Jets continue quest for Presidents’ Trophy, face Blackhawks

The Winnipeg Jets look to put themselves in prime position to lock up the Presidents’ Trophy when they head on the road to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

The Jets (54-21-4, 112 points) can inch themselves closer towards their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history in Saturday’s clash with the bottom-feeding Blackhawks (23-46-10, 56 points).

The NHL-leading Jets enter the contest with two straight wins to their name, including a 4-0 blanking of the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Winnipeg went into Thursday’s battle with a four-point advantage over Dallas, but Connor Hellebuyck sank the Stars’ chances of catching the Jets atop the Central Division with a 25-save shutout.

It was Hellebuyck’s 45th win of the season and eighth shutout of the season, both a franchise record.

“It seems every night the last month or so he’s been accomplishing a new record. You honestly can’t put into words how important he is to our team,” Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey remarked about his star goaltender.

“As a teammate of his, I feel extremely lucky that I’ve gotten to play in front of him basically my entire career. What he does in terms of preparation, the way he’s always figuring out ways to improve his game, is incredible. Even in the last few years, you think, ‘Man, I don’t know if this guy can get any better’, and then he finds a way to. Really lucky to have him, and what he’s doing this year is special.”

The two-time Vezina winner became just the seventh netminder to win at least 45 games in a single season.

The Jets’ top forwards Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele both achieved career bests in Thursday’s win.

Connor’s two-goal performance brought his season-long point total up to 94 (40 goals, 54 assists), while Scheifele picked up an assist to reach a career-high 85 points (38 goals, 47 assists).

At the other end of the spectrum, the Blackhawks are far from setting any positive records as they are playing for pride alone at this point of the season.

The youthful Chicago squad has struggled to string together some strong performances of late but managed a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Veteran forward Nick Foligno scored twice and Ryan Donato reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career with a third-period tally.

“Ryan has the ability to shoot the puck, and it’s all coming together,” Foligno said of his younger teammate. “It’s a special year for him, a contract year, becomes a father, and you can see things start to sort out a little bit for him and who he is, and he’s probably become more comfortable with who he is as a person. He’s got a great role here, and it’s allowed him to play to the abilities he has, and we’re thrilled for him. He’s been a great competitor for us, and we’re happy to see him get 30.”

Donato became the first Blackhawks skater to score 30 goals in a season since Alex DeBrincat totaled 41 in 2021-22.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Kevin Korchinski also found the back of the net for a Chicago squad that had entered Thursday’s contest with six losses over their previous seven outings (1-5-1).

–Field Level Media