Rink Rule: Jets vs. Wild

ST. PAUL  — In a battle of the top two teams in the NHL’s Central Division, the game between the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild was a competitive affair that brought stellar goaltending, the return of the Wild’s best player and some post-whistle scrums fans expect from a pair of rivals.

Anyone watching could undoubtedly see, and Wild defenseman Jake Middleton confirmed it after the game: The Wild (13-4-4) came out flying to start the game. They created scoring chances, pounced on rebounds and quickly turned the shots-on-goal category into a lopsided number.

The Jets (18-4-0) capitalized for a 4-1 victory that was not as lopsided as the score would indicate.

Here are five rules recapping Monday’s game:

1. Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stole the show.

The Wild could have easily taken a multi-goal lead only minutes into the game, but Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck didn’t let that happen. The Wild put up 22 shots on Hellebuyck in the first period, including a goal off the rebound from Middleton for a 1-0 lead. The Wild’s 22 shots on goal in the first period was the team’s highest single-period shot total this season. But the Jets tied the game 1 minute, 26 seconds later to create a stalemate that lasted until nearly halfway through the game.

The Wild were disappointed to not put a couple more pucks past Hellebuyck.

“But we threw a lot at him,” Middleton said. “That was probably the best first period we played all year, as far as not giving up shot opportunities and funneling pucks to the net.

“Tip your cap to Connor. He played really well, but we didn’t play the same game in the third.”

Hellebuyck improved to 14-10-2 in 29 career games against the Wild.

Connor Hellebuyck denies a shot from Wild defenseman Brock Faber. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

2. The Wild dominated play in the first two periods and shots on goal.

Unfortunately for the Wild, it doesn’t matter how many shots on goal you produce if they’re not going past the goal line.

“We threw the kitchen sink at him,” Middleton said, referring to Hellebuyck. “It’s disappointing. But there’s positives we can take from it.”

After peppering Hellebuyck with 39 shots through two periods, things tightened up in the third as the Jets held onto a one-goal lead. The Wild had only five shots on goal in the final period, finishing with a season-high 44. Sixteen of the Wild’s 18 skaters finished with at least one shot on goal.

“We had a lot of Grade-As, shot attempts, zone time, all those things,” said Wild coach John Hynes. “It kind of turned on a couple quick plays. Their second goal was something like that, and they got the power play later.

“That’s the story of the game.”

3. Kirill Kaprizov returned after missing a game in Calgary over the weekend.

Kirill Kaprizov returned to the lineup Monday after missing Saturday’s game in Calgary with a lower-body injury. He took a knee-to-knee, open-ice hit in last Thursday’s second period in Edmonton, although he returned to play the third period.

Kaprizov was back although he was held off the scoresheet for only the fourth time this season – twice now against the Jets. Kaprizov (13 goals, 21 assists this season) recorded five shots on goal in his 23 minutes on the ice, and he also had five shot attempts blocked.

“That’s what we expect when you have a guy like him in your lineup every night,” said Wild forward Matt Boldy.  “They’re going to put their best guys out there, and they did a good job tonight, but we’ve got to score goals.”

With the game tied 1-1 in the middle of the second period, Boldy fed Kaprizov a beautiful cross-ice pass while on the power play. Kaprizov fired a shot on goal but, as was the story of the night, was denied by Hellebuyck.

The Wild’s top player has garnered recent attention as one of the top points producers in the NHL so far this season. He came into Monday night’s game with a league-leading 12 multi-point games and 1.79 points per game.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin get tangled up with Alex Iafallo in the Winnipeg zone, just before the Jets took a 2-1 lead at the other end. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

4. Nino Niederreiter continues to crush his former team.

Nino Niederreiter popped the game-winning goal in the second period for a 2-1 Jets lead. He also scored in the first meeting between the teams this year, a 2-1 Jets win in overtime back on Oct. 13. So, two of his eight goals this season have come against his former team where he spent parts of six seasons.

Niederreiter scored 110 goals and 228 points in 434 games wearing a Wild sweater from 2013-19. Including the two games this season and going back to the 2022-23 campaign, Niederrreiter has scored goals in seven of his last nine games against the Wild. He’s scored eight times and added two assists for 10 points in those nine games.

5. Jets fourth-liner Alex Iafallo reaches 100 career goals.

The University of Minnesota Duluth product, Jets winger Alex Iafallo, doubled his season goal total on Monday. First, he tied the game in the first period. On the Niederreiter goal, Iafallo didn’t show up on the scoresheet, but he tangled with Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin at the other end of the ice. That left the Wild shorthanded during play, giving room for the Jets to take advantage.

Iafallo scored again with a power-play goal in the third period to give the Jets a two-goal lead. He deflected Neal Pionk’s shot through traffic.

“I barely touched it,” Pionk said. “That’s a great shot from up top, because we’re just talking about getting pucks to the net on power play right there, especially at the end. We need a goal to keep the momentum going.”

Iafallo reached the 100 career goals milestone and has four goals and eight points this season.