Hellebuyck makes 24 saves in return from knee injury, Jets top Capitals

WINNIPEG -- Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his return, and the Winnipeg Jets won 5-1 against the Washington Capitals at Canada Life Centre on Saturday.

“The guys really brought it tonight,” Hellebuyck said. “They did everything and more tonight. They blocked shots, they let me see pucks, they really controlled the pace of the game. Our execution was real good tonight. So top to bottom, everyone just worked so hard.

“Getting back in there feels great and I just felt like I hadn’t missed any time.”

It was Hellebuyck’s first game since Nov. 15, a 4-3 shootout win against the Calgary Flames. He was placed on injured reserve Nov. 21 and had arthroscopic knee surgery Nov. 22.

Hellebuyck was expected to miss 4-6 weeks but returned to practice Wednesday.

“This is the very first time all year long that we had everybody back. It was the first game,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “I like to think that had something to do with it. But at the end of the day, like I said to you yesterday, when you've got a Hart Trophy, Vezina guy back there (Hellebuyck), there's a difference.”

Gabriel Vilardi scored two goals, and Alex Iafallo had a goal and an assist for the Jets (15-15-1), who had lost three straight. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry each had two assists.

“We knew getting Hellebuyck back for their group was going to be a jolt of energy,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “And then you bring into the desperate group that you're going to face because you know how things have been going for them. So I'm sure everything coming out of their camp is, you know, our season's on the line, desperation, all those types of (things) -- so you knew you were going to get their absolute best effort tonight. So, not good enough from us.”

Jakob Chychrun scored and Logan Thompson made 30 saves for the Capitals (18-10-4), who lost in regulation for the first time in 10 games (7-1-2).

“Not much went well tonight,” Chychrun said. “All areas of our game, I think. Just lack of execution with the puck. For some reason it just seemed like there were plays to be made and we were either late making a play or just making the wrong one. And it just led to a lot of time in the D-zone. It just wasn't our best night.”

Winnipeg forward Nino Niederreiter skated in his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the first Switzerland-born player to achieve that milestone. He was plus-1 in 15:45 of ice time.

“I think everybody had a maybe a little extra step for me and wanted to win that game also for me, to make it a special night. And they sure did,” he said. “They played unbelievable right from the get-go. I think we came out and want to make sure we put on a good show tonight.”

Logan Stanley gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 9:13 of the first period when he batted a puck out of midair after Morrissey’s shot bounced off the end boards.

“I think it was a slow start, not good enough,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “And then they jumped on us, and it was uphill battle the whole night.”

Morgan Barron made it 2-0 at 18:43 when Lowry set him up on an odd-man rush for a backhand redirect at the net front.

“[Lowry] makes a great saucer pass,” Arniel said. “We talk about double driving and trying to be aggressive and hold the line, and I thought that line did a really good job of pushing them back. That was a big goal in that moment.”

Iafallo pushed it to 3-0 at 3:39 of the second period when Washington forward Justin Sourdif deflected his centering pass over Thompson’s right pad.

“We lost our momentum a little bit,” Wilson said. “I think maybe on nights like tonight you just got to keep it a little more simple and get pucks in and just work at it. Little plays and stuff just aren't there, and we got to know when it's a different type of style and adjust our play a little bit.”

Vilardi made it 4-0 Jets at 19:53, scoring at the post by finishing a three-way passing play from Morrissey and Connor on the power play.

Vilardi then extended it to 5-0 at 11:55 of the third period, scoring to cap another three-way passing play, but with Connor and Scheifele.

Chychrun scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 16:32 for the 5-1 final.

“There were… opportunities to kind of shift the momentum and we just never were able to take advantage,” Chychrun said. “And not only that, but it just always seemed to come back our way. So, yeah, just wasn't a good one.”

NOTES: Morrissey’s assist on Stanley’s goal was his 400th NHL point (85 goals, 315 assists) in 693 games. … Connor has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) on an eight-game point streak. … Scheifele and Connor each factored on the same goal for the 259th time, passing Scheifele and Blake Wheeler for the most by a duo in Jets/Thrashers history. … Washington forward Bogdan Trineyev had a blocked shot in 11:45 of ice time in his NHL debut.