National Hockey League
Winnipeg 5, Ottawa 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 20, 2020
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Chris Rooney
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Kyle Flemington
Attendance: 11183

Mark Scheifele broke a 12-game scoring drought with a three-goal night, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-1 win over the host Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

The Jets got a good start to an Eastern road swing of four games in six days, stopping the Senators' mini win streak at two games. Winnipeg earned its third consecutive victory.

Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg, Nikolaj Ehlers also scored, and Scheifele added an assist. Laurent Brossoit made 29 saves for the win.

Nick Paul scored, and Marcus Hogberg stopped 29 shots for Ottawa.

The Senators, having just shipped defenseman Dylan DeMelo to the Jets, sat Vladislav Namestnikov, a sure sign the 27-year-old forward will be traded in the next couple of days. Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is also rumored to be fuel in a potential Senators fire sale before the NHL trade deadline on Monday.

After ringing two shots off the post early in the game, the Senators took a 1-0 lead just past the midway point of the first period. Colin White won a faceoff in the Jets' end and dished the puck over to Paul, who skated unchecked through the slot and lifted a wrister over Brossoit's trapper.

Then the Senators ran into penalty trouble, and the Jets capitalized. Chris Tierney was whistled for hooking DeMelo, and Scheifele got his first opportunity. Connor's shot was stick-checked by Nikita Zaitsev, and the puck bounced onto Scheifele's stick. Scheifele tied the game at 16:35 of the first period.

A little more than a minute later, the Jets were back on the power play when Jayce Hawryluk got called for high-sticking. Jets blueliner Neal Pionk took a shot from the point, and Scheifele was waiting in front of the Senators' net to knock it down and fool Hogberg for a 2-1 lead.

The Jets kept pounding at the Senators in the second period with a goal each from Connor (at 4:52) and Ehlers (at 5:54). Connor's goal was his 30th of the season, marking the third straight year the 23-year-old from Michigan hit the milestone.

Scheifele waited until late in the third to bag his hat-trick goal. With just a minute and a half left, he wired a shot through traffic. The puck bounced off the leg of Senators defender Andreas Englund and into the net.

The Jets next head to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Saturday. The Senators host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Winnipeg   Ottawa
Mark Scheifele 4 Points Nick Paul 1
Mark Scheifele 3 Goals Nick Paul 1
Patrik Laine 2 Assists Nick Paul 0
Mark Scheifele 3 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Laurent Brossoit .967 Save Percentage Marcus Hogberg .853
Laurent Brossoit 29 Saves Marcus Hogberg 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Winnipeg 34 5 3-6 4-4 35 36
Ottawa 30 1 0-4 3-6 49 33
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Senators have a W/L % of .238 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Jets have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .600 after a loss.