Jets Double Up on Canadiens With a 4-2 Win

by

Saturday night (Dec. 14) featured a good old-fashioned, all-Canadian matchup on Hockey Night in Canada when the Montreal Canadiens visited the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Hockey culture north of the 49th parallel aside, the reality was that this was a meeting between a struggling Montreal squad and an excellent Winnipeg ensemble. To that effect, the Jets showcased their superiority courtesy of a 4-2 victory.

Hutson Gives Habs Hope Before Jets’ Comeback

Early in the first period, it looked as if the visiting Canadiens were not intimidated by the odds stacked against them. Not only did they open the scoring at 7:48, but the goal came from none other than rookie phenom Lane Hutson. He took a shot from the left faceoff circle (to Connor Hellebuyck’s right) after Montreal had won the faceoff a moment earlier. His low, hard wrister beat the Winnipeg netminder, awarding Hutson his first-ever NHL goal.

But the momentum didn’t favour Montreal for long. Even before the first period was over, the Jets sent a message that they weren’t going to let the night slip them by. Gabriel Vilardi evened things up at 14:34 when he tapped home a slick pass from Kyle Connor through the crease on the power play.

Winnipeg again demonstrated its ruthlessness in front of the net at 16:40 when Adam Lowry made good on a clever delivery from behind the net by Nino Niederreiter to make it a 2-1 game for the home side. 

Jets Hold On, Hellebuyck Brilliant

The middle frame saw fewer goals but some sensational netminding. 

Montreal’s Samuel Montembeault made a highlight-reel-worthy stop, but in his case, it merely delayed the inevitable. The Jets applied suffocating pressure while on a 5-on-3 power play, which concluded with Connor smashing a one-timer from in close for a 3-1 advantage at 6:26. The Jets finished the evening with an efficient-looking 2-for-6 on the man advantage.

Later, Hellebuyck acrobatically repelled a one-timer from Patrik Laine from the latter’s favourite spot in the faceoff circle. Sensing danger from an airborne puck in the crease, the Jets goalie patted the disc away with his blocker while still lying on his backside. Small wonder he’s a Vezina Trophy winner.

Related: Dear Santa – Winnipeg Jets’ 2024-25 Wish List

Down a pair of goals almost midway through the final 20 minutes, Montreal knew it was “now or never.” Some excellent checking by Brendan Gallagher kept the puck in Winnipeg’s zone. Christian Dvorak sent what should have been a harmless backhand from a sharp angle on net. Hellebuyck made the save, but the juiciest of rebounds was there for Josh Anderson to pounce on at exactly 8:00.

Try as they might, the Canadiens could not get any closer than 3-2. The Jets even emphasized the scoreline when Vladislav Namestnikov tallied an empty netter in the dying seconds. Make the final 4-2 for the Jets, who return to their winning ways and remain atop the Central Division.

The Manitoban outfit will rest for a couple of days before Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks welcome them on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the proverbial Tank. Montreal returns home for a game on the same night against a club with about as many problems as they have, the Buffalo Sabres. 

Substack Subscribe to the THW Daily and never miss the best of The Hockey Writers Banner