Winnipeg Jets Shut Out Utah Hockey Club 3-0 In First-Ever Meeting

The Winnipeg Jets battled to a 3-0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club at Canada Life Centre in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

The Jets improved to 12-1-0 with the win and continue to lead the entire NHL. Utah fell to 5-5-3 with the loss.

Jets’ Power Play Breaks Second-Period Scoreless Deadlock

The Jets entered the contest having scored 6-plus goals in each of their past three games — all wins — but found themselves locked in a very different type of matchup Tuesday night.

The game was scoreless for the first 37 minutes and 57 seconds, with the Jets outshooting Utah but neither team generating a huge number of 10-bell chances.

However, after Dylan Guenther was sent to the box for hooking Dylan DeMelo, the Jets’ league-best power play went to work on their second opportunity.

It took them almost the whole minor penalty to convert, but they did so as Gabriel Vilardi deflected a Josh Morrissey point shot past Karel Vejmelka to break the deadlock. It was Vilardi’s seventh point in his last five games.

Our power play is so good it's almost a passing grade on a report card ???? pic.twitter.com/ChALxUqEjj

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 6, 2024

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck helped preserve the 1-0 lead in the dying seconds of the frame, making an excellent save off Clayton Keller during a Utah two-on-one rush.

Niederreiter Scores Twice in 900th-Career Game

In the third, the Jets’ reliable third line struck for a goal at 7:30 to double the lead. Nino Niederreiter, playing in his 900th-career NHL game, took a pass from Mason Appleton off the rush and executed a slick backhand-to-forehand deke that fooled Vejmelka badly and allowed Niederreiter to slide the puck into an empty cage. With the tally, Niederreiter now has a goal against 33 different NHL teams.

Niederreiter then added an empty-netter at 17:01 to round out the scoring.

Kyle Connor was held off the scoresheet and his 12-game point streak to begin the season came to an end. The Jets’ leading scorer hit the post with just 33 seconds to go on a glorious chance all alone in front.

Hellebuyck finished with 21 saves for his second shutout of the season and 39th of his career. Vejmelka allowed two goals on 27 shots.

Related: 3 Keys to Jets’ Success in November 2024

The attendance was 12,932.

The Jets will welcome the Colorado Avalanche to town Thursday (Nov. 7) as their four-game homestand continues; it’s the first time they’ll face the Avalanche since being crushed by them in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. Utah will travel to St. Louis to face the Blues on the same night.