DETROIT — Two nights after getting punched in the nose and suffering their first loss of the season, the Winnipeg Jets got off the ice and came out in great shape.

A 6-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings inside Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday made the hockey club look like an NHL juggernaut again.

“I thought it was a great response play,” center Mark Scheifele told the Free press. “I thought we all stepped up. We obviously didn’t like our last one and that’s what good teams do.

Winnipeg reeled off eight straight wins — one of the best starts in league history — before a 6-4 setback Monday night in which coach Scott Arniel offered the colorful quote above. This game featured an ugly first 40 minutes in which the Jets had absolutely nothing.

That wasn’t the case against Detroit. Winnipeg (9-1-0) took command early, scoring three times in the opening period and never looking back against a rebuilding Red Wings team that fell to 4-5-1.

Here’s a look from Motown on how it all went down:

1) The upper line progresses: Much has been made of the top three of Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi, who had been largely dominated at five-on-five this season. Arniel even separated them in the second half of Monday’s game, but put them back together for this one.

It’s safe to say they rewarded their boss for his conviction.

Connor fed Vilardi for the first goal 2:48 into the game, and the assist marked the Michigan product’s 500th career point. Connor and Scheifele then set up defenseman Neal Pionk for a goal at 4:02 to make it 2-0, then Vilardi returned the favor by helping Connor get his team’s ninth later in the first period.

Three goals from the #1 line, all at even strength, was quite a statement.

“We are a good line. There are games that suit us and others that don’t, but we were 8-0 going into the last game. So that’s something,” Scheifele said.

“And obviously we all played a good game. KC and Gabe were absolutely fantastic tonight. And it showed and it was fun playing with these guys tonight.

It was also a refreshing change to see the Jets not chasing a game early. Despite their solid record, they haven’t really come out of the starting gate in games this season. Winnipeg had only scored the first goal in two of its first nine games.

In the three games where they have now lit the lamp first, the Jets have scored 20 goals. Captain Obvious here, but they might want to try doing it more often.

“Our start in the first set obviously set the tone,” Arniel said.

“We had to get back to (having) everyone playing their A-game and I thought we did that. Good contributions from everyone. We chased them and had them play in their side of the ice to get the crowd out a little bit and that’s what we did.

2) Walk away: The Jets were still firmly in control of the game throughout the second half, even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect it.

Winnipeg took three straight minor penalties – two of them were what you might call “game management” type calls given the lopsided score for 20 minutes – and Detroit converted on two of them with deflections from Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat evading Connor Hellebuyck.

Any thoughts of a Red Wings comeback were dispelled when Nino Niederreiter scored a freak goal just 10 seconds into the third, lofting a puck toward the Detroit net that was knocked away by the former Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot.

They don’t ask how, but how many, and Niederreiter now counts five.

“I think that should be the game of the day,” Scheifele joked. “We played an incredible game, five-on-five, and obviously they scored a few goals on the power play, but our PK was fantastic. And I think it’s the hockey gods who look down on us.

Pionk then added his second of the night when Winnipeg got its first power play later in the period, and his compatriot Colin Miller finished the game with a wrist shot that eluded Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon.

You know it felt good for Pionk, who, along with partner Dylan Samberg, had a nightmare game against the Maple Leafs when they were on the ice for five even-strength goals.

“The sun came out, thankfully,” Pionk said, putting that quickly in the rearview mirror.

“It was just a team thing. Obviously we didn’t play very well, (me) personally either. It’s all part of being a pro. I talked to (Samberg) and we both agreed we just need to move on and move on to the next game.

3) Oh, Canada? : There were some interesting observers in the press box Wednesday evening. Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois attended the game, which is notable because they are involved in managing Team Canada for the upcoming Big 4 showdown. Nations.

Given that the Red Wings don’t have any prominent Canadian skaters on their roster, it’s a safe bet that they wanted to see players like Scheifele and Josh Morrissey up close. Maybe even shutdown center Adam Lowry too.

BriseBois, whose Lightning were playing in Colorado at the same time, was also in Winnipeg last week for a Jets home game.

Scheifele, Morrissey and Lowry have all had strong performances, but one wonders if they also think about how much easier their lives would be if Connor and Hellebuyck, who will be key parts of Team USA, could obtain their Canadian citizenship by February.

4) Afterburner:

Key game: Connor’s sweet dish at Vilardi for his milestone really set the tempo.

Three stars:

1) Winnipeg LW Kyle Connor: 1 goal, 2 assists

2) Winnipeg D Neal Pionk: 2 goals

3) Winnipeg forward Gabe Vilardi: 1 goal, 1 assist

5) Supplement, Supplement: Hellebuyck finished the night with 19 saves on 21 shots, while Lyon stopped 23 of the 29 pucks he faced.

Before the game, Arniel revealed that injured defenseman Ville Heinola (ankle surgery) and forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan (broken foot) had both started skating this week. They are not traveling but are training at home in Winnipeg. While there is no specific timetable for returns, this is obviously a welcome development. There’s a good chance Heinola will be sent to the Manitoba Moose for a conditioning assignment once he’s ready, while Anderson-Dolan will likely head to the Manitoba Moose for more depth.

The Jets were chartered after the Columbus game and will have a day off Thursday. They will be back on the ice Friday morning to prepare for the evening’s meeting with the Blue Jackets.

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Mike McIntyre
Sports journalist

Mike McIntyre is a sports journalist whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience in the Winnipeg Sunshine before joining the Free press in 1997, where he served in the crime and justice sector until 2016. Learn more about Mike.

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