The Winnipeg Jets look to head into the upcoming Olympic break on a positive note when they face host Dallas on Monday night, while the Stars enter the matchup seeking their fifth straight victory.
Dallas forward Matt Duchene extended his goal-scoring streak to four games Saturday as the Stars edged the Utah Mammoth 3-2 on the road for their fifth win in the last six games.
“I think we’re playing better hockey now,” Duchene said after the win in Salt Lake City. “There was some stuff there that we needed to fix. … I think we’ve just got to keep with those little things and keep going.”
The win marked a continued turnaround for the Stars, who had won just three of 14 games in a 3-7-4 stretch that began before Christmas prior to this current win streak. Dallas had a 25-7-5 record prior to that slump, and coach Glen Gulutzan said recent results suggest the club is regaining its form.
“We had to get back into our game and what we did better in the first half of the year than we’ve done since the new year,” Gulutzan said. “You can see, I’m sure, a visible difference if you’re watching the games on how we’re playing the last few.
“It’s got to continue. We know that’s got to be part of the fabric of our team and I think the players see it, we all see it, so it’s got to carry on.”
Winnipeg is coming off a 2-1 road victory over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Jets scored twice in the third period for just their second third-period comeback win of the season.
“I just liked the way we competed,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel when asked about his takeaway from the victory. “We stayed in it. … We did a really good job of winning our share of puck battles. Did a good job in eliminating what we gave up.”
Despite the win, Winnipeg remains nine points out of a playoff spot with only two games remaining before the Olympic break and four teams between it and the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Jets are hoping to build momentum as the schedule heads toward a near-month-long pause.
A lot of that could rest on the shoulders of Cole Perfetti, who tallied at Florida on Saturday. It was just his fifth goal and 16th point of the season, disappointing numbers considering the step he was hoping to take this year after scoring 18 goals and 50 points in 82 games in 2024-25.
“Yeah, it’s obviously a good feeling. Like you said, got a lot of chances there earlier in the game and wasn’t able to find it,” Perfetti said. “So, just keep going to the net, trying to generate and try to get those chances, and go to the net and get rewarded. That felt good.”
The Jets’ blue line remains depleted. Neal Pionk (lower-body injury) has returned to practice but is not expected to rejoin the lineup until after the Winter Games. Defensemen Colin Miller (knee surgery) and Haydn Fleury (upper body) also are sidelined until late February or early March.
Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin remains out with a lower-body injury but is progressing toward a return after traveling with the team on its most recent road trip.
