Perfetti, Hellebuyck shine as Winnipeg Jets pound Columbus 5-0 for 7th straight win

The Winnipeg Jets cannot be stopped.

The number one team in the NHL standings ensured they would stay there Tuesday night with a 5-0 win over Columbus that extends their win streak to seven games, matching a franchise record that was set in 2017.

It also extends their point streak to 13 and marks the 30th consecutive game in which they’ve allowed three or fewer goals.

The home side wasted little time getting on the board, opening the scoring just 3:12 into the game.

After a turnover in the Winnipeg end, Mark Scheifele got the puck to Nikolaj Ehlers as four Jets skated up the ice. Ehlers drew multiple defenders his way in the Columbus zone before sliding it across to Brenden Dillon, who tried to hit Scheifele with a back-door pass but it deflected off the stick of Erik Gudbranson and past Daniil Tarasov.

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On the play, Scheifele was credited with the 400th assist of his NHL career.

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Columbus tried to answer back, outshooting the Jets 9-6 on the whole in the first 20 minutes but Winnipeg carried the 1-0 lead into the second period.

Just past the midway point of the second, the Jets doubled their lead as two of their youngest players  connected.

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After a long shift in the Columbus end, Dylan Samberg skated the puck down below the goal line and as he circled below the net, two Blue Jackets defenders went towards him, freeing up Cole Perfetti in front. Samberg slid a short pass to Perfetti, who buried it to make it 2-0 at the 10:50 mark.

The Jets kept pouring it on as they made it 3-0 a few minutes later. Adam Lowry carried the puck into the Columbus zone, waited, then sent the puck to Josh Morrissey who skated into it and ripped a perfect shot top-shelf past Tarasov at the 14:03 mark.

Winnipeg carried that lead into the third despite being outshot 16-14 through 40 minutes, and they added to their lead early in the period when Perfetti got to a loose puck and roofed it at the 3:34 mark, the first time Perfetti has had a multi-goal game at the NHL level.

There was a scary moment for the Jets just over six minutes into the third when a point shot from Morrissey deflected off a defender and into the side of Scheifele’s head. Scheifele went down immediately and clutched his right ear before skating off the ice, keeled over in discomfort.

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The Jets made it 5-0 on the power play at the 9:29 mark when Gabriel Vilardi put home a rebound from point-blank range. Perfetti earned an assist on the play for his third point of the night.

As the seconds ticked off the clock and fans did the wave, all that was left to determine was whether Connor Hellebuyck could earn his second shutout of the season and he made some late saves to ensure the goose egg, turning aside 29 shots as Scheifele returned to the ice after the final horn to congratulate his goalie.

Winnipeg will look to set a franchise record with an eighth straight win when they host the Connor Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night. The action gets going just after 7 p.m. with pregame coverage on 680 CJOB starting at 5 p.m.