The Winnipeg Jets responded exactly the way they needed to on Saturday night.
Less than 24 hours after a deflating 5–1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that left rookie goaltender Thomas Milic exposed on several goals, the Jets ended their four game losing streak with a 5–2 victory over the Nashville Predators. The win came against the league’s last place team, but it offered a timely reset for a club that had been searching for answers.
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Eric Comrie, who had started four straight games and dropped three of them, delivered an important bounce back performance. He stopped 20 of 22 shots to earn his win.
Up front, Gabe Vilardi continued his hot streak with points in three straight games. He has recorded five goals and two assists for seven points over his last five outings. Nino Niederreiter also broke through with two goals after a four game point drought. Defenseman Dylan Samberg contributed a stellar night with three assists.
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For Nashville, Luke Evangelista stood out with a goal and an assist. His efforts briefly pulled the Predators within one, but the visitors could not complete the comeback.
The Jets opened the scoring just 47 seconds into the game. Gabe Vilardi carried the puck into the zone with Mark Scheifele. Vilardi dropped the puck low to Scheifele, who fired a shot that produced a rebound directly back to Vilardi for a quick finish and a 1–0 lead.
Late in the opening frame, Nino Niederreiter doubled the advantage. He entered the Predators zone with speed and snapped a shot over the blocker of goaltender Justus Annunen to make it 2–0 Winnipeg.
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The Jets extended the lead midway through the second period with a crisp passing play deep in the Nashville end. Jonathan Toews fed a puck down low to Vladislav Namestnikov, who found Cole Perfetti alone in the slot. Perfetti converted easily for a 3–0 cushion.
Nashville responded on the power play with a point shot from Nick Blankenburg for his third goal of the season. The Predators cut the deficit to one less than three minutes into the third period when Evangelista lifted a backhand from a sharp angle over Comrie’s shoulder.
Winnipeg pushed back and restored their multi goal lead midway through the final frame. Kyle Connor redirected a point shot from Samberg past Annunen to halt the Nashville momentum.
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Niederreiter sealed the result with an empty netter for his second goal of the night and sixth of the season as Winnipeg closed out the 5–2 win.
The Jets continue their road trip on Monday when they visit the Buffalo Sabres.
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