WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets played the perfect road game for nearly two periods en route to snapping a five-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon.

The weird thing about it was they did it within the friendly confines of the MTS Centre.

The Jets took their own crowd out of the game when they generated minimal scoring chances, relying heavily on the goaltending of Connor Hellebuyck and not being afraid to win ugly.

For the players, though, the Jets' 10th of the season in 24 games this season was a thing of beauty.

And perhaps a product of luck, too.

Hellebuyck, who despite losing four of five games on a recently-completed road trip, said he feels like he's a groove. He stopped 42 shots, including 21 in the third period, for his second shutout of the season and fourth in his career.

"I've liked the way I've been playing," he said. "Although they scored five goals last game (a 5-1 Predators victory in Nashville on Friday), I still like the way I feel and I'm not losing my confidence from a goal here or there.

"I could see everything tonight and I had a little luck, too. Sometimes the puck just hits you."

And sometimes the puck dribbles through. Just ask Drew Stafford.

The Jets right winger scored the eventual game-winner on a wraparound at 15:21 of the second period. The puck somehow found its way over the right pad and shoulder of Predators goalie Juuse Saros and barely crossed the goal line.

It was Stafford's first goal of the year and came in his third game back after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury.

Jets centers Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry scored empty-net goals with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

The win improved the Jets' record to 10-12-2 for 22 points -- still one point below the playoff line -- and the Predators, who sit in the first wild-card spot, fell to 10-7-3 with 23 points.

Stafford was the first one to celebrate his goal. He had his hands in the air while everybody else -- players, fans and even the referee -- wondered where the puck was.

"I could see it through the side of the net. It's nuts considering the quality of chances I had before that and right after that," he said. "You have to give (Saros) credit. He made some great saves. I could have had a couple and that one went in. It's a funny game sometimes."

Predators coach Paul Laviolette, however, failed to see the humor in the situation and gave a postgame interview that lasted 47 seconds.

"(We had) plenty of chances, just couldn't seem to score, couldn't get it done," he said. "(Hellebuyck) played really well. We had lots of looks."

Laviolette wasn't about to place any blame on his goalie, who was playing in just his third NHL game.

"I thought he was terrific. The only goal they scored was deflected, ramped up off his stick and hit him in the shoulder," he said. "He had it covered as he was supposed to. It wasn't his fault. I thought he played outstanding."

The Predators' best chance at leveling the score at one goal apiece came after Jets defenseman Mark Stuart took a four-minute penalty after accidentally high-sticking left winger Colin Wilson in the mouth at 4:23 of the third period.

Wilson missed the next shift and dabbed his bloody mouth with a towel on the bench but was able to return for much of the power play.

The Jets responded by putting on a shot-blocking clinic for the entire double minor and the last line of defense helped his own cause with two reflex saves off Wilson and center Ryan Johansen in the dying seconds of the man advantage.

The Jets blocked 27 shots during the course of the game, a statistic that pleased coach Paul Maurice.

"(We had) real good goaltending tonight and lots and lots of effort. I don't think things were smooth or easy at times with the puck but usually with a real hard effort and really good goaltending you’re going to give yourself a chance (to win)," he said.

Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba got the second-biggest ovation of the night -- Stafford had the biggest -- when he leveled Predators center Mike Ribeiro with an open-ice hit just inside the Jets' blue line with less than five minutes to go in regulation.

"It's been awhile since I hit someone, I guess," he said. "We had numbers so I just tried to separate him from the puck and we ended up getting a pretty good chance off it."

His goaltender had perhaps the best seat in the house for the collision, which happened at full speed.

"It was great!" Hellebuyck said with a laugh. "I think the crowd loved it, too."

NOTES: The Predators outshot the Jets 42-24. ... In one of the quickest turnarounds in the entire NHL this season, the Jets and Predators renewed hostilities in Winnipeg in a lunch time context just 43 hours after facing off against other in Nashville. The Predators won the first game 5-1. ... In the press box for the Jets were D Tyler Myers and C Alex Burmistrov. D Toby Enstrom returned home to Sweden a couple of days ago to deal with a family matter. ... Healthy scratches for the Predators were D Peter Granberg and LW Mike Liambas. ... There are a number of Winnipeg connections on the Predators. First, left winger Colin Wilson's grandfather, Gerry, a former Montreal Canadiens prospect, was credited with discovering the first wave of Swedes, including Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Lars-Erik Sjoberg, to come to the WHA Jets in 1974. Assistant coach Phil Housley starred with Jets in the early '90s, scoring 97 points in 1992-93 behind rookie scoring phenom Teemu Selanne, who scored a record 76 goals that year.