Jets score five in second, beat Stars 8-3 for fifth straight win

Jets surge past Stars

The Winnipeg Jets scored five goals in the second period en route to their fifth straight win, 8-3 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday.

“The biggest thing for me over these last five games is the confidence now is back,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “We’re holding onto pucks, creating space for the next guy. Then guys are shooting when they get the opportunity. That’s the feeling that you want to have all the time.”

Key performances

Mark Scheifele had two goals and an assist, Dawson Mercer scored twice in his second straight game, and Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi each had a goal and two assists for the Jets (9-8-3). Stuart Skinner made 30 saves.

Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist, and Arttu Hyry also scored for the Stars (10-6-2), who had their four-game point streak come to an end (3-0-1). Jake Oettinger allowed six goals on 27 shots before being replaced one minute into the third period by Casey DeSmith, who allowed two goals on three shots in relief.

Game flow

Hyry gave Dallas a 1-0 lead at 4:19 of the first period, sending a one-timer in blocker side off a pass from Hintz. Hintz extended it to 2-0 at 18:32 on the breakaway.

Samberg scored the first of Winnipeg’s five second-period goals to cut it to 2-1 at 1:11. Scheifele tied it 2-2 at 7:03. David Perron gave Dallas a 3-2 lead at 11:14 off a deflection, his first goal with the Stars after signing a one-year, $850,000 contract on Oct. 16 to play in his 20th NHL season.

Mercer tied it 3-3 at 13:55. Scheifele scored on the power play at 18:12 to give Winnipeg its first lead at 4-3. Mercer’s second goal extended it to 5-3 with nine seconds remaining in the period.

Connor pushed it to 6-3 at 1:00 of the third period. Vilardi made it 7-3 at 15:12, and Cole Koepke scored 14 seconds later for the 8-3 final.

Why it matters

The Jets extended their win streak to five games and improved to 9-8-3. The Stars’ four-game point streak ended. Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo left in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return; Arniel said he is week to week. Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel also left in the first period with a lower-body injury and will not play in either of Dallas’ games this weekend.

Sources

• nhl.com: Jets score five goals in second, surge past Stars for fifth straight win | NHL.com

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