The trade deadline saw the Winnipeg Jets bolstering their offense, but they ended the day showcasing their defensive prowess.
Laurent Brossoit made 17 saves for his first shutout of the season, Mark Scheifele scored his 19th goal 7:15 into the third period, and the Jets beat the Seattle Kraken 3-0 on Friday night.
Adam Lowry scored with 8:32 left to give Winnipeg a 2-0 lead, pulling the Jets even with Dallas and Colorado at the top of the Central Division. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-netter with 49 seconds remaining.
“I think that’s where our team is learning how to win these tight games where we’re comfortable,” Lowry said. “We know we’re a great third-period team. We know we’ve got the structure that we can be patient, kind of force some mistakes, and that’s what we did in the third.”
Brossoit posted his fourth career shutout and first since February 2022 with Vegas, facing little challenge. Tomas Tatar had Seattle’s best scoring chances, hitting the post in the second period and missing a backhand early in the third.
Seattle was shut out for the sixth time this season.
“He’s a great goalie. We saw that when we played against him in the playoffs last year,” Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey said. “It doesn’t feel any different when he’s in there.”
Scheifele finally broke the deadlock after two periods with limited chances for both teams. Seattle’s Jared McCann failed to clear the zone under pressure from Morrissey, and Vladislav Namestnikov quickly set up Scheifele in front of Kraken goalie Joey Daccord.
Scheifele has a point in six of the Jets’ last seven games.
Scheifele briefly left the ice after being called for tripping while stopping a breakaway attempt by Seattle’s Andre Burakovsky, appearing to be clipped in the face by Burakovsky’s skate. He returned later in the period after being cleared of a concussion.
Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness confirmed Scheifele was checked for a concussion but was cleared to return.
The win capped a busy day for the Jets, who added Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller from New Jersey in separate deals before the trade deadline.
“Depth is critically important. Looking at how all the other teams in the West loaded up, we’re excited with those ads,” Lowry said.
The loss was a deflating missed opportunity for Seattle to make up ground in the Western Conference playoff chase. The Kraken started the night six points behind Vegas, with two games against the Golden Knights over the next two weeks.
Daccord made 29 saves, but Seattle couldn’t replicate the offense from their 4-3 win over the Jets a few days earlier.
“It’s just one game,” Tatar said. “We have to put it behind us, and we know it’s all in front of us. We have to battle for that spot.”
Seattle was without defenseman Vince Dunn for the second straight game after an ugly hit from Calgary’s Martin Pospisil that drew a three-game suspension. The Kraken also played the final two periods without forward Jaden Schwartz, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first and did not return.
UP NEXT
- Jets: At Vancouver on Saturday.
- Kraken: Host Vegas on Tuesday.
