Pavelec steps up as Jets bust Blues BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN Ondrej Pavelec has been given a new lease on NHL life and he looks like a guy who is simply trying to ride the wave as long as he possibly can. In just his second start of the NHL season for the Winnipeg Jets, the previously exiled goalie once again played a prominent role by making 34 saves – including a franchise-record 25 during the second period – in a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues. After the teams traded power-play goals in the first period, Pavelec was at his best when his team needed him most. After providing a save-of-the-year candidate against Arizona Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata on Wednesday, Pavelec came up with a monstrous left-pad save on Blues winger Jaden Schwartz just before the nine-minute mark during a Blues power play that preserved a one-goal lead going into the third period - despite the face the Jets were outshot 25-11. This wasn't about highlight-reel stops, but rather the timely saves that can allow a team to survive when things get tough. “You don't win without them,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who had a goal and an assist in the contest. “You can't find a team in this league that is a playoff-calibre team, a championship-calibre team that never gives up a quality scoring chance and doesn't survive it. You've got to be able to survive those and you've got to be able to get a timely save, a big save when things break down.” With the win, the Jets improved to 22-23-4 on the season and are a perfect 6-0 on home ice against teams from the Central Division, outscoring them 28-7. The Jets face the Anaheim Ducks on Monday and the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Pavelec wasn't impressed by breaking his own franchise record for saves in a period, besting the 24 stops he made in the third period of a game against the Ottawa Senators on October 31 of 2009 when he was still a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. “They just told me 30 seconds ago. I don’t think its really important,” said Pavelec, who isn't taking anything for granted after spending the better part of four months in the American Hockey League. “That’s the way it is. In the next week I could be in the minors again, so I go day by day. Every time I get the chance to play I'm going to try my best and we’ll see what happens. That's pretty much it.” Bryan Little, who scored a pair of power play goals, was one of only a few players remaining on the active roster who suited up in that game against the Senators – but his memory of the moment was understandably foggy. “Not at all, that was seven years ago,” said Little, who is up to 10 goals and 21 points in 26 games. “All I know is that he made a lot of saves (on Saturday) and kept us in the game in the second period when we needed him. “I've played with (Pavelec) a long time and I know what he's capable of. We need him to make big saves for us in tight games. He's done that the last two games for us and gave us a chance to win. You can't ask for more from your goalie.” The Jets struck three times with the man-advantage to win the special teams battle 3-1 and also won the second period 1-0 and have improved their goal differential in the middle frame to minus-20 (58-38). Kevin Shattenkirk scored a pair of goals and Paul Stastny added a single for the Blues, who have lost three consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season and have been outscored 18-10 in those games. Pheonix Copley got his first NHL start and while he gave up five goals, there weren't really any softies allowed – and he made two ridiculous stops on Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, who did manage to chip in a pair of assists and now has a goal and seven points in his past 10 games. “It was a glorious chance and right now it seems like I'm struggling to find the back of the net, but I'm just going to stick with it,” said Perreault. “The chances are there and eventually, they're going to start going in.” While the Jets gave up one power-play marker, they managed to kill off three consecutive minors during the second period – thanks again to the strong play of Pavelec, who is a strong bet to start against the Ducks. Riding a hot goalie is the right thing to do for a team that is trying to keep its collective head above water in the playoff chase in the Western Conference. It doesn't mean the Jets are ready to turn the net over to Pavelec full-time, nor does it mean the organization is losing faith in Connor Hellebuyck. Pavelec is 2-0 with a 3.03 goals against average and .914 save percentage and has provided this group with a much-need shot in the arm.

A three-headed monster (with Michael Hutchinson currently the odd-man out) isn't a long-term solution, but it's the best course of action for the time being. And Pavelec deserves the opportunity to try and backstop the Jets to their first three-game winning streak of the season after failing on eight previous occasions. “You never have a goalie controversy when everybody is playing well,” said Maurice. “It only comes when two guys are struggling. Right now, we've got time.” Time to let things play out and time for things to sort themselves out. THREE STARS Bryan Little, Jets – Scored a pair of power play goals on a night his line with Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault generated three goals and six points. Ondrej Pavelec, Jets – Improved to 2-0 on the NHL season after making 34 saves – including a franchise-record 25 in the second period. Kevin Shattenkirk, Blues – The pending UFA D-man scored a pair of goals, had five shots on goal in 23:01 of ice time. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/01/21/laine-takes-step-closer-to-return

Laine takes step closer to return BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN Winnipeg Jets rookie winger Patrik Laine has taken another important step toward returning to the lineup. Laine skated prior to Saturday's game against the St. Louis Blues and will participate in Sunday's practice in a full-contact jersey. “He had all restrictions removed from what he can do,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He had a full practice (Saturday) and he'll have a full practice (on Sunday) and then we'll go from there.” Laine, who has 21 goals and 37 points in 42 games this season, has missed the past seven games since suffering a concussion after being on the receiving end of a crushing hit from Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe. The Jets have said repeatedly that they won't allow Laine to return to game action before he's fully recovered, but barring any setbacks it wouldn't be a big surprise if he gets clearance to suit up on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks or on Thursday on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks, provided there are no setbacks. When Laine spoke to reporters for the first time since the injury on Friday, he made it sound like participating in the NHL All-Star weekend remained a possibility.

MORE INJURY UPDATES Jets forward Drew Stafford missed the final period and change on Saturday with what the team called a lower-body injury. “We'll know more (on Sunday),” Maurice said of Stafford, who was limited to 10:34 of ice time and had no shots on goal. Maurice said there was nothing new to report on the status of defenceman Tyler Myers, who remains away from the team dealing with a personal matter and missed his 33rd consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Speaking of injuries, Jets prospect Logan Stanley was in attendance on Saturday afternoon and is town to see the team doctors after suffering a lower-body injury with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Stanley, who was chosen 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, has four goals and 17 points in 35 OHL games this season – after putting up five goals and 17 points in 64 games in 2015-16. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/01/20/fourth-line-for-ehlers-sent-message

Fourth line for Ehlers sent message BY PAUL FRIESEN, WINNIPEG SUN Nik Ehlers not only heard the message loud and clear, he agreed with it. Ehlers found himself on the Jets fourth line for the last half of Wednesday's win over Arizona because his coach didn't think he'd been working hard enough lately. Paul Maurice said after the game it was a “minor” issue. But did Ehlers? “I didn't play my best game,” Ehlers said. “I haven't played my best in the last couple of games, now. And Paul needed to do something about it. And I understand.” Ehlers says figuring out where his game has been lacking is easy. “My speed,” he said. “The most important thing in my game. I've tried to use it. I haven't used it as much and as well as I have been over the course of this season. I've got to get back to using it at the right time.” When he doesn't have the puck, especially, he said. Ehlers scored his 15th goal of the season playing with Chris Thorburn and Nic Petan, and Friday found himself back alongside Mark Scheifele and Drew Stafford in practice.

He may have had an extra jump in his step, too, when he saw rookie and good friend Patrik Laine back on the ice for the first time since his concussion. “His first shot on Pavelec went in, top shelf, and Pavelec just looked at me -- he was just laughing,” Ehlers said. “It's good to have him back. I don't know if the goalies are happy about it.” Canadian Press

http://www.chrisd.ca/2017/01/21/pavelec-sets-franchise-record-saves-period-jets-beat-blues-5-3/#.WITMGVUrJhE

Pavelec Sets Franchise Record for Saves in a Period as Jets Beat Blues 5-3 By Judy Owen, The Canadian Press WINNIPEG – Ondrej Pavelec is taking nothing for granted these days. Even though the veteran Winnipeg netminder had a record-setting performance in backstopping the Jets to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues Saturday, he was cautious about his future with the NHL club. “In the next week I could be in the minors again. I go day by day,” the 29-year-old said. “Every time I get the chance to play I’m going to try my best. We’ll see what happens.” Starting and winning his second game this season after being called up from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League Tuesday, Pavelec broke his own Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise record for saves in a period with 25 in the second. He had a 24-save record from an Oct. 31, 2009 game against Ottawa. “Good, nice. I don’t think it’s really important,” said Pavelec, who made 34 total saves. Blues goalie Pheonix Copley, a native of North Pole, Alaska, made his first NHL start and had 24 saves. He played in one game last season. “Pavelec played a heck of a game down there,” Copley, 25, said. “At times they were getting shots on me a lot, too, so it was kind of one of those games.” Winnipeg scored three power-play goals, a pair from Bryan Little and one from Nikolaj Ehlers. Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele also scored for the Jets (22-23-4). Dustin Byfuglien, Mathieu Perreault and Jacob Trouba each added a pair of assists. Scheifele and Ehlers also had one helper apiece. Kevin Shattenkirk scored twice for the Blues (23-19-5), who lost their third straight game. Paul Stastny had a goal and assist, while Jaden Schwartz added a pair of assists. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period, but Winnipeg held a 2-1 lead after the shot-fest in the second.

Pavelec made a number of key saves that got the crowd cheering. Copley also impressed, especially when he denied Perreault a goal during a Winnipeg 3-on-1. “I think the second period, we felt like we threw everything at them,” Shattenkirk said. “Pavelec made some huge saves. He really kept them in the game for sure. “Third period, we came out and we had that same determination, but a penalty here, a penalty there, it’s hard to come from behind in the third period down by a goal when you’re down a man.” The Blues had three power-play opportunities in the middle period. “We were in the box a little bit too much and any time a good power play like that gets some momentum, it’s going to flip the game,” Wheeler said. “That’s what you pay your goaltender for.” And Pavelec earned every dollar. “(Pavelec) had a great game tonight,” Wheeler said. “We know him and we have a lot of confidence in him.” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock had left starting netminder Jake Allen at home so he could “reset” after being pulled twice in last Thursday’s 7-3 loss to Washington. St. Louis has given up 18 goals in its three-game losing skid and has scored 10 during that span. Hitchcock had no problems with Copley’s performance. “He played good. No issues there,” Hitchcock said. “He played really well. Real happy with him.” Shattenkirk also praised Copley. “As far as the game went, he played tremendous. He looked extremely calm in there. After the first period, we were pretty calm ourselves knowing that he had our backs. The goals that he lets in are completely on us. “We’ve had a bit of a tough break here with our goalies, but it’s not them. It’s the players in front of them that need to step up, and that definitely includes me and the rest of our (defensive) core and goes out from there.” Winnipeg has won its first two games of a four-game homestand. The Jets host Anaheim Monday while St. Louis plays Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Notes: Blues defenceman Jay Bouwmeester didn’t play because of a lower-body injury … The Jets are 10-4-1 against Central Division teams this season, including 6-0-0 at home. Global Winnipeg http://globalnews.ca/news/3186339/threes-a-crowd-for-winnipeg-jets-goalies/

Winnipeg Jets celebrate win for a good cause

By Shelden Rogers Reporter WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets are celebrating a win Saturday, and the success of their first annual food drive with donations going toward Winnipeg Harvest. A total of 23,679 lbs. of food were collected before Saturday’s game between the Jets and the St. Louis Blues. “It goes to a great cause, it goes to Winnipeg Harvest which is a great organization for our community,” Rob Wozny with True North said. Bins were set up throughout MTS Centre for fans to bring non-perishable food items to the game. “Winnipeggers came out and did a great job to support this campaign for the Winnipeg Jets annual food drive,” Wozny added. The Jets beat the Blues 5-3, improving to 22-23-4 on the season. NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/st-louis-blues-winnipeg-jets-game-recap/c-285955872

Ondrej Pavelec sets Jets record in win Makes 25 saves in second period; Pheonix Copley allows five goals in first NHL start by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent WINNIPEG -- Ondrej Pavelec made 34 saves and set a Winnipeg Jets record for saves in a period when they defeated Pheonix Copley and the St. Louis Blues 5-3 at MTS Centre on Saturday. Pavelec didn't allow a goal making 25 saves in the second period. He won his second straight game since being recalled from Manitoba of the American Hockey League. "I felt a bit better than the game before, for sure," said Pavelec, who defeated the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 on Wednesday. "A better start. I had a good practice yesterday. First game was a totally different story than tonight." Copley made 24 saves his first NHL start for the Blues (23-19-5), who have lost three straight games. "I think a couple of those were stoppable on my end and it's a different game," Copley said. "But it was good to get in there and get in a game and we'll go from there. I felt good going in and I felt confident the whole way through." Bryan Little scored two power-play goals, and Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist for the Jets (22-23-4).

"Ever since Bryan Little came back into our lineup, we've been doing a pretty good job [on the power play]," Wheeler said of the center who returned from a lower-body injury on Nov. 29. "I think we have a little bit of confidence going on that power play. We're snapping it around pretty good. It's nice to see a couple go in." Kevin Shattenkirk scored twice, and Paul Stastny scored for St. Louis, which trailed 5-1. "It was a bit of a roller coaster of a game … a lot of back and forth," Shattenkirk said. "I think the second period, we felt like we threw everything at them. Pavelec made some huge saves. He really kept them in the game, for sure." Little scored at 7:47 of first period, tipping Dustin Byfuglien's point shot past Copley to make it 1-0. Shattenkirk tied the game 1-1 at 13:18 on the power play, shooting into a wide-open net after a pass from Stastny. Wheeler made it 2-1 at 1:27 of the second period. Mathieu Perreault picked up a loose puck near the Blues blue line, made a spin move and passed to Byfuglien, who passed to Wheeler at the side of the net for his 15th goal. Little scored to make it 3-1 at 2:10 of the third period, and Scheifele scored his 21st at 6:21, tying him with injured rookie forward Patrik Laine for the Jets lead. Ehlers made it 5-1 at 11:05 on the power play. "Quite frankly, we're allowing too many goals against, obviously," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Too many easy scoring chances. We're getting scored on killing penalties now, so I think if we clean up our own end, both 5-on-5 and 5-on-4, it'll help us a lot." Stastny scored at 12:11 to make it 5-2 and Shattenkirk made it 5-3 1:32 later. Goal of the game Wheeler finished a tic-tac-toe play after Little forced a turnover at the Blues blue line. Save of the game Copley got his glove hand on a point-blank shot from Perreault in the third period. Highlight of the game Copley stretched out to deny Perreault on a 2-on-1 near the end of the second period. Unsung performance of the game Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba had two assists, four shots, three hits and one blocked shot in 26:15. They said it "When I go back to my last three or four games, my legs didn't feel as well as they have been and that's why I just stopped skating. Even though they didn't feel much better today, I just went out there and put that away and just skated. I think that I've learned now that even though my

legs aren't feeling great, you still got to go. I don't know why I didn't do that from the start, but I guess it's all a part of the learning process. Now I know." -- Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers "The biggest thing over the last 10 games is nobody is sick. Little's line tonight was absolutely spectacular. A week ago they were all sick." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice Need to know Jets forward Drew Stafford left the game after the second period with a lower-body injury. Maurice said Stafford will be re-evaluated Sunday. … Carter Hutton was the Blues backup goalie, and Jake Allen, who did not make the trip, was scratched. … Copley made his NHL debut in relief on Feb. 27, 2016 against the Nashville Predators. … Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (lower body) was scratched. … Pavelec held the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers record with 24 saves in a period on Oct. 31, 2009 against the Ottawa Senators. … Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko hasn't scored in seven games. … Laine skated Saturday and will participate in a full-contact practice Sunday. What's next Blues: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, ROOT, NHL.TV) Jets: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, KCOP-13, NHL.TV) Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/headlines-laine-cleared-full-contact/ (VIDEO LINK)

HEADLINES: LAINE CLEARED FOR FULL CONTACT The Hockey Night in panel discuss Sam Bennett returning to the lineup for the Flames, the status of Patrik Laine and the struggles of the St. Louis Blues. www.winnipegjets.com

https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/little-pavelec-help-jets-win-second-straight/c-285951458

Little, Pavelec help Jets win second straight Seven Jets have multi-point nights; Pavelec makes 34 saves in victory by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com WINNIPEG - If you'd told him a week ago that in just a few days time, he'd be leading the Winnipeg Jets onto the ice in consecutive games, and setting a new franchise record in the second of those victorious outings, Ondrej Pavelec wouldn't have believed you. Pavelec made 34 saves, including a franchise-high 25 in the second period alone, while Bryan Little (2), Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers manufactured the offence in a pivotal 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.

"That's the way it goes," Pavelec said with a big, wide smile. "In the next week, I could be in the minors again. I go day-by-day and every time I get a chance to play, I give my best and see what happens." The record Pavelec beat was his own, set in October of 2009 when he made 24 saves in a single period. The mark isn't terribly important to him, but the win certainly is; and in the two games he's played since being recalled from the Manitoba Moose, the 29-year-old has a couple of W's, along with a .914 save percentage. "They just told me [about the record] 30 seconds ago. That's nice," he said with a laugh. "The guys cleared up the rebounds really well. They let me see the puck. But (the Blues) hit the post twice, too, so you've got to be lucky." With the game tied 1-1 early in the second period, Wheeler put the Jets - who scored the game's opening tally - back in front with a filthy goal at 1:27 to record the first of five unanswered to take over the contest. From the seat of his pants after working doggedly on the half wall, Mathieu Perreault got the puck back to Dustin Byfuglien, who showed great vision finding Wheeler lone at the side of the net. The captain made no mistake, slamming it home at the far post for his 15th of the year. It won't show up on the score sheet, but Little's work on the back check made the entire thing possible, creating a turnover just inside the offensive blue line before supporting Perreault's efforts along the boards. Little's recent play has repeatedly earned the praise of his head coach, and it was no different today, and in particular on the power play, with Maurice offering this take on his heady No. 1 pivot: "His line, on back-to-back nights, has been absolutely spectacular." In particular, his ability to move the puck on the power play has been a huge asset since his return from a season-opening knee injury, along with a hefty bout with the flu last week. "He's the key piece to it," Maurice said. "He's a really smart, nifty player with the puck, and he can finish, and he's got a chemistry with those guys. "From the time he came back, we've got to be running at 20 percent. Even on nights when we don't score, we're getting time in (the offensive zone) and that's the difference in the game." Little added the insurance at 2:10 of the third, scoring his second PPG of the afternoon to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. Wheeler made a great pass off the rush and Little did the rest at the top of the right circle, firing his 10th of the year past Copley. The Jets finished the game 3-for-5 on the power play. "We have three or four guys touching the puck before it goes in the puck of the net," Little said. "I say it all the time but that has a lot to do with confidence. It's not like we're doing too much.

We're making plays when they're there and we have the confidence to do it. You're seeing it these past few games with some nice goals and nice passing plays." Scheifele added one more at 6:21, chopping home a loose puck on a delayed penalty, increasing his team-leading point total to 45 (21G, 24A) in this, his 45th game, before Ehlers rounded the scoring with the Jets' third PPG of the day - a slapper off the wing - at 11:05. Paul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk cut into the lead with a couple quick ones late, but by then the damage had been done. Pavelec wasn't overly busy in the first 25 minutes, but he was excellent when called upon midway through the second when the tide shifted in St. Louis' favour. Among many great saves in a heavily tilted middle frame, his best came hot off the stick of Jaden Schwartz, who took a pass from Vladimir Tarasenko and rifled a one-timer flat along the ice. Pavelec went post-to-post and made a wonderful stop with the left toe to keep the Jets in front. "They made a push and we tried sticking with it, but they had their chances and their shots," Little said. "Pavs played great when we needed him to make some saves and he kept us in the game, and that's what got us going a bit. "He's done that the past few games for us and has given us a chance to win. We couldn't ask for more." A breath-taking breakaway save on Colton Parayko late in the stanza capped a franchise record 25-save period for the Winnipeg netminder. "We take three (penalties) in the second and they're all over us," Maurice said. "He made good saves. He's solid, he's quick, he's fighting to find them, (and) he made two or three really big saves and that kept us up by one." The other guy was no slouch, either. At the other end immediately after, Copley turned in what could be the save of the year, robbing Perreault with a ridiculous left-pad save on a 2-on-1 with Wheeler. The Blues outshot the Jets 25-11 in the period. Perreault had another glorious chance late in the third when Wheeler found him again, alone at the side of the net, but his one-timer caught a big chunk of the crossbar before going out of play. "It was just a glorious chance and it seems like I'm struggling to find the back of the net right now," Perreault said. "These things happen and I'm just going to stick with it because the chances are there and eventually they're going to go in." Little opened the scoring on the power play with a tip-in at 7:47 of the first period. Dustin Byfuglien hammered a one-timer from the top of the near circle, and Little got a piece of it at the edge of the blue paint, beating Blues goalie Pheonix Copley, who was making the first start of his NHL career.

"Even before we started scoring we were doing good things, getting our chances," Little said of the power play, which has been red-hot of late. "Getting a few definitely helps the confidence and you can see it on the ice right now. We're a lot more confident group when we're getting set up." The Jets were all over the Blues early on, recording 10 of the first 12 shot attempts, including six that landed on goal in the first 12-and-a-half minutes, but a Nic Petan penalty proved costly, as the Blues tied the game on just their third shot at 13:18. Paul Stastny made a great play, sending a beautiful over Kevin Shattenkirk, who fired it home from the bottom of the far circle as Pavelec dove across, but to no avail. The teams combined for only three shots the rest of the way, with the Jets leading 8-4 after one. "I felt a little bit better," Pavelec said of the comparison to his first game three nights ago. "The guys did a great job in the first period. We shut them down for most of the period but they had some nice passing on the power play to score that one goal, but I felt a little better than I did in the game before." LATE HITS: Drew Stafford left the game late in the second period and did not return with a lower-body injury. There was no update on his condition after the game. https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--paul-maurice/t-277437442/c-48613003

POSTGAME | Paul Maurice Head Coach Paul Maurice addresses the media post-game at MTS Centre https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-48612603

POSTGAME | Blake Wheeler Blake Wheeler talks about the impact Bryan Little has on the power play, and the win as a whole https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--ondrej-pavelec/t-277437442/c-48612903

POSTGAME | Ondrej Pavelec Ondrej Pavelec talks about his 34-save performance, helping the Jets beat the Blues, 5-3 https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--bryan-little/t-277437442/c-48613503

POSTGAME | Bryan Little Bryan Little reflects on his two-goal performance, and talks about what has made the power play so successful of late https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--mathieu-perreault/t-277437442/c-48613403

POSTGAME | Mathieu Perreault Mathieu Perreault talks about the win, and the many scoring chances he had www.moosehockey.com

Recap : Moose 2 at San Antonio 4 By Tyler Esquivel | Published: January 21, 2017 Manitoba Moose (16-19-3-2) at San Antonio Rampage (17-20-4-0) Saturday, January 21, 2017 – AT&T Center, San Antonio TX Scoring Summary 1 2 3 F Manitoba Moose 1 1 0 2 San Antonio Rampage 1 2 1 4 Shots By Period 1 2 3 F Manitoba Moose 11 7 11 29 San Antonio Rampage 16 8 4 28 Special Teams PP PK PIM Manitoba Moose 1/4 2/2 4 San Antonio Rampage 0/2 3/4 8 Goaltender Summary Goaltender MIN SA SV Manitoba Moose Eric Comrie 58:47 27 24 San Antonio Rampage Jeremy Smith 60:00 29 27 Goal Summary PER TIME TEAM GOAL ASSIST ASSIST STR SCORE 1 7:09 SA Rocco Grimaldi (13) Felix Girard (6) Gabriel Bourque (9) ES 1-0 SA 1 17:22 MB Kevin Czuczman (6) Dan DeSalvo (10) Jack Roslovic (14) PP 1-1 2 4:29 SA Chris Bigras (3) Garry Nunn (5) Joe Whitney (14) ES 2-1 SA 2 8:20 MB Brendan Lemieux (7) Jimmy Lodge (8) Dan DeSalvo (11) ES 2-2 2 14:11 SA A.J. Greer (12) Mike Sislo (11) Mat Clark (2) ES 3-2 SA 3 19:49 SA Felix Girard (4) Mat Clark (3) Sam Henley (6) EN, SH 4-2 SA Game Story

The Manitoba Moose entered tonight’s game looking for a sweep against the San Antonio Rampage after the Moose came away with a 2-0 shutout win on Friday night. It was back and forth start to the opening period until the Rampage broke into Manitoba’s zone as Rocco Grimaldi snuck behind the Moose defence – putting home his 13th goal of the season at 7:09. Manitoba pulled even a little over 10 minutes later as the Moose worked the puck on the powerplay. Dan DeSalvo fed Kevin Czuczman at the point, who wired a slapper by Jeremy Smith to tie the game at one. Eric Comrie was busy in the opening frame making 15 saves. After a calm start to the second, San Antonio regained the lead as Chris Bigras’ point blast made its way past Comrie at 4:29. The Moose tied things once again when Brendan Lemieux skated the puck out from behind the San Antonio net and fired a shot on goal scoring his seventh of the season at 8:20. Jimmy Lodge and Dan DeSalvo grabbed assists on the goal. Looking to avoid a seventh straight loss, the Rampage’s A.J. Greer picked up the puck at the Moose blue line, skated it down the left wing and cut to the goal as he slid home his 12th marker of the season at 14:11 in the middle frame. The two teams avoided the penalty box in the second as the Moose trailed 3-2 heading into the third. With the Moose pressuring to tie things up in the third, Manitoba had a flurry of chances in the final 10 minutes but Jeremy Smith stood tall making 27-saves. Manitoba was awarded a late game powerplay with the Moose coming close a handful of times. As the Moose tried to even the game, San Antonio’s Felix Girard swiped at a loose puck and it ended up going all the way down the ice into Manitoba’s empty net as San Antonio skated to a 4-2 victory. Quick Hits Dan DeSalvo had two assists in tonight’s game giving him 21 points (10G, 11A) on the season. Jack Roslovic’s assist on Kevin Czuczman’s goal gives him points in two straight games (2A). Brendan Lemieux has goals in two of his last three games. Tonight’s attendance was 5,252. What’s Next? Manitoba continues their six-game road trip on Tuesday night (Jan. 24) when they head back to Cedar Park, TX for a matchup with the Texas Stars. Puck drop for the game is set at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tune in to all the action on the road on TSN 1290 and moosehockey.com/listenlive beginning 15 minutes before puck drop.