National Hockey League
Winnipeg 4, Vancouver 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Tim Peel, Chris Rooney
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Don Henderson
Attendance: 15294

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- A scoring Drew Stafford seems a better fit for the Winnipeg Jets than a grinding Drew Stafford.

The Jets right winger found the back of the net twice, for the first time in 12 games, as the Jets halted a six-game winless skid with a 4-1 triumph over the travel-weary Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

Stafford's second-period tally, his sixth goal of the season but just his first since Oct. 25, stood as the winner for the Jets (9-9-2). He then added his seventh into an empty net to cap the scoring.

Stafford had been skating much of the season on the club's checking line with center Adam Lowry and left winger Alex Burmistrov. But head coach Paul Maurice whipped up a new combination of Stafford, Mark Scheifele down the middle and Mathieu Perreault on the left side, and got immediate results.

Scheifele opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season and first in two weeks, and then added his seventh on a rebound late in the game to secure the victory. He also chipped in an assist, while center Perreault supplied three assists.

Stafford was asked how he was feeling after finally scoring a dozen games after his last tally.

"Twelve? OK," Stafford said. "At this point, I'm not really worried about stats or counting the games. That's just more clutter in your head. I'm just trying to stay solid and play the same way and eventually things will turn around.

"We changed the lines around, too, so the way I play the game is a little different tonight than it has been in the last 10 (or) 12. So, I added about four or five solid chances tonight, which is a little bit more than what I've had otherwise. My role is a little different."

The victory, he said, was a huge relief after five straight defeats in regulation.

"A hundred percent," said Stafford. "Especially coming back home. That road trip was kind of a bad taste in your mouth. A big one for us."

Left winger Daniel Sedin pulled the Canucks even at 1-1 with his seventh goal of the season in the second period.

The Jets set up shop in the Canucks end, setting the stage for Scheifele's first goal in seven games and just the second power-play marker in the club's last 30 chances.

Scheifele said things were finally clicking for a club searching for a spark on home ice.

"It's obviously huge," he said. "I thought we played a solid 60-minute game. Obviously, we had a few lulls out there and a little bit of pressure, but I think we handled it really good and that was a great game by all."

Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec had a stellar, 29-save performance and was helpless on the only shot that ended up behind him. His counterpart, Ryan Miller, made 30 saves for Vancouver, which wrapped up a seven-game road swing with a forgettable 1-4-2 record.

Coming into the contest, Vancouver's six previous regulation losses this year were by one goal. Miller was asked whether the pressure of tight contests is starting to weigh on the Canucks.

"It's not ideal mentally for this group to be really close in game. At the end of the night it's 4-1 but it's a 2-1 game right there," he said. "We've got to park it. We've got to find a way to come with energy and believe it's going to turn. The only thing you can do in these situations is work hard, and that hard work will translate. I don't know any other way.

"We've been in a lot of holes and had to climb out a lot. This is no different even though it feels like the biggest one. Everything feels that way in the moment. We've got to get out of the moment a little and reset and get back to game by game."

NOTES: Canucks D Luca Sbisa was handed a minor penalty for a head shot on Jets rookie LW Nikolaj Ehlers early in the first period, and then had to answer the bell against Winnipeg tough guy RW Anthony Peluso not long after he stepped out of the penalty box. Peluso won the tilt handily. ... D Paul Postma, D Ben Chiarot and C Nic Petan sat in the press box, while C Brandon Sutter, RW Radim Vrbata and D Yannick Webber were scratched for the Canucks. ... C Mark Scheifele's goal early in the opening period marked just the fifth time the Jets have scored first in a game this season. ... Vancouver hasn't exactly embraced the NHL's new 3-on-3 overtime format. Prior to Wednesday's game, the Canucks had tied seven of their 19 games, lost six of them in OT and earned just one victory in a shootout. ... Canucks RW Jake Virtanen led the team and all NHL rookies in hits with 44 coming into the game.
Top Game Performances
 
Vancouver   Winnipeg
Daniel Sedin 1 Points Mark Scheifele 3
Daniel Sedin 1 Goals Mark Scheifele 2
Alexandre Burrows 1 Assists Mathieu Perreault 3
Daniel Sedin 1 Power Play Goals Mark Scheifele 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ryan Miller .909 Save Percentage Ondrej Pavelec .967
Ryan Miller 30 Saves Ondrej Pavelec 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vancouver 30 1 1-5 3-4 17 26
Winnipeg 34 4 1-4 4-5 19 41
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Arizona. The Jets have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Canucks have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .333 after a loss.